1 of 11

Soil and Water: Yours For Life

#2: The Dust Bowl and HHB

2022 Poster Contest

for 4th & 5th grade students in Wake County, NC

Sponsored by:

Wake Soil & Water Conservation District

and Novozymes North America Inc.

​

Contact:

Sheila Jones, Environmental Education, sbjones@wakegov.com

​

2 of 11

🎯Learning Targets:

WHAT WAS THE DUST BOWL?

I can…

  • Tell the true story of the Dust Bowl -- what it was, and when & where it took place
  • Describe what caused the Dust Bowl and its consequences
  • Tell the true story of the Father of Soil Conservation -- who he was, where he was from, and his contribution to soil conservation
  • Explain the lessons learned from the Dust Bowl -- why soil is important and how conservation practices restored the damage and continue to protect soil today to prevent another Dust Bowl

3 of 11

What was the Dust Bowl?

Let’s see what we already know! Don’t worry if you’re not sure. We are here to learn!

​

Begin your K-W-L chart by adding what you

already know and what you want to know about

the Dust Bowl.

4 of 11

THE DUST BOWL: It wasn’t a football game like the annual Cotton Bowl or Rose Bowl. Instead, the Dust Bowl was a 10-year ecological apocalypse and farming disaster that turned our country’s “breadbasket” into a “Dust Bowl.”

As the saying goes, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” Explore historical photo galleries and choose one photo that speaks to you. What do you see? How do you feel? What if you had lived in the Dust Bowl? What was life like? What choices would you have made? Create a photo gallery with your classmates.

PBS.org https://www.pbs.org/kenburns/the-dust-bowl/photo-gallery

LOC.gov https://www.loc.gov/pictures/search/?q=Dust%20Bowl&co=fsa

5 of 11

THE DUST BOWL: Watch these videos with historical film footage from the Dust Bowl era

and original music sung by Woody Guthrie, the Dust Bowl Troubadour.

FDR and the Dust Bowl (4:16)

The Dust Bowl (4:04)

Almanac: The Dust Bowl (2:11)

6 of 11

The Dust Bowl:

Read All About It!

Read this 2-page article: Learning from the Dust Bowl.

​

Complete the Learning from the Dust Bowl worksheet

to check your understanding.

7 of 11

Meet the Father of Soil Conservation:

Hugh Hammond Bennett

Discover this man’s #1 natural resource concern →

and how it became his mission and legacy that lives on today.

​

1) Read the article The Father of Soil Conservation

by Dr. Maurice Cook, NCSU emeritus professor of soils.

​

Complete The Father of Soil Conservation worksheet to check your understanding.

​

2) Read the adventures of Murphy & Manteo who visit the North Carolina Museum of History in a cartoon strip by Mark Dubowski.

​

Complete the Murphy & Manteo worksheet to check your understanding.

8 of 11

Out of the long list of nature’s gifts to man, none is perhaps so utterly essential to human life as soil.

~Hugh Hammond Bennett

HHB with the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1930s.

9 of 11

What was the Dust Bowl?

Now that you’ve studied this historical event,

revisit your K-W-L chart by adding what you

have learned about the Dust Bowl, a North Carolina native named Hugh Hammond Bennett, and why it’s important to protect soil.

10 of 11

11 of 11

Soil and Water - Yours For Life

There are 4 slideshows to help you prepare your contest entry.

Be sure to check them out and have fun learning!