After school one day, Chris s great-grandfather asked him what he

Transcription

1 8 The Dust Bowl R O L E P L A Y After school one day, Chris s great-grandfather asked him what he was studying in his science class. Chris began to tell him about the garden. When he described the problems they were having, Chris s mother, a soil scientist, became interested. Then his great-grandfather told them all a story about when he was growing up on a farm in Oklahoma. CHALLENGE What happened in the Dust Bowl in the 1930s? A-33

2 Activity 8 The Dust Bowl MATERIALS For each student 1 Student Sheet 8.1, Intra-act Discussion: The Dust Bowl PROCEDURE 1. Assign one of the following roles to each person in your group. Chris, a middle school student Jennifer, his older sister Mother Great-grandfather 2. In your group, read the role-play aloud. As you read, think about what each character is saying. 3. Discuss whether you think a disaster like the Dust Bowl could happen again. 4. Mark whether you agree or disagree with the statements on Student Sheet 8.1, Intra-act Discussion: The Dust Bowl. Predict what you think other members of your group will say. 5. Discuss the statements with your group. Have a person share his or her opinion about each statement and explain why he or she agreed or disagreed. THE DUST BOWL You know, I can tell you something about growing things. I was raised on a farm. We know that, Grandpa. But do you know why my family left Oklahoma? No, why? Dust. Dust? Yep, dust. A-34

3 The Dust Bowl Activity 8 Workers harvest peas on a farm in Why did dust make you leave? Well, really, it was more like dirt. Our family had a farm in Oklahoma for almost 100 years. When they started the farm, they took out the native prairie grasses and planted vegetable crops. It was a productive farm and a good living for many years. So what does that have to do with dust? In the 1930s, there were several years with very little rain. The topsoil dried out and the crops died, leaving the soil bare. The native grasses of Oklahoma could adapt and survive with hardly any rain, but the vegetable crops planted by farmers could not. The way the plants were watered wasn t very good either, so the crops dried out. So once the crops died, you had to move? No, not yet. It got worse. Worse? How can it get worse than having all your crops die? The farmed soil didn t have much moisture or organic matter in it. The soil was dry because there wasn t any rain, but the lack of moist organic matter was due to the way they were farming. I read about this somewhere. When land is farmed, the natural recycling process of organic matter is broken. When crops are harvested and removed, the topsoil is left with fewer nutrients. A-35

4 Activity 8 The Dust Bowl These days some farmers try to return nutrients to the soil with fertilizers. Or they try not to remove all the nutrients in the first place. But in the past, it was common for farmers to abandon the land that lacked organic material and grow the next crop in a new place. So what you re saying is that the land would be farmed until there was nothing organic left in it? That s right. Often the abandoned soil created an area where it was difficult, even impossible, for plants to grow again. Near Grandpa s farm, there was a lot of dry nutrient-poor soil that could be picked up by the wind. Farming Techniques to Save Soil a. Contour plowing on hills slows down water flow so that less soil is washed away. b. When trees are used as windbreaks, they slow down the wind so it cannot easily lift soil up and move it. c. Crop rotation, or changing crops yearly, reduces the loss of nutrients in the soil. d. Native plants hold soil together and are well equipped to thrive in local conditions. A-36

5 The Dust Bowl Activity 8 And that is what happened. There was a lot of wind and it picked up the soil and created huge dust storms. Probably it would be better to call them dirt storms. I think I remember hearing about this in history class. They called it the Dust Bowl because all the dirt that was blown in the air was as fine as dust. Yes, and all of that dust was one of the most incredible things I have seen in my whole life! The windstorms were so fierce that they were called black blizzards. These historical photographs show a black blizzard in the Dust Bowl. The picture at the top shows a car trying to escape the dark clouds of dust, and the one at the bottom shows how the dirt from the storm has almost buried buildings on a farm. A-37

6 Activity 8 The Dust Bowl VERMONT NEW YORK COLORADO KANSAS Chicago Atlantic Ocean NEW MEXICO OKLAHOMA TEXAS The Dust Bowl in the United States Dust Bowl The dust mainly blew east, from Oklahoma to Vermont and New York. Some of it was lifted high into the air and was carried over the Atlantic Ocean. So everything got covered in dirt? Yes. The dead crops were covered, the farm equipment, and even the house. We sealed up the house, but the dust was so fine it got inside and covered the furniture. It was everywhere. I remember that the dust storms made it so dark outside that the streetlights were left on during the day! That explains why you left the farm. Grandpa was only one of the millions of people affected by the Dust Bowl. It covered more than 100 million acres of land in Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado, Texas, and New Mexico. We packed up the whole family and moved to Chicago. It was hard for a while, but eventually my father got a job in a factory. Wow, Grandpa, that s an amazing story. Dust! Is Oklahoma still covered in dirt? The winds died down and farmers improved how they farmed, so the crisis is over. But dust storms haven t disappeared. They are an ongoing natural hazard in the world. A-38

7 The Dust Bowl Activity 8 ANALYSIS 1. Describe what it was like to be in the Dust Bowl. 2. A combination of conditions caused the Dust Bowl. What were three things that contributed to the Dust Bowl? 3. The photographs on page A-36 show how modern farmers use a variety of techniques to prevent soil loss. How could the following actions help prevent another Dust Bowl? Explain how each single action could help. a. Keep soils wet. b. Listen to weather reports. c. Plant tall trees along the edges of fields. d. Plant more native plants. 4. Reflection: Do you know of anyone whose life has been affected by farms or farming? Describe his or her experience. A-39