WESTFIELD — Sophomores in Mark Dargie’s history class at Westfield High School made the 1930s come to life in the classroom with cardboard houses and a dust storm simulation.
“My sophomore U.S. History classes are recreating the Dust Bowl of the 1930s in our classroom using cardboard model homes that were designed and cut on a laser in collaboration with Renee Sweeney’s engineering class,” Dargie said.
Students researched houses that were common in the 1930s in the Great Plains, then did a sketch of the house on paper. That sketch was given to Sweeney’s students, who designed the house and had it cut on a laser cutter.
Dargie’s students then assembled the house with glue and tape, making sure that there was some ventilation. They then tested the houses in a makeshift dust chamber in the classroom using a hair dryer.
After the initial test, students added moist fabric to cover the windows and doors and used petroleum jelly, both of which Dargie said people actually used during the Dust Bowl to block spaces where dust could enter.
“We then re-tested the models, and students observed how well the alterations kept the dust out of the models,” Dargie said. “Students actually experienced the messiness of the dust, and saw it floating around the room, so I think that experience was useful in seeing what people were going through during that time period,” Dargie said.
Following the hands-on project, students were required to write a reflection about the project.
