Out of the Dust Teacher Resources

If your class is reading the historical fiction novel, Out of the Dust, then you are in luck. Here are a few slides that will help you provide historical context for the book, as well as define main characters, setting, symbolism, and...

Is your class reading Out of the Dust? If they are, or if this is your first time teaching Karen Hesse's Newbery Medal winning novel, check out the ideas in a presentation that outlines what you and your class can do while reading about...

Imagine using a six-sided cube to encourage readers to analyze a topic in greater depth. Create a cube, label each of the six sides with one of Bloom's comprehension levels, and you're ready to launch a discussion of a text. Although...

To conclude their study of Out of the Dust, the 1998 Newbery Medal winning verse novel, individuals craft a narrative essay based on one of the themes in Karen Hesse's novel.

Is your class going to read the novel, Out of the Dust? If so, you can prep them with a presentation that provides both images of the Dust Bowl and quotes from the book. Tip: Have learners use the images to compose descriptive...

The Grapes of Wrath may be the most famous novel set during the Dust Bowl, but what other stories cover the same time? The unit focuses on the Karen Hesse novel Out of the Dust. Learners keep a timeline of the Dust Bowl, maintain a...

Students complete activities with the book Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse. For this literature lesson, students read this story and view the Dust Bowl history from the eyes of a child. They discover the Great Depression and life in the...

A guided imagery exercise is a great way to get readers thinking about writing. As part of their study of Out of the Dust, Karen Hesse’s 1998 Newbery Medal winning verse novel, class members listen to a reading of one of the poems from...

As part of their study of Out of the Dust, readers create a biopoem for one of the characters in Karen Hesse's 1998 Newbery Medal winning verse novel.

Powerful images set the stage for Karen Hesse's historical fiction novel, Out of the Dust. The photos, maps, quotes from the text, critical thinking questions, and background information on the Dust Bowl period are all included, and will...

Encourage good reading habits with an activity that asks class members to examine the title and cover of Out of the Dust, and then make predictions about the setting of and events in the tale.  

To prepare for a reading of Out of the Dust, Karen Hesse’s 1998 Newbery Medal winning verse novel, class members complete an anticipation guide that focuses attention on themes readers will encounter in the novel.

A K-W-H-L chart is a great way to scaffold prior knowledge. As class members begin their reading of Out of the Dust, Karen Hesse’s 1998 Newbery Medal winning verse novel, they chart what they already know about the Great Depression and...

Introduce young readers to historical fiction with Karen Hesse's novel, Out of the Dust. They'll view photos taken during the Dust Bowl years, meet the author, and even hear an excerpt from the book. A plot summary and three book talks...

Students create a poem that expresses the physical and emotional turmoil of living through the Dust Bowl.  In this Out of the Dust lesson, students research facts about the time period and discuss the cause-effect patterns associated...

Learners examine 1930's America through literature. In this Dust Bowl activity, students read Karen Hesse's Out of the Dust and set up vocabulary journals and question bookmarks to log their thoughts and impressions as they read the novel.

Learners write a description of their own life in the same style used in the first poem in Out of the Dust.  For this Out of the Dust lesson, students discuss open form poetry and how the spacing and line breaks create a flow to the poem...

Students list examples of appeals to the senses in the poem Out of the Dust.  In this Out of the Dust lesson, students discuss ways that the author brings the story alive through appeals to the senses.  Students discuss examples and how...

Students choose an individual project or a group project to culminate the reading of Out of the Dust.  In this Out of the Dust lesson, students have a choice of creative projects to complete after they have finished the reading. 

Learners find examples of figurative language in "First Rain" in Out of the Dust.  In this Out of the Dust lesson, students takes notes on various type of figurative language and identify examples of each type in the poem.

Learners consider the accuracy of the book Out of the Dust as they view primary source images taken during the Dust Bowl. Each slide contains an image, a question, and a quote from the book. This would be great to use when covering...

Challenge your readers with a fun game of "Who Wants to Be a Media Center Millionaire?" Questions cover the novels A Long Fatal Love Chase, The Last Years of Merlin, and Out of the Dust. The first eight slides compose all the questions;...

Seventh graders read a book of poems called "Out of the Dust". In groups, they research the Dust Bowl and how it affected people living through the Great Depression. Using the text, they identify the theme and key turning points and...

Students review figurative languages terms and examples. They read the first entry in the book, Out of the Dust, and discuss the images created by the author. Then they create an autobiographical poem using figurative language.