Book Study: Out of the Dust Week 2 & Self Portrait Line Drawing with Watercolor

Week 2: Book Study Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse

Students should have completed Winter 1934 reading and assigned study guide pages 12-17 found in Progeny Press Study Guide.

Review and discuss completed questions from Progeny Press Study Guide.

Further Discussion:

Prior to class, teacher/group leader may research Cimarron County, Oklahoma.  This is the setting of the book.  Point out and explain demographics to students.  Note Cimarron County reached the height of population, 5,408 residents, in 1930.  Since 1930, Cimarron County's population has dwindled.  As of 2010 the county population is just a mere 2,475.  Discuss causes for this dramatic decrease.  Compare this to your area's population.  Has the population of your area increased or decreased since city/county's founding?  What factors contribute to population growth? 

Show students photo taken in Cimarron County in 1936.  This photo will give them a sobering visual of what some of the homes in the area might have been like.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Farmer_walking_in_dust_storm_Cimarron_County_Oklahoma2.jpg

While reading Winter 1934, we learned a lot about Billie Jo.  Ask students to describe Billie Jo and her life.  Some may describe her as: only child, piano player, her father wanted a son, living during dust bowl, hard worker, etc.  Have students think of words and phrases that would describe them. 

Have students make a self portrait with words describing their unique personality and characteristics.  Instructions follow.

Self Portrait Line Drawing with Watercolor
This project will take two sessions if class is only one hour long.

The idea for this week's supplementary art lesson comes from one of my new favorite art for children blogs.  It's called Art Projects for Kids and the creator posts fabulous art projects daily.  You can subscribe to her blog for emailed projects.  I've definitely been inspired and our kids are benefiting from her creativity!

For this project you need to purchase some nice watercolor paper and a nice set of watercolor paints.  I saved my 40% off coupons for Michaels and purchased the watercolors over a couple weeks.  I like the set we purchased because it has vibrant colors along with colors great for skin and hair options.

1)  Give each student a sheet of paper.  Our paper measured 12" x 9".  Have the kids draw a light line dividing the paper in half lengthwise and again in half widthwise.  This can be a challenge.  Show the kids to measure two points at 6" on the length of the paper.  Line the ruler up and draw the straight line.  Do the same at 4.5" for the width.

Paper with four quadrants

Beautiful Watercolors

2)  The paper should now have four equal quadrants.  Have students draw an oval outline designating their head.  I found that the top of the head should be at about the top 1/3 of the upper vertical line and the bottom should be at the bottom 1/3-1/2 of the bottom vertical line.  Next add neck and shoulders.

3)  We then started with the nose with light pencil.  The top of the nose is just to the right of the perpendicular intersection of the two lines.  The horizontal line should go right through the eyes.  Add the mouth.  I made mine smiling, but it's up to the kids how they want their self-portrait to appear.  Next add ears.  They're right at/below the horizontal line.  Add hair and other details like earrings, glasses, etc.

4)  Go over finished face with black Sharpie pen.  Erase vertical and horizontal lines along with any other pencil marks.

Remind kids not to use Sharpie to outline the top of the original head.  That line will be covered by hair.  We found we could white out an accidental Sharpie mistake.

See the one head in upper right corner accidentally had the head outlined.  We whited out the lines before painting on the hair.

Here we are...in progress.

5)  Paint with watercolor.

Words describing Me

My Girlie

The Momma

The Girlie

My Brown-Eyed Boy

The Cool Hair

My Big Boy...who as of this week wears the same size shoes as his dad

This is a student in my class.  She was intimidated by the drawing process.

At the end of this project, I think she was proud of her work.  I was VERY proud of her!  Well Done!

Beautiful work!

Another completed project

My boys

My Girlie and Me

In addition to beginning the self-portraits, I printed out the Bible verses from this section for each student.  I encouraged them to memorize at least one of the verses.  I was happily surprised to learn there was one student who committed some of the scripture to memory.  The verses were:

Bible Verses: Out of the Dust Winter 1934



Proverbs 29:11

11 Fools give full vent to their rage,

but the wise bring calm in the end.

Romans 12:18

18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.

Ephesians 4:26-27

26 “In your anger do not sin”[a]: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 and do not give the devil a foothold.

Ephesians 4:31-32

31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

James 1:19-20

Listening and Doing

19 My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20 because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.

Luke 21:1-4

The Widow’s Offering

1 As Jesus looked up, he saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. 2 He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. 3 “Truly I tell you,” he said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others. 4 All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”

Until next lesson...Read On!

