Level of Familiarity 6
What is it?
Dear Diary has students write a diary entry as a historical figure or person who was directly involved in the lesson topic (Billmeyer & Barton, 1998).
Why use it?
Using this strategy will help build on my students’ understanding of the aftermath of the Great Depression. It will also build on my Strategy 5 Anticipation Guide by linking ideas from the narrative text The Grapes of Wrath and the information in the textbook. In addition, Dear Diary will strengthen my students’ understanding of the differing perspectives, which is a main goal throughout the unit as in Strategy 7 Creative Debate. My students are very comfortable writing in the first person so the actual writing task will not be very daunting. Writing in the point of view of another person will be the cognitive load students may struggle with but since the nature of the writing is in first person students will complete the task with relative ease.
When to use it?
In this particular instance, students will be completing this task after we have done Strategy 5 Anticipation Guide to The Grapes of Wrath and after reading Chapter 25, Section 3 Americans Face Hard Times. My aim with Dear Diary is to build on previous exposure and knowledge of the impact the Great Depression had on the American people.
How it works?
- After previous exposure to ideas related to the Dust Bowl through The Grapes of Wrath, students will preview Section 3 using a condensed version of THIEVES.
- I will direct students to read the text and to keep in mind how this affected peoples’ lives.
- After reading, I will direct students to brainstorm what it was like to be a farmer that lost everything.
- Then, I will tell students to take out a piece of paper and write a thoughtful diary entry as if they were that farmer. I will make sure to tell students to include any thoughts, feelings, and daily activities in their entries. The entry itself should be at least one page.
What it looks like?
Dear Diary,
Today I have been thinking of leaving my farm, or what’s left of it, to go to try to find work west. Our friends and even Uncle Tim have left to find work. The sad thing is, once someone leaves, we probably will never see them again. I sure do miss Uncle Tim.
The dust has been horrible. You can barely breath or even walk outside because you can’t see. All the children are always coughing and crying because of the dust. They are so lazy and sad because they have nothing to do but stay inside. No work can be done on the house either so the roof is starting to cave in. It sure makes me nervous when I hear that wind.
I have had such trouble trying to survive this drought. We were barely getting by before the crash and now I’m in so much more debt, I don’t know what to do. My farm, my livelihood is ruined. I have nothing left to give to my kids Suzie and John. My wife, thank goodness for her spirit to carry on, but she doesn’t realize or what to see that we have nothing here to survive on. We need to move west and follow those handbills. It is just a matter of gathering what little we can to leave.
My heart breaks when I think of the mess my life has become.
Sincerely,
Sam
