Book Study: Out of the Dust Week 6

This week we finished the book.  Oh how I'm going to miss Billie Jo.  She's becoming such a literary friend.  I really want to know what happened to her and her family. Before we think that far ahead, let's discuss what happened in the sections Summer 1935 & Autumn 1935.

Review Study Guide questions from Progeny Press.

Bring a large map of the United States to class and let students map out Billie Jo's journey when she ran away from Oklahoma to Flagstaff, Arizona.  Estimate how long this journey would have taken.

Discuss Riding The Rails.

http://www.livinghistoryfarm.org/farminginthe30s/water_07.html

Discuss the migration from the Dust Bowl area west.  At one point, approximately 7,000 migrants were coming to California per month.  One of my favorite sites for learning about this migration is:

http://www.livinghistoryfarm.org/farminginthe30s/water_06.html

Here are some additional links:

http://faculty.washington.edu/gregoryj/dust%20bowl%20migration.htm

http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/afctshtml/tsme.html

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/dustbowl/

http://www.taftmidwaydriller.com/features/x780393334/Dust-Bowl-truck-a-look-back-at-history

http://www.taftmidwaydriller.com/features/x780393334/Dust-Bowl-truck-a-look-back-at-history

Take the time to watch the many living history vidoes available at this site.  Here is one.

http://www.livinghistoryfarm.org/farminginthe30s/movies/thompson_water_06.html

This photo is forever etched in my memory.

http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=library+of+congress+photos+dust+bowl&view=detail&id=5D3D5490BF9EC61BBACD95D02FA348FDDDBDA428&first=31&FORM=IDFRIR

For this class I checked out MANY books from the library on the Dust Bowl, The 30's and the Depression.  Allow time in class for kids to look at the photos and visually capture the hardship of the era.

Bible Verses for Summer 1935 & Autumn 1935

Matthew 6:14-15

   ¹⁴ For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. ¹⁵ But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

Mark 11:25

²⁵ And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”

2 Corinthians 2:5-11

Forgiveness for the Offender

 ⁵ If anyone has caused grief, he has not so much grieved me as he has grieved all of you to some extent—not to put it too severely. ⁶ The punishment inflicted on him by the majority is sufficient. ⁷ Now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. ⁸ I urge you, therefore, to reaffirm your love for him. ⁹ Another reason I wrote you was to see if you would stand the test and be obedient in everything. ¹⁰ Anyone you forgive, I also forgive. And what I have forgiven—if there was anything to forgive—I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake, ¹¹ in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.

Colossians 3:13

¹³ Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

I really like how the book ended.  Billie Jo has grown up a lot.  She's forgiven her dad and herself.  She has hope for her tomorrow, despite the fact the dust has not yet stopped blowing.  She has found her home.



Next week we will go over the Overview of the story.  I like to end each book study with a celebration of completion!  Until then...Read on!