Book Study: Out of the Dust Week 1

Encouraging the reading of great books has become a personal mission since I became a mom.  I was not an enthusiastic reader as a child or young adult.  I can't exactly pinpoint why I didn't like to read, I just didn't.  I knew I should like it, but I never developed a love for the written word until I had children. Our kids only know me as a reader.  They have a hard time even imagining that I didn't like to read.  I'm grateful they've only known me as a lover of books.

As I reflect back on my childhood, to be completely honest, other than cookbooks and craft books, I rarely remember reading.  Is that sad or what?  I remember doing book reports or term papers, and even summer reading programs, but I wasn't excited about the reading.  In fact, I have to make a shocking confession...  for the term papers and book reports, I rarely read the books.  This news completely surprises our kids, but it's the truth.  Yikes!  I wonder how in the world I managed to write about something I knew nothing about?  This is very sad.

I do have a few favorites my parents read to me over and over and over again.  The bindings are falling apart and these books were loved.

Some of my favorites from childhood.  I shared these books with my class.  Hop on Pop was signed on the inside cover, "To my little girl, Kimmy- From Daddy Feb '69" 

I guess the good news is although I didn't read assigned material or great fiction, I did read those recipes and have become a great cook because of my love for cookbooks.  There is always a silver lining.

Today, as I read books like, Anne of Green Gables, Tom Sawyer, The Secret Garden, Little House on the Prairie or Roald Dahl aloud to our kids I am transported to other times and places hanging on the edge of my seat wondering, "What will happen next?"  After our reading time, our kids beg, "One more chapter, please!"  I really do love that!  I want them begging for more great literature.

It is my heart's desire that our kids develop a LOVE for reading that I failed to embrace as a child. Therefore, I read to our littles daily and encourage reading through book clubs.

This year, I'm teaching two Book/Unit Study Classes at a local homeschool network.  One class is focused on picture books for grades 1-4 and the other class is for students grades 4-8.

In the older class, our first book study is on Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse.  I follow study guides by Progeny Press.  I've done a number of their studies and appreciate the critical thinking, comprehensive analysis, and in-depth study they offer, all with a Christian perspective.  I'm going to share what we're doing in class as a resource if you're interested in doing a book study at home or with a group.

Out of the Dust: Week 1

Prior to first class meeting, assign the following as pre-class activities:

To better understand the time period of this book have five students research and give a brief description of the following pre-reading activities.  Each child only needs to find out information on their specific assigned activity (these activities are found in the Progeny Press Study Guide).


1.)  The Great Depression. What was the Great Depression? What years did the U.S. experience the Great Depression? What major economic event contributed to the Great Depression? Do you know anyone who lived through the Great Depression? If so, ask them how their family survived the Depression, how they lived, what they ate, what they wore. Did the Great Depression affect him/her throughout the remainder of his/her life? Be prepared to share what you find.

2.)  Who was Franklin Delano Roosevelt? What was The New Deal?

3.)  What was the Civilian Conservation Corp (CCC)? What was the purpose of the CCC?

4.)  What is the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA)?

5.)  During the Great Depression, many families lost their entire savings. Research the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). Be prepared to explain to the class (group) what the FDIC is. After doing your research, do you think banks could fail in the same way today?

Discuss student findings during the first class meeting.

Introduction to the book:

Author:  Introduce students to Karen Hesse.  A great interview is found at Scholastic.com.  Highlight portions of the interview pertaining to Out of the Dust.

History:  Give description of the Dust Bowl for students to better understand the time period.  I read The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan in preparation for the class.  This book is well-written, descriptive and engaging.  It was hard to put down.  Reading it made me realize how strong and determined the people of that era were. 

The dust storms that terrorized the High Plains in the darkest years of the Depression were like nothing ever seen before or since. Timothy Egan’s critically acclaimed account rescues this iconic chapter of American history from the shadows in a tour de force of historical reportage. Following a dozen families and their communities through the rise and fall of the region, Egan tells of their desperate attempts to carry on through blinding black dust blizzards, crop failure, and the death of loved ones. Brilliantly capturing the terrifying drama of catastrophe, Egan does equal justice to the human characters who become his heroes, “the stoic, long-suffering men and women whose lives he opens up with urgency and respect” (New York Times).

Geography: Identify states on U.S. map most hard hit by The Dust Bowl. Give students map of the United States .  Have them locate Oklahoma's panhandle.  Locate Cimmaron County.  Cimmaron County is the only county in the United States which borders four states.  Take a look at Cimmaron County's population numbers. Note highest population and year, and current population.  Discuss the peak and why population has dwindled.

Assign first section of book- Winter 1934.  Students will need to finish assigned pages prior to the next class meeting.