Tumbling tumbleweeds! Scholars work with video clips, primary and secondary documents, and song lyrics to uncover life in the Old West. They examine song's lyrics to uncover myths told in the 1930s about life in the Wild West. 

Concepts

the great depression, the american west, westward expansion, the american frontier

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Additional Tags

social studies

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Instructional Ideas

• Split class into two groups to compare and contrast life in the West during the late 1800s and the Great Depression of the 1930s
• Extend the lesson by incorporating more songs from the Great Depression to compare to Tumbling Tumbleweeds

Classroom Considerations

• Print out photographs of the migrant workers and the Great Depression and place around the room prior to the lesson
• The final installment of a 3-part series
  

Pros

• Resource includes printable handouts and outlines to be used in class
• Video clips offer insightful preview or review materials for the lesson

Cons

• None

Common Core

RH.6-8.1 RH.6-8.2 RH.6-8.7 RH.9-10.1 RH.9-10.2 RH.11-12.2 RH.11-12.3 RH.11-12.7 RH.11-12.9