1. Research the period in American history from 1930-1936 in Oklahoma and Texas and describe the conditions of the farmers.

2. Research the means that the federal government used to help people recover from the Depression, especially through banks and farm subsidies.

3. Some of the programs that were established to help Depression Era farmers recover are still in effect today. What are they? Is it necessary to keep them in a time so different from the Depression?

4. Compare conditions described in Out of the Dust with the conditions in other Depression Era novels, such as The Grapes of Wrath and To Kill a Mockingbird.

5. Research the types and degrees of burns that people receive. Discuss what kind of burn Billie Jo had.

6. Read "The Book of Job" in the Old Testament and discuss what aspects of that story are used in Out...