ALEX | Alabama Learning Exchange

Up From the Dust

Classroom Resource Information

Title:

Up From the Dust

URL:

https://www.mission-us.org/pages/landing-mission-5

Content Source:

Other
WNET Thirteen

Type:

Interactive/Game

Overview:

In this interactive game from WNET Thirteen, “Up from the Dust,” players take on the roles of twins Frank and Ginny Dunn, whose family wheat farm is devastated by the Great Depression and Dust Bowl. As they experience the hardships of the 1930s, players learn about Americans’ strategies for survival – as individuals, communities, and a nation. “Up from the Dust” is available online and as free iPad and Windows 10 apps. Teachers need to register for a free account. This game can be played in a whole group or individually. Teachers can download an educator's guide.

Content Standard(s):

Social Studies
SS2010 (2010)
Grade: 11
United States History II: The Industrial Revolution to the Present

6 ) Describe social and economic conditions from the 1920s through the Great Depression regarding factors leading to a deepening crisis, including the collapse of the farming economy and the stock market crash of 1929. [A.1.a., A.1.b., A.1.d., A.1.f., A.1.i., A.1.j., A.1.k.]

• Assessing effects of overproduction, stock market speculation, and restrictive monetary policies on the pending economic crisis

• Describing the impact of the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act on the global economy and the resulting worldwide depression

• Identifying notable authors of the 1920s, including John Steinbeck, William Faulkner, and Zora Neale Hurston (Alabama)

• Analyzing the Great Depression for its impact on the American family

Examples: Bonus Army, Hoovervilles, Dust Bowl, Dorothea Lange

Unpacked Content

Strand: Economics, Geography, History, Civics and Government

Course Title: United States History II: The Industrial Revolution to the Present

Evidence Of Student Attainment:

Students:

Analyze the social, political, and economic conditions that contributed to the Great Depression.
Identify and describe the effects of the Great Depression on American life and art.

Teacher Vocabulary:

assess
identify
analyze
Great Depression
stock market crash
overproduction
speculation
Smoot-Haley Tariff Act
John Steinbeck
William Faulkner
Zora Neale Hurston
Bonus Army
Hoovervilles
Dust Bowl
Dorothea Lange
Jim Crow
Japanese Internment
Southern Tenant Farmers' Union

Knowledge:

Students know:

The social, political, and economic conditions from the 1920s through the Great Depression.
Social and political factors and policies that were influenced by and that contributed to the deepening crisis during the Great Depression.
Economic factors and policies that contributed to the beginning of the Great Depression and the deepening crisis as the Great Depression continued in the United States and globally, including the effects of overproduction, stock market speculation, restrictive monetary policies, the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act.
The ways authors' works during the Great Depression were influenced by and influenced the social, political, and economic realities of the time.
The impact of the Great Depression on class, region, race, and gender relations during the time period of the 1920s to the 1940s.

Skills:

Students are able to:

Analyze the social, political, and economic conditions of a specific historical period.
Determine and evaluate the factors that contributed to a specific historical period.
Evaluate works of art and literature from a specific time period in order to determine their impact.
Determine central ideas of primary and secondary sources.
Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources.

Understanding:

Students understand that:

There were various political, social and economic conditions that contributed to the Great Depression.

Alabama Alternate Achievement Standards

AAS Standard:
SS.AAS.11.6- Define economic depression; recognize the general causes of the Great Depression including overproduction of crops, stock market crash; recognize the effects of the Great Depression including collapse of the farm economy, unemployment, bank failure, homelessness and soup kitchens.

Tags:

Dust Bowl, Great Depression

License Type:

Custom Permission Type
See Terms: https://www.wnet.org/about/terms-of-service/
For full descriptions of license types and a guide to usage, visit :
https://creativecommons.org/licenses

Accessibility

Graphics: includes alt tags or long descriptions
Video resources: includes closed captioning or subtitles

Comments

Developed for use in middle and high school classrooms, Mission US engages students in the study of transformational moments in American history. Each mission consists of an interactive game and a set of curriculum materials that are aligned to national standards and feature document-based activities. The game immerses players in rich, historical settings and then empowers them to make choices that illuminate how ordinary people experienced the past. The Educator's Guide provides a wealth of resources and activities for both teachers and students, including primary source documents that show the broader social, political, and economic context of events and perspectives featured in the game. Since some of the topics Mission US explores are difficult, it is recommended that teachers/parents preview the game content to make sure it is appropriate for their students/children.

This resource provided by:

Author:

Ginger Boyd

ALEX Classroom Resource

Up From the Dust