Before your students watch "Surviving the Dust Bowl," ask them to write down what they know about the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression. Collect their papers before you screen the documentary. When the movie is over, ask them to spend 10 minutes recording their thoughts about the film. Once they are done, lead a discussion in which you have them share something about the film that impacted them. Encourage them to make connections between the Dust Bowl families and people who are struggling today by asking them what they might do in similar circumstances.
Discuss the weather during the time of the Dust Bowl storms and the agricultural practices that may have contributed to the problem. Have students research methods of farming used at the time and compare and contrast them to current practices. Discuss the causes of the Dust Bowl and have your students investigate the possibility of a recurrence of a decade-long drought. After they've done some searching, provide them with articles like the one published in May 2008 by Columbia University warning of famines and vulnerable regions.
Provide students with pictures of children and teens during the Great Depression and today. Compare and contrast. Have the students photograph images of their lives and neighborhoods. Ask them to look online and in magazines for images they find striking and discuss why the images are important. Discuss the documentation of history through photography and the changes brought about by new technology.
Have students identify important events during the Dust Bowl years, 1931 to 1939. Give them a few to start with, such as Franklin Roosevelt's election, the Emergency Banking Act of 1933, the Emergency Farm Mortgage Act and the Shelterbelt Project. Ask them how these events affected history, then ask them to identify similar events in recent history. Discuss why it is important to be aware of history and for people today to record their own histories.