1. Investigate the period from 1930 to 1936 in Oklahoma and Texas, focusing on the living conditions of farmers during that time.

2. Examine the strategies the federal government employed to aid recovery from the Depression, particularly through banking reforms and farm subsidies.

3. Identify programs initiated to assist Depression Era farmers that are still operational today. Are these programs necessary in a modern context so different from the Depression era?

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

5. Investigate the various types and severity levels of burns that individuals can sustain. Discuss the specific kind of burn that Billie Jo experienced.

6. Read "The Book of Job" from the Old Testament and analyze which elements of that narrative are incorporated into Out of the Dust.

7. Study the myth of the phoenix rising from the ashes and discuss its potential relevance to Out of the Dust.

8. Compare Out of the Dust to a Greek drama.