It covered up our fences, it covered up our barns,
It covered up our tractors in this wild and dusty storm.
We loaded our jalopies and piled our families in,
We rattled down that highway to never come back again.
—Woody Guthrie, Dust Storm Disaster
The devastation of Hurricane Katrina reminded Americans this year of the awesome and destructive powers of nature. Katrina ravaged New Orleans and caused hundreds of thousands of residents to flee their homes, many of whom will never return.
Oklahomans are not strangers to weather disasters. In the 1930s, record heat and drought turned America's heartland into a Dust Bowl. The hardships of the Dust Bowl sent more than a quarter million people from their ruined homes and difficult lives, many never to return.
As part of their Oklahoma heritage unit in February and March, students in two fourth-grade classes at James L. Dennis Elementary School undertook an extensive study of the Dust Bowl.
Students started their study by writing to dust bowl survivors near Boise City, Okla. Through the Cimarron Heritage Center in Boise City, students obtained addresses of people in the area who survived the Dust Bowl. Students wrote letters of introduction to the survivors and sent a survey asking questions about their experiences, hardships and how living through the Dust Bowl changed their lives.
Responses flooded back in. Students received letters from individuals ranging in age from 75 to 94 years of age.
"The letters and experiences are amazing. Reading the letters, students were amazed at the extreme hardships that these people faced on a daily basis," says teacher Randy Utt.
Students also got the chance to visit with Dust Bowl survivors in person. After receiving the student inquiries, two survivors came to speak to the class. 
"One parent e-mailed us to say our project has such significance because these students will be the last generation to hear these stories first hand. Soon all the Dust Bowl survivors will no longer be with us. Our students will be among the last to hear these stories first hand," says teacher Shera Steinhoff.
In addition, a first-person interpreter from the Oklahoma Museum of History, dressed in period costume and in character through his entire presentation, presented a historical account of the event as if he were really a participant. Students also read Rose's Journal, a heart-wrenching book about a young girl's experiences during the 1930s. The final element in the Dust Bowl study was for students to write a narrative story as if they really lived during this time.
They payoff for the in-depth study has been in-depth learning.
"Students have really been impacted by their study. Parents tell me their children have learned so much and have grown with respect to others during this process," Utt says.
Student learning went beyond understanding a portion of Oklahoma history and the physical hardships of Dust Bowl times. From their contact with Dust Bowl survivors, students also absorbed the values of an older generation who persevered through tough times by supporting and helping each other.
Here are statements from some students about how the Dust Bowl study changed their outlook on life:
"The Dust Bowl days were hard times, but now we think that we have hard times. People don't know how hard Dust Bowl people had it. They had to wake up every morning real early and feed the pigs, chickens, and the horses. Now, people just wake up and go to school and work. We complain about that, but they didn't. Now I see how hard it was then."
—Kiante
"Learning about the Dust Bowl makes me more confident in myself because if you watch the people that were in the Dust Bowl, they were confident to eat with dust, sleep with it, and wear it. Not all of them left their homes because they were confident, they knew they would survive."
—Jordan
"In the Dust Bowl time, families had to move. Some families never even saw their friends and relatives after they moved. Today, you get to see your friends and family more. You don't have to move anymore because there's not that much dust."
—Mia
"From the Dust Bowl, I learned that people then were very grateful for what they had and they never wasted food or anything else. This affected me because I try to save as much as I can."
—Kyle
"This unit made me feel that it's not all about me. There are other people in this world that have more needs than I do. I am very blessed."
—Drew
"I appreciate and value what I have, not what I want."
—Cathy
"I have learned to think about helping others more. I appreciate my family and friends better than ever before."
—Jarred
"I have learned to value my friends and family more."
—Josh
"It meant a lot to me because it teaches you to care and to keep on trying even though things are hard."
—Brittany
"When I see a poor person I really think about how I could help that person. Before I learned about the Dust Bowl I really didn't even care when I saw a poor person. I think differently now."
—Jake
"I have learned that it is not all about you. It is about your family and friends. What happened in the past made me feel lucky."
—Stasia
"I have learned not to waste and to be thankful for what I have."
—Sharai
"I appreciate things that I have more now. I have all these cool things and they had nothing. They hardly had any food. It was a really hard time."
—Kevin
"I am helping more around the house and not complaining as much."
—Alyssa
"I am thinking of others more and trying to conserve food and water."
—Leeana
"This has helped me appreciate my family and what I have."
—Darrian
Photos courtesy of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/Department of Commerce.