Alabama Social Studies SS24.5.7b

Social Studies5th GradeRoaring Twenties, Great Depression, and New Deal

The Standard

SS24.5.7: Describe the economic developments in the United States during the Roaring Twenties that caused the 1929 stock market crash.

Identify key characteristics of the Dust Bowl and the regions affected by it.

2024 Alabama Course of Study: Social Studies

Teacher's field guide

What Students Need to Do: Students find the Dust Bowl on a U.S. map, mainly in the southern Great Plains. They describe the drought, blowing topsoil, ruined crops, and why some families moved.
What Mastery Looks Like: A student marks affected parts of Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, Colorado, and New Mexico on a map. They explain how drought, plowed fields, and strong winds led to dust storms.
Common Misconceptions: Students may think the dust storms covered the whole country. They may blame drought alone and miss how plowing prairie grass left soil exposed.
How to Assess It: Give students a labeled U.S. map. Ask them to circle the affected area and write two reasons the soil blew away.

Lesson moves

Cover paper scraps in one tray with taped yarn grass, leave another bare, then fan both trays and compare what moves.
Show a Dust Bowl photograph and ask, "What clues show how the storm affected farms and families?"
Give pairs a reference map and a blank map to shade affected parts of Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, Colorado, and New Mexico.
Show a photo of a bare schoolyard patch and ask students how grass could keep its soil from blowing away.

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A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to SS24.5.7b, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.

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