Saving the Soil: How Americans Fixed the Land — Reading Comprehension

The Dust Bowl was a time in the 1930s when huge dust storms hit the middle of the United States. These storms made the sky dark and covered farms with dirt. People could not breathe well, and crops died. This happened because farmers had plowed the land too much. They also cut down grasses that held the soil together. Then, a long drought came and there was very little rain. The wind blew the dry soil away.

Many families lost their farms and had to move away. Some went to California to look for work. Children wore masks so they would not breathe in the dust. The government knew they had to help. President Franklin D. Roosevelt said, “The nation that destroys its soil destroys itself.” He and other leaders made new laws to save the land.

One important law was the Soil Conservation Act. This law taught farmers how to protect the soil. Farmers learned to plant grass again and make windbreaks with trees. These trees stopped the wind from blowing the dirt away. People also made terraces on hills to catch rainwater. The government sent workers from the Civilian Conservation Corps, or CCC, to plant millions of trees.

Farmers worked together to change old ways. They used new techniques like planting crops in rows that followed the land’s shape. This helped stop the soil from washing away. Because of these changes, the land slowly got better. Crops grew again, and families could stay on their farms.

The people who lived through the Dust Bowl showed great bravery and hope. They did not give up, even when life was hard. Their teamwork fixed the land and taught everyone to care for the earth.

Interesting Fact: Some Dust Bowl dust storms were so big that dirt from the Midwest reached cities as far away as New York and Washington, D.C.!

What was the Dust Bowl?

Who was president during the Dust Bowl?

What did the CCC do?

Why did crops die during the Dust Bowl?

How did windbreaks help farmers?

Why did families leave their farms?

The Dust Bowl ended quickly. True or false?

What is a drought?