[Detail] Drought refugee family from McAlester
Lesson Overview
By examining primary sources, including songs, newspapers, interviews, and photographs of migrant farm workers in California during the Great Depression, students create a scrapbook from the point of view of a migrant worker, providing evidence of the colloquial speech used by the migrants and the issues affecting their lives. Using Voices from the Dust Bowl, 1940-1941 and FSA/OWI Photographs, 1935-1945, students select photographs and use the sound recordings of voices of the migrant workers to create captions, letters, and/or songs based on these primary sources. This lesson can be used in connection with a unit on the Great Depression, and specifically on The Grapes of Wrath.
Objectives
Students will be able to:
- research in the Library's digital collections;
- analyze primary sources of various formats;
- understand the politics of migration and the Great Depression.
Standards
Time Required
Two weeks
Recommended Grade Level
- 9-12
Topic
- Oral Histories
Era
- Great Depression and WWII, 1929-1945
Credits
Amy McElroy & Chris Pietsch
