Students will gain a greater understanding of the historical context and purpose of the cattle drives that took place in the mid 1880s. Students will be able to explain the cause and effect relationships of life on the frontier including, population growth, and later the invention and use of barbed wire, refrigeration, and railroads.
Students explore New World and Old World food origins to discover how the Columbian Exchange altered people’s lives worldwide.
Evaluate the agricultural advances of the Green Revolution, discover the contributions of Norman Borlaug, and discuss the impacts of this era from an economic, social, political, and environmental perspective by watching the 2020 PBS film, The Man Who Tried to Feed the World.
On May 9th, 1934 a giant storm rose up out of the great plains. A menacing wall of soil and dust headed east across the land, thick enough to block out the sun. This 4-minute video gives a good account of this disaster through video footage and photographs.
This newsreel-style documentary chronicles the Dust Bowl with interviews from people (primary sources) who lived through the "dirty thirties." The images linger well after the film ends. An excellent resource to use when studying the Great Depression, the Dust Bowl, or the Grapes of Wrath by Steinbeck. The renowned Walter Cronkite narrates the 23-minute film available on DVD or YouTube. Order this DVD online from agclassroomstore.com.
This 14-minute documentary includes interviews from Utah residents (primary sources) about the "dirty" Grantsville Dust Bowl of the 1930s. Yes, Utah did experience its own dust bowl, not from the turn of the plow like the Midwest, but from overgrazing. Learn about how residents responded to what was one of the nation's worst environmental disasters. This video is available on DVD or YouTube. Order this DVD online from agclassroomstore.com.
On September 6, 1936, in one of his famous fireside chat radio broadcasts, President Franklin Roosevelt describes the conditions he observed firsthand on a tour of the many states devastated by drought.