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Mr. A's Writing Tools
writingtools.org
Writing Assignment
When the Plains Turned to Dust
Standard: Explain the relationships or interactions between two or more individuals, events, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text based on specific information in the text.
What to Do
Assignment OverviewWhat happens when people change the land too much? In the 1930s, huge dust The Dust Bowl: A Disaster Made by Nature and People
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In the early 1900s, thousands of settlers moved to the Great Plains to start farms. The land was covered in thick prairie grass that had grown there for thousands of years. The grass roots held the soil firmly in place, even during dry spells. But the farmers plowed up the grass to plant wheat and corn. At first, the crops grew well because there was plenty of rain.
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Then, in 1931, a terrible drought hit the Great Plains. Without rain, the crops dried up and died. With the prairie grass gone, there was nothing left to hold the soil down. Strong winds picked up the loose, dry dirt and created enormous dust storms. Some storms were so large they blocked out the sun and turned day into night. People called them "black blizzards."
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The dust storms destroyed what was left of the farms. Soil piled up against houses and buried fences. Animals and people got sick from breathing the dust. Without crops to sell, farm families had no money for food. Banks took away farms when families could not pay their loans.
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By the mid-1930s, hundreds of thousands of people gave up and left the Great Plains. Many families packed everything they owned into old cars and trucks and drove west to California, hoping to find work. The Dust Bowl showed how human actions and natural events can combine to create a disaster that changes the lives of millions. Vocabulary Bank
Writing Steps
1
What Are We Looking At?
Read the passage and find the key elements (people, events, ideas, or concepts):
1. What is the main element? (Hint: it's the Dust Bowl) 2. What other elements are important? List at least two other people, events, ideas, or concepts from the passage. 3. What role does each one play? Give a short description of each element. Example: "The main element is the Dust Bowl. Two other important elements are ______ and ______. The first one is important because..." When you read a text about real things - like history, science, or how things work - there are always key elements to pay attention to. These might be people, events, ideas, or concepts.
We're going to explore how the Dust Bowl connects to other elements in this passage. First, let's figure out what the important elements are!
Scoring Guidance — Step 1
Look for:
Main Idea Detail / Evidence 1 Detail / Evidence 2 Detail / Evidence 3
2
Find the First Connection
Find a connection between the Dust Bowl and one of the other elements you identified:
1. Which two elements are connected? Name them both. 2. What is the connection? How do they relate to or affect each other? 3. What evidence shows this? Point to a specific detail or sentence from the passage. Try using words like: because, leads to, depends on, is caused by, helps, changes, affects Now that you know the key elements, let's start finding connections between them.
A connection is how two things relate to or affect each other. For example: - One event causes another event - A person influences an idea - One concept depends on another concept Pick two elements from the passage and find how they connect.
Scoring Guidance — Step 2
Look for:
Pick two elements that seem like they go together
Ask yourself: Does one cause the other? Does one change the other?
Use a detail from the passage to prove the connection
Sentence Starters
In the text, the author shows that ___.
The author writes, "___," which shows ___.
This is important because ___.
Overall, the text shows that ___.
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Find Another Connection
Find a second connection between elements in the passage:
1. Which two elements are connected this time? (Pick a different pair or a different type of connection) 2. What is this connection? How do they relate to or affect each other? 3. How is this connection different from your first one? Think about different types of relationships: - Cause and effect (one thing makes another happen) - Problem and solution (one thing fixes or responds to another) - Compare (two things are similar or different) - Sequence (one thing happens before or after another) Great work finding one connection! But elements in a text usually have more than one relationship.
Now find a different connection. You can: - Connect the Dust Bowl to a different element - Find a different type of relationship between the same elements - Show how a third element connects to the first two The more connections you find, the better you understand the text!
Scoring Guidance — Step 3
Look for:
Try looking at a different part of the passage
Think about different types of connections (cause-effect, problem-solution)
Can you find a connection your first one missed?
Sentence Starters
In the text, the author shows that ___.
The author writes, "___," which shows ___.
This is important because ___.
Overall, the text shows that ___.
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Explain the Relationships
Explain why the relationships you found are important:
1. What do these connections tell us? What do we learn about the Dust Bowl by understanding its relationships? 2. Why do these relationships matter? How do they help us understand the passage better? 3. How do the connections work together? Do they show a pattern, a cause-and-effect chain, or something else? Think big: What is the author trying to help us understand by showing these relationships? You've found two connections. Now let's think about why these relationships matter.
Understanding relationships helps us see the bigger picture of what a text is really about. Ask yourself: What do these connections tell us about the Dust Bowl?
Scoring Guidance — Step 4
Look for:
Step back and think about the big picture
Why did the author include these connections?
What would we miss if we didn't see how things relate?
Sentence Starters
In the text, the author shows that ___.
The author writes, "___," which shows ___.
This is important because ___.
Overall, the text shows that ___.
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Put It All Together
Write a complete paragraph (5-7 sentences) that explains the relationships in this passage:
1. Start by introducing the key elements you found 2. Explain at least two connections between them 3. Use evidence from the passage to support your explanations 4. End by telling why these relationships matter Use transitions like: for example, because of this, as a result, this connects to, another relationship is, this matters because... Now it's time to write a complete paragraph that explains the relationships in this passage.
How were the causes of the Dust Bowl connected to its effects on people? Your paragraph should show: - What the key elements are - How they connect to each other - Why those connections are important - Specific details from the passage as evidence
Scoring Guidance — Step 5
Look for:
Start by naming the key elements
Explain each connection with a detail from the passage
Use transition words to connect your ideas
End with a sentence about why these relationships are important
Sentence Starters
In the text, the author shows that ___.
The author writes, "___," which shows ___.
This is important because ___.
Overall, the text shows that ___.
Self-Check Rubric
Before You Turn InI completed the planning step
I completed Step 2: Find the First Connection
I completed Step 3: Find Another Connection
I completed Step 4: Explain the Relationships
I completed Step 5: Put It All Together
I re-read my writing and fixed any spelling or grammar mistakes
I am proud of this work
ReflectionWhat was the hardest part of this assignment? What would you do differently next time? Want the AI-coached version of this assignment?
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writingtools.org/printables/relationships5_dust_bowl_v1
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