This document provides instructions for a lesson on the Okie migration during the Great Depression. Students will assume the role of a teenager migrating from Oklahoma to California and document their experiences through a series of journal entries. They will research life in Oklahoma before and after the Depression hit, as well as what life was like after settling in California. The lesson is designed to give students perspective on how the Depression and Dust Bowl affected everyday lives. Students will read background information and write three journal entries to demonstrate their understanding.

1. THE OKIE MIGRATION Student Page Title Introduction Task Process Evaluation Conclusion Credits [ Teacher Page ] A WebQuest for 11th Grade (U.S. History) Designed by Kayce Dillman [email_address] Based on a template from The WebQuest Page Photo by: Dorothea Lange

2. INTRODUCTION Student Page Title Introduction Task Process Evaluation Conclusion Credits [ Teacher Page ] The prosperity that America experienced during the 1920s which was characterized by increased production of consumer goods would be short lived. On “Black Tuesday”, in October 1929, the house of cards that was the United States economy came crashing down as stock prices plummeted and the countless employees who had invested in their companies lost thousand of dollars, not to mention their pensions and lifetime savings. “ Black Tuesday” marked an event that began the greatest economic depression in American history that would plague the country for more than a decade. It is a time not only of great economic hardship, but also of social disturbance as previously establish social order was turned upside down as millions of Americans from all classes lost their jobs and their livelihoods. For those who Lived in Oklahoma and other States such as Arkansas, Texas, And Missouri, the falling crop prices and severe drought Conditions that marked The Great Depression produced Created an environment in Which poverty was so extreme That massive amounts of People left these poverty Stricken areas, fleeing for California by the hundreds in hopes that their flourishing agricultural economy, along with the large amounts of relief money they received would help them crawl their way out of debt . However, the Depression was not isolated by region, and California was in no better position to take care of these migrant workers and their families. As a result of the increased strain put on relief agencies by the se new migrants. This resulted in discrimination against these new arrivals who were called Okies as most of them came from Oklahoma. It is your job to assume the role of a teenager who lived in Oklahoma before the Great Depression set in, and who endured the Great Migration out to California in hopes of a better tomorrow. Photo by: Daily Mail

7. EVALUATION Student Page Title Introduction Task Process Evaluation Conclusion Credits [ Teacher Page ]

8. CONCLUSION Student Page Title Introduction Task Process Evaluation Conclusion Credits [ Teacher Page ] Clearly the effects of the Great Depression had a profound effect on not only the way that people lived, but on the social structures of their everyday lives. As drought continued to plague Oklahoma and crop prices continued to fall, with little hope for relief, hundreds of thousands took to the road and headed west in hopes that all the propaganda that made California seem like the land of milk and honey was true. However, once they reached the Golden State, many of them confronted a harsher reality in which they faced improper housing, intense job competition, and little improvement in relief received. Furthermore, because of the strain that they put on an economy who, although not as dire, still was struggling to survive the hardship s of the depression; many of these new migrants faced intense discrimination as they were seen as parasites to the existing community. However, those ‘Okies’ who decided to stay in California despite all these things created a sub-culture in California that is very distinctive and still can be seen today, as many of them not only chose to, but were forced to live together as matter of survival. With the onset of World War II and the end of the Great Depression, those who fought so hard to keep ‘Okies’ out , changed their tune as California once again became a booming economy with the introduction of war industries and labor contracts. California would once again become the promise land for thousands of migrants hoping to secure a job in wartime industries!

9. CREDITS & REFERENCES Student Page Title Introduction Task Process Evaluation Conclusion Credits [ Teacher Page ] Links to Internet resources: Oklahoma’s economy: http://digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia/entries/O/OK041.html Tenant Farming and Sharecropping: http://digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia/entries/T/TE009.html Hoovervilles: http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1642.html Great Depression: http://digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia/entries/G/GR014.html Desperation Road: http://www.redriverhistorian.com/desperation.html Okie Life in California: http://faculty.headroyce.org/~us2001/meredithc/okielifeincalifornia.html Okie Subculture: http://faculty.headroyce.org/~us2001/meredithc/californiaokiesubculture.html Primary sources on the Great Depression: http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/modules/great_depression/documents.cfm Link back to The WebQuest Page and The WebQuest Slideshare Group

10. THE OKIE MIGRATION (TEACHER) [ Student Page ] Title Introduction Learners Standards Process Resources Credits Teacher Page A WebQuest for 11th Grade (U.S. History) Designed by Kayce Dillman [email_address] Based on a template from The WebQuest Page Evaluation Teacher Script Conclusion Photo By: Dorothea Lange

11. INTRODUCTION (TEACHER) [ Student Page ] Title Introduction Learners Standards Process Resources Credits Teacher Page This lesson was developed in order to complete the curriculum for the teacher education program at Colorado State University. At first I was very skeptical about creating a lesson plan based almost solely on technology. But on a project like this it was a great way to find primary sources that allow them to interact with their past; both audibly through sound bites, or visually through photo journals that I may not have other wise. It also allows the students more freedom of choice to allow for greater diversity in finished products, which as any teacher knows makes for a more interesting read! This lesson is about looking at the Great Depression and the events that ensued in a different way. Instead of looking at it from the top-down, as in studying the legislation that was passed that extended the federal governments power farther than it ever had before. The student will become more acquainted with the effects that it had on the lives of millions of Americans just like you and me. It will allow them not only to hear another view on the events that occurred, but to synthesize the information that will make it more concrete to them. Evaluation Teacher Script Conclusion

12. LEARNERS (TEACHER) [ Student Page ] Title Introduction Learners Standards Process Resources Credits Teacher Page This lesson was developed for an eleventh grade U.S. History class, and also involves language arts to a lesser degree as the student is expected to write with very little errors, and try to capture the voice of what would be an Okie living in California during what is termed the Dust Bowl Migration. It could likely also be adapted for younger ages such as eighth graders by doing simple modifications. Instead of writing journals, they could write reports or make a poster board on the Okie experience, or different areas of the ensuing subculture. Prior to this lesson, the learner should know the essentials about the Great Depression such as its reasons, and why this caused so many problems for the population as a whole. Evaluation Teacher Script Conclusion

16. THE PROCESS (DAY 3) (TEACHER) [ Student Page ] Title Introduction Learners Standards Process Resources Credits Teacher Page Evaluation Teacher Script Conclusion

17. THE PROCESS (VARIATIONS) (TEACHER) [ Student Page ] Title Introduction Learners Standards Process Resources Credits Teacher Page I feel as if this Webquest is best completed on an individual level, as it allows the students with the most freedom of choice, and will make for journals that are more personalized. They will also allow the student to put a voice into their paper which will help them to become a better writer overall. This Webquest could be modified to perform as an entire class, and would best be utilized for special education of ELL classes as it allows the teacher to give the class more guidance and instruction in achieving the desired finished product, whatever you may choose that to be. Evaluation Teacher Script Conclusion

19. EVALUATION (TEACHER) [ Student Page ] Title Introduction Learners Standards Process Resources Credits Teacher Page Evaluation Teacher Script Conclusion This rubric is to be used to evaluate the journal writings that the students were to complete by the end of the assignment. The process takes them through the steps, and also guides them in the topic of the journals , letting them know what you want out of the final product. This will help you determine the quality of the entries and also to let the students know exactly what you are looking for as far as examples, and style of writing you are looking for.