-The Grapes of Wrath

In the early 1930's, the Great Plains fell victim to devastating droughts and dust storms. Thousands of people who lived in Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas (just to name a few) watched helplessly as crops died, family members grew hungry, and money disappeared. As such, families packed up their belongings and set sail towards the sunset, lured by flyers promising work, income, and a better life. Unfortunately, many came across difficult times, and they found their hope of achieving the American Dream dried up like the land.

Your task for this Webquest:

Journey with the Joad family from Oklahoma to the promising, fertile land of California. Experience the lives of ex-convict Tom Joad, matriarch Ma Joad, and the pregnant, young Rose of Sharon. You will be responsible for documenting the agonizing trip, from heart-breaking hardships to the few mini-victories. By the end of this quest, you will have a scrapbook filled with:

* A journal containing four entries discussing reactions to:

-the day you left Oklahoma

-arriving in California

-working as a peach picker for a day

-your reaction to the news of Rose of Sharon's stillborn child

* Interview someone who is a "Voice of the Dustbowl"

* Your reaction to a news event that occurred during the trip

* An "original" flyer that inspired the trip to California crying out for the urgent need for farm laborers.

Questions to consider before beginning:

1. Why leave Oklahoma behind?

2. Who's traveling to California?

3. What cherished items will your family be taking out west?

4. What major events are occuring in the United States at the time of

departure?

5. Consider how crowded the Joad automobile is. How will your family get to

California?

6. When does the entourage plan on arriving in the Golden state?

7. Where do you plan on settling down?

Use the following resources to begin:

For interview excerpts:

Voices of the Dust Bowl

Federal Writer's Project Interview Excerpts

Reminisces

For Photographs:

The New Deal - Be sure to go to Photo Gallery

Drylands

A&S

For General Information:

Great Depression and the New Deal

About the Dustbowl

Discovery Channel

John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath

Public Broadcasting Link

For News Events:

Timeline

Bonnie & Clyde

More on the pair

The information process and some bits of advice to help get your family on the road...

You will be working in groups of four, your "family" to complete the scrapbook. You may also use the novel we've just read, The Grapes of Wrath, as needed.

1. Designate family roles to each member of the group. Each person will be responsible for contributing at least one journal topic (see task #2), as well as helping to compile the completed project.

2. Check out some of the websites listed above. Remember, you do not need to use every resource listed. Any critical information you find in the book or elsewhere on the web may be used to assist your family.

3. After all the tasks have been completed and put into a scrapbook, each family member will write, in character, final thoughts about the trip to California. Involve relationships to the Joad family, who you liked, who you didn't. For example, were Ruthie and Winfield annoying? Did you think that Uncle John complained too much about being a sinner? Was Ma too domineering? Include these reactions in the scrapbook.

4. This Webquest is designed to allow plenty of choice. Your group may choose any photograph, any news event, and, ultimately, any design for the scrapbook. Remember, though, to work as a team so that every member in the group has his/her voice heard.

The Evaluation

This project is a group effort. You will be assessed based on the cooperation involved with this assignment. All students are expected to participate in this project actively! To receive an exemplary grade, your scrapbook must contain the following:

*Extra consideration will be given to projects whose written work resembles the writing and style of the Joad family in the novel. Also, consider adding color, hand drawn pictures, etc. This will only enhance your project!

Conclusion

There can be no dispute that the thousands of people who moved from the midwestern United States to California found difficult times and many hardships. Shortage of work led to no income, which resulted in starvation, illness, and, at times, death for many families.

John Steinbeck's novel The Grapes of Wrath depicts realistically the journey of one family who endured the harrowing trip to California and the discrimination they faced for being "Okies." Hopefully this Webquest has shed some insight to the tragedy of the Dust Bowl.

We have many lessons to learn from The Grapes of Wrath and the experiences of the Dust Bowl in the 1930's. We exposed ourselves to American history, discrimination between Americans, and a determination to achieve the American Dream. If you take only one thing away with you from this Webquest, let it be this: Never underestimate the power of the human spirit.