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Disasters That Moved Americans is a free printable Grade 3 to Grade 5 social studies worksheet on how disasters such as the Dust Bowl moved Americans, aligned to C3 Framework indicator D2.Geo.9.3-5. It prints 6 questions with an answer key on its own sheet of paper, in 25 versions that each ask different questions, so no two students in the class work from the same page. Print it from the browser or download it as a PDF — no account, no email.

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Set 1 has all 25 in a single PDF. All 25 sets ask different questions.

Disasters That Moved Americans

D2.Geo.9.3-5

NameDate

Read the text and answer the questions, then circle the best answers.

1.Look at the source, then answer the questions.

The Dust Bowl

An information text written for this worksheet. In the 1910s and 1920s farmers plowed up millions of acres of grassland on the southern Great Plains to plant wheat. The deep roots of the prairie grass had held the soil in place. In the 1930s a long drought struck. With no grass and no rain, strong winds lifted the dry soil into huge clouds of dust. On April 14, 1935, a storm called Black Sunday turned day into night across the Oklahoma and Texas panhandles. Crops failed, animals died, and many families lost their farms because they could not pay the banks. About 2.5 million people left the Plains states in the 1930s. Many traveled west on Route 66 to California. In California many found only low-paid work picking crops, and some were treated as unwelcome outsiders. Government workers planted rows of trees as windbreaks on farms, and the government paid farmers to plow in ways that kept the soil from blowing away.

  1. 1. How were many of the migrants treated in California?
  2. 2. When was Black Sunday?
  3. 3. Why did many families lose their farms?
  4. 4. About how many people left the Plains states in the 1930s?
2.In 2005 Hurricane Katrina flooded most of New Orleans when the levees failed. What happened to many residents?
  • A.They all returned the next day
  • B.They moved to the flooded areas
  • C.They moved to cities such as Houston, and many never returned
3.In 1927 the Mississippi River flooded huge areas of the South. What did many Black farm families do afterward?
  • A.Stayed on the flooded land forever
  • B.Moved north to cities such as Chicago
  • C.Moved to Alaska to mine gold
4.In 1889 a dam failed above Johnstown, Pennsylvania. What happened?
  • A.The town got more water for its farms
  • B.Nothing, because the dam was empty
  • C.A flood destroyed the town and killed more than 2,000 people
5.What is a migrant?
  • A.A person who moves from one place to another, often for work
  • B.A person who never leaves home
  • C.A kind of storm
6.After the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, where did many families who had lost their homes live for months?
  • A.On ships sailing to Japan
  • B.In new skyscrapers built that week
  • C.In tents and camps set up in the city's parks

LessonPrint · D2.Geo.9.3-5 · Set 15 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Disasters That Moved Americans

Set 15. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. Many found only low-paid work, and some were treated as unwelcome outsiders. 2. April 14, 1935. 3. Crops failed and animals died, so they could not pay the banks. 4. About 2.5 million people.
  2. 2.They moved to cities such as Houston, and many never returned
  3. 3.Moved north to cities such as Chicago
  4. 4.A flood destroyed the town and killed more than 2,000 people
  5. 5.A person who moves from one place to another, often for work
  6. 6.In tents and camps set up in the city's parks

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to D2.Geo.9.3-5 of the C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards.