All Lesson Plans

Grade Level: Elementary School

Discipline: Arts and Humanities; History; Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening

Historical Period: Expansion and Reform - 1801-1855; New Nation - 1761-1800

In this elementary-level lesson, students will learn about the importance of symbolism and prior knowledge in the interpretation of artwork. After defining symbolism and seeing a simple example, students will analyze and identify symbols in The Artist in His Museum, 1822, a self-portrait created by Charles Willson Peale in 1822. They will then be given additional factual information about Peale's life and be asked to revisit their initial perceptions and confirm or revise their thoughts. Finally, students will be asked to create their own self-portrait using appropriate use of symbols and present their work to the class.

Grade Level: Elementary School

Discipline: History

Historical Period: Colonization and Settlement - 1601-1760

Students will research Penn's model for the government of Pennsylvania. Through assessment of this framework, students will create a class constitution and working government.

Grade Level: Elementary School

Discipline: History; Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening; Arts and Humanities

Historical Period: New Nation - 1761-1800; Colonization and Settlement - 1601-1760

The Moravian Communities were unique in colonial America. Unlike the non-religious communities which usually began as economic centers with mills and waterways, this religious community focused on a setting in which to sustain their beliefs and further the mission work. Their highly organized town plan provided a degree of equality for both the women and men by establishing living arrangements according to age, gender and marital status. Bethlehem is one example of Moravian organization for community living known as the "choir" structure in a larger plan called "The General Economy." Students will analyze the differences between this religious community and other non-religious communities as they study town plan documents and excerpts from the Bethlehem Diary.

Grade Level: Elementary School

Discipline: Mathematics; History; Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening; Arts and Humanities

Historical Period: Expansion and Reform - 1801-1855

As an overview of the issue of slavery and abolition, students will follow the life of William Parker from his early years in enslavement, through his experiences as a fugitive, to his work as a free black abolitionist, and his final move to freedom in Buxton, Ontario, Canada. After all sessions are completed, students will create a "Big Book of the Life of William Parker" to share with students in the primary grades in their school community.

Grade Level: Elementary School

Discipline: History; Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening; Geography

Historical Period: New Nation - 1761-1800; Colonization and Settlement - 1601-1760

In this lesson, students will learn that the war occurred because of a struggle for control of the Ohio Valley by the British, French, and Indians. Students will trace the route of George Washington from Virginia to Ft. Le Boeuf as he delivers the message from Governor Dinwiddie to ask the French to leave. They will read and transcribe excerpts from his journal, identify problems encountered, and locate the places referenced on the map. Students will participate in a point-of-view activity to learn about the different goals for each group.

Grade Level: Elementary School

Discipline: History

Historical Period: New Nation - 1761-1800

This lesson will introduce the concept of historical perspective. By reading the diary of Sally Wister, a Patriot girl living in the Philadelphia area during the Revolutionary War, students will learn about the life of colonists who were Revolutionaries. In this lesson, students will learn to incorporate different points of view that encompassed the American experience during the Revolutionary War. Journal writing techniques will be stressed throughout the lesson.

Grade Level: Elementary School

Discipline: Mathematics; History; Geography; Ecology and Environment

Historical Period: Contemporary Pennsylvania - 1975 to Present; The Great Depression and World War II - 1929-1945; Post-WWII Pennsylvania - 1946-1974; The Emergence of Modern Pennsylvania - 1901-1928

Students will discover the reasons for the fall and subsequent recovery of white-tailed deer population throughout Pennsylvania's history. This discovery will reflect changing culture, human population patterns, economic and technological advancements and social values. Students will evaluate the success of conservation efforts in regard to the white-tailed deer and apply it to other conservation efforts. They will then offer suggestions on how to solve the new problems caused by the "success" of conservation efforts.

Grade Level: Elementary School

Discipline: History; Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening; Arts and Humanities

Historical Period: The Great Depression and World War II - 1929-1945; Post-WWII Pennsylvania - 1946-1974

Interviews and a video will help students gather insight about the opportunities created for black musicians in Pittsburgh at the Crawford Grill. Students will use this information to have a group discussion about the impact of the Crawford Grill on Jazz in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and the United States. Then students will create a detailed illustration of a busy scene at the Crawford Grill in the heart of the 1960s using information gathered.

Grade Level: Elementary School

Discipline: Geography; Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening; History

Historical Period: New Nation - 1761-1800; Expansion and Reform - 1801-1855

Students will research the Conestoga wagon to understand how this invention provided a better means of transporting goods and supplies to markets in the east and west. They will trace wagon routes, interpreting journal entries to learn about the traveler and their interactions with places along the way. Research will include analyzing a photo and artifact related to the Conestoga wagon, cargo carried by wagons, and documents related to travel.

Grade Level: Elementary School

Discipline: Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening; Arts and Humanities; History

Historical Period: Civil War and Reconstruction - 1856-1876

This lesson will give students an overview of how the public viewed Abraham Lincoln and how those views changed based on the moments in history in which Lincoln found himself. Students will interpret political cartoons and images of Lincoln before his inauguration, during his presidency, during the Civil War, and after his assassination. They will create letters written in Abraham Lincoln's voice, in which he responds to the cartoons published about him.

Grade Level: Elementary School

Discipline: Mathematics; History; Geography; Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening

Historical Period: Post-WWII Pennsylvania - 1946-1974; The Great Depression and World War II - 1929-1945; The Emergence of Modern Pennsylvania - 1901-1928; Civil War and Reconstruction - 1856-1876; Development of the Industrial Pennsylvania - 1877-1900; Expansion and Reform - 1801-1855

In this series of four lessons students use a brief history of the growth and decline of the anthracite region in the state to create a photograph and map "peak shaped" time line. The students will learn map and photo analysis strategies to "read" photographs and maps and use information from the brief history to match and write captions for the pictures. Then they will categorize each photograph and map into one of the following categories; beginnings, peak, and decline and place them accordingly on the time line for a visual depiction of the rise and fall of the anthracite industry.

Grade Level: Elementary School

Discipline: Mathematics; Science and Technology; History; Geography; Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening; Economics

Historical Period: Development of the Industrial Pennsylvania - 1877-1900; Civil War and Reconstruction - 1856-1876

Students will explore the properties of oil through an oil viscosity investigation. They will hypothesize, experiment, collect data, graph, average, and finally draw conclusions about oil. Through video, pictures, teacher demonstrations, materials found on the Internet, the students will be draw conclusions on how oil has changed our everyday lives. Next, in cooperative groups the students will research oil and the discovery of oil in Pennsylvania. The unit will then be summarized by students presenting their research findings orally and in writing.

Grade Level: Elementary School

Discipline: History; Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening; Health and Physical Education

Historical Period: Contemporary Pennsylvania - 1975 to Present; Post-WWII Pennsylvania - 1946-1974; The Great Depression and World War II - 1929-1945; The Emergence of Modern Pennsylvania - 1901-1928

This elementary-level lesson looks at the uses of baseball cards over time—from childhood games to collector's items to marketing tools for companies. Students use primary sources (1910 Honus Wagner baseball card and 1912 news article) to examine ethical implications in using baseball cards to market cigarette products to a younger people, and then write a persuasive letter arguing for the removal of baseball cards from cigarette packages.

Grade Level: Elementary School

Discipline: History; Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening

Historical Period: Post-WWII Pennsylvania - 1946-1974; The Great Depression and World War II - 1929-1945; The Emergence of Modern Pennsylvania - 1901-1928; Development of the Industrial Pennsylvania - 1877-1900

In this lesson, students will learn the meaning of the word "onomastics." Referring to onomastics, students will learn about the origin of 3 baseball team names - Pittsburgh Pirates, Philadelphia Athletics, and Philadelphia Phillies. Students will then create team names and mascots for their own class, supporting their decisions with a clear explanation of the value of their choices.

Grade Level: Elementary School

Discipline: Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening; Ecology and Environment; History

Historical Period: Expansion and Reform - 1801-1855

In this elementary lesson, students are introduced to how different plants are discovered by explorers and spread throughout the world. They study several specimens collected during the Lewis and Clark expedition. By looking at the plants from different perspectives--a Native American, settler, scientist, investor, and gardener--students will uncover and evaluate the changing and different uses of plants.

Grade Level: Elementary School

Discipline: History; Geography; Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening

Historical Period: Expansion and Reform - 1801-1855

In this lesson, students will do a simulation activity to learn how first-hand observation leads to more accurate map-making. Afterward, they will compare a pre-expedition map of the West with the Lewis and Clark track map and discuss continuities and changes.

Grade Level: Elementary School

Discipline: History; Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening; Economics

Historical Period: Development of the Industrial Pennsylvania - 1877-1900

This elementary school level lesson looks at Henry J. Heinz, his beginnings in the food processing industry, the key questions that drive the creation of products and services, and the concepts of specialization and interdependence as they relate to business.

Grade Level: Elementary School

Discipline: Science and Technology; History; Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening; Economics; Ecology and Environment

Historical Period: Colonization and Settlement - 1601-1760; New Nation - 1761-1800

In this elementary level lesson, students will explore the purpose and importance of a gristmill to early Pennsylvanians. The procedures for creating flour will be reviewed and the importance of mills will be demonstrated through the order of General George Washington, Commander of the Continental Army, to remove grist millstones in proximity to the British troops. During the American Revolution steps had to be taken to deprive the enemy of potential supplies. Control of local resources by both the British and Continental armies was an economic battle within the larger military conflict.

Grade Level: Elementary School

Discipline: History; Health and Physical Education; Geography; Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening

Historical Period: Development of the Industrial Pennsylvania - 1877-1900; Contemporary Pennsylvania - 1975 to Present

Generations of Pennsylvanians were raised to the whistles, and later, the horns of railroads. Railroad whistles play an important role in safe travel. In this elementary lesson, students will study and practice basic railroad whistle sounds and explore the issue of personal safety around railroads.

Grade Level: Elementary School

Discipline: History; Geography; Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening; Arts and Humanities

Historical Period: Civil War and Reconstruction - 1856-1876

This elementary lesson plan takes the story of a once-unknown soldier during the Civil War as an opportunity for students to sleuth his identity using primary documents such as photographs (ambrotypes) and newspaper articles. Students learn material in history, geography, and English, as they learn the basic importance of the Civil War, map the troop movements of this Sergeant, interpret a letter/poem written to his wife, and write a response letter from his children's perspective.

Grade Level: Elementary School

Discipline: History; Geography; Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening

Historical Period: The Emergence of Modern Pennsylvania - 1901-1928

In this elementary level lesson, students will analyze postcards (circa 1910), hear a tall tale about Joe Magarac, Pittsburgh steel hero, and write their own tall tale. They will then learn about a real life steel man, Henry Noll, who was used by Frederick Winslow Taylor to develop his guidelines for increasing productivity in steel mills and other businesses.

Grade Level: Elementary School

Discipline: Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening; Civics and Government; History

Historical Period: New Nation - 1761-1800

Since the writing of the Constitution in 1787 there have been many written changes to the rules of our country, called the Amendments. How do the first ten Amendments, the Bill of Rights, directly connect to the key themes of the Preamble to the Constitution? This elementary level lesson will explore this question as well as have students relate the importance of these amendments to their lives today.

Grade Level: Elementary School

Discipline: History; Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening; Geography

Historical Period: New Nation - 1761-1800; Colonization and Settlement - 1601-1760

In this elementary lesson, students will discover the captivity narrative and learn three different ways to read it: for information (of the different cultures), for fun (the plot and suspense), and to understand the time period in which it was written. Students will apply these reading skills to excerpts from the story of Mary Jemison, a young girl living in the Pennsylvania frontier who was captured by Native Americans. Finally, they will contemplate Mary's choice to continue living among the Native Americans or to return her original culture.

Grade Level: Elementary School

Discipline: History; Geography; Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening; Economics; Arts and Humanities

Historical Period: New Nation - 1761-1800; Colonization and Settlement - 1601-1760; Expansion and Reform - 1801-1855

In this elementary lesson students will explore the work and play of the men who lived on an iron plantation. They will learn about the duties of an ironmaster, founder, collier, teamster, and miner and imagine some of their social life on a plantation.

Grade Level: Elementary School

Discipline: Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening; Arts and Humanities; History

Historical Period: Contemporary Pennsylvania - 1975 to Present; New Nation - 1761-1800

In this elementary-level lesson, students discover the beginnings of the colorful entertainment of the circus in the United States. They recall their own experiences at or impressions of the circus and compare them to the first circus in our nation--John Bill Ricketts" circus in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on April 3, 1793. Students explore interesting primary sources about the first days of the circus, including a diary entry of George Washington which provides historical evidence of his attendance at a show and an audio clip of the type of music played during Ricketts" circus performances. As a final activity, students create a circus advertisement poster reflecting their understanding of the early circus.

Grade Level: Elementary School

Discipline: History; Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening; Arts and Humanities

Historical Period: The Great Depression and World War II - 1929-1945

In this elementary level lesson students will learn about several Pennsylvanians" contributions to World War II through the creative process of designing a memorial. The class will explore the meaning and types of memorials. One example given includes a young Pennsylvanian who fought at Iwo Jima and is forever remembered in the United States Marines War Memorial. Then students will learn about and design a memorial for another deserving individual or group who contributed significantly to World War II.

Grade Level: Elementary School

Discipline: Geography; History; Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening

Historical Period: Contemporary Pennsylvania - 1975 to Present; Post-WWII Pennsylvania - 1946-1974; The Great Depression and World War II - 1929-1945; The Emergence of Modern Pennsylvania - 1901-1928; Development of the Industrial Pennsylvania - 1877-1900; Civil War and Reconstruction - 1856-1876; Expansion and Reform - 1801-1855; New Nation - 1761-1800

In this elementary lesson students will explore daily life in a bituminous coal patch through many photographs and oral histories of the people who lived there. As a class, students will use these resources to create one poster describing life in a coal patch town. Then using the poster to inform their writing, students will also create a short story imagining themselves to be a part of a coal mining family in one of several historical situations.

Grade Level: Elementary School

Discipline: History; Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening; Economics

Historical Period: The Great Depression and World War II - 1929-1945

In this elementary lesson, students will analyze children's letters to Eleanor Roosevelt in order to better understand the effect of the Great Depression on individual's lives, particularly children. Students will work cooperatively using the knowledge they have learned to respond to the letters as Eleanor Roosevelt might have done.

Grade Level: Elementary School

Discipline: Science and Technology; Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening; History

Historical Period: Colonization and Settlement - 1601-1760

In this elementary level lesson students will learn about William Rittenhouse, the first paper maker in the American colonies, through analysis of several poems written about his mill during his lifetime. Then students will make their own paper and compare and contrast the classroom papermaking method with colonial papermaking techniques.

Grade Level: Elementary School

Discipline: History; Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening; Civics and Government

Historical Period: Contemporary Pennsylvania - 1975 to Present; Post-WWII Pennsylvania - 1946-1974; The Great Depression and World War II - 1929-1945; The Emergence of Modern Pennsylvania - 1901-1928

In this elementary school lesson students will learn about one of the greatest athletes in Pennsylvania history, Native American Jim Thorpe. They will be challenged to create a persuasive pamphlet or letter to send to their Congressmen lobbying for Jim Thorpe to be named Greatest Athlete of the Century.

Grade Level: Elementary School

Discipline: Science and Technology; History; Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening

Historical Period: The Emergence of Modern Pennsylvania - 1901-1928; Development of the Industrial Pennsylvania - 1877-1900; Civil War and Reconstruction - 1856-1876

In this elementary lesson students will learn about several Pennsylvania inventors and analyze primary sources about their inventions. Then, using an "Inventor's Kit," students will create their own unique invention and simulate the patent process by making a detailed drawing and written description of their inventions.

Grade Level: Elementary School

Discipline: History; Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening; Civics and Government; Mathematics

Historical Period: The Emergence of Modern Pennsylvania - 1901-1928

In this elementary lesson, students will create a timeline of the events that led to the creation of Mother's Day as a United States federal holiday. Students will use their imagination to create their own holiday and write a letter to their governor lobbying for their new day.

Grade Level: Elementary School

Discipline: Science and Technology; History; Geography; Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening; Economics; Arts and Humanities

Historical Period: Contemporary Pennsylvania - 1975 to Present; Post-WWII Pennsylvania - 1946-1974

THIS LESSON PLAN IS IN PROGRESS AND THEREFORE IS NOT COMPLETE. IT WILL CORRELATE WITH THE UPCOMING STORY:Pennsylvania Since World War II. COME BACK TO THIS LESSON AFTER THIS STORY IS PUBLISHED TO THE SITE In this two-day elementary-level lesson, students will analyze images of the Pennsylvania Turnpike from the past and present and identify its original and current uses. They will discuss images, compare and contrast the historic and modern turnpike, and design an ad, encouraging travel on the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

Grade Level: Elementary School

Discipline: History; Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening

Historical Period: The Great Depression and World War II - 1929-1945; The Emergence of Modern Pennsylvania - 1901-1928

In this elementary-level lesson, students will examine interesting primary resources of the objects, people, and subjects learned in one-room schoolhouses, then compare and contrast the experience of those schools with their own experiences in the average school of today.

Grade Level: Elementary School

Discipline: Science and Technology; History; Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening

Historical Period: The Emergence of Modern Pennsylvania - 1901-1928

This lesson plan is not complete. It will correlate with the upcoming story on Labor. This elementary level lesson introduces students to child labor in Pennsylvania coal mines in the early decades of the 20th century through "Mr. Coal's Story", written in 1912 by Lewis Hine. Students will analyze that story and also learn about Patrick Kearney, a 9 1/2 year-old who died in a coal breaker accident. Students will imagine living in 1912 and write a letter to a state legislator urging changes to mine safety or child labor laws.

Grade Level: Middle School

Discipline: History; Arts and Humanities; Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening

Historical Period: Contemporary Pennsylvania - 1975 to Present; New Nation - 1761-1800; Colonization and Settlement - 1601-1760

In this middle-level lesson, students will analyze three different artists" renditions of William Penn's treaty with the Native Americans. Afterward, they will compare and contrast the three artists" use of color, symbolism, and images and discuss how time and history can influence individuals" perceptions of events.

Grade Level: Middle School

Discipline: Mathematics; Science and Technology; History; Geography

Historical Period: Colonization and Settlement - 1601-1760

Students will evaluate the 1737 Walking Purchase in terms of legitimacy and its effect on Indian relations in early Pennsylvania. They will then simulate the purchase by doing their own Walking Purchase and analyze the effect it would have on their community today.

Grade Level: Middle School

Discipline: Science and Technology; History; Geography; Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening; Ecology and Environment

Historical Period: Contemporary Pennsylvania - 1975 to Present; Civil War and Reconstruction - 1856-1876; Expansion and Reform - 1801-1855; New Nation - 1761-1800

In this middle school level lesson, students will learn the importance of the Pennsylvania Barn to the development of agriculture through its diffusion to other farming regions. They will examine the architectural features of the Pennsylvania Barn, relate its structure to the physical features of the land, and study the evolution of agricultural practices due to mid-19th century emphases on increased agriculture education and experimentation.

Grade Level: Middle School

Discipline: History

Historical Period: Expansion and Reform - 1801-1855; New Nation - 1761-1800; Colonization and Settlement - 1601-1760

Students will look at daily life in three religious communities in Pennsylvania that flourished in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries: the Ephrata Cloister, Bethlehem, and Harmony. They will examine primary sources such as Conrad Beissel's Rules of the Solitary Life, three memoirs written by Moravian women, the 1766 town plan of Bethlehem, plus the Articles of Association of the Harmonists as well as written reports on the Harmonist Society by members of the community and visitors. Through an examination of daily life in these communities we learn that William Penn's "Holy Experiment" had taken hold in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The lure of religious freedom initially attracted dissidents who were able to follow their dream by creating their own religious settlements.

Grade Level: Middle School

Discipline: History; Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening; Arts and Humanities

Historical Period: Expansion and Reform - 1801-1855

Examining a famous illustration of the arrival of fugitives at Levi Coffin's home, which appears in many American history books, will uncover some inaccurate stereotypes students may have drawn about the Underground Railroad. To broaden their understanding of how the Underground Railroad worked, students will role-play a meeting of the Philadelphia Vigilance Committee, which conducted interviews of fugitive slaves who reached Philadelphia and decided how they would assist them. Finally three primary source accounts, including a poem by Martin Delaney, confirm that fugitive slaves who decided to remain in the North, rather than go to Canada, were not safe, especially after the passing of the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850.

Grade Level: Middle School

Discipline: History; Geography; Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening

Historical Period: New Nation - 1761-1800

Colonel Bouquet led 460 men out of Carlisle to raise the siege of Fort Pitt. Students trace his route from Carlisle to Fort Pitt and will re-live what happened near Bushy Run on August 4th and 5th that changed the course of Pontiac's Rebellion. They will analyze Thomas Hutchins' 1765 map of the Bushy Run battle scene and letters from Bouquet to Amherst, and a modern topographic map.

Grade Level: Middle School

Discipline: History; Geography; Ecology and Environment

Historical Period: Contemporary Pennsylvania - 1975 to Present; Post-WWII Pennsylvania - 1946-1974; The Great Depression and World War II - 1929-1945

This lesson leads the student to discover the impact human activities have had on water quality in Pennsylvania over time. The teacher will review historical periods in regard to population density, changes in technology and tools and general land use patterns. Students will analyze these changes and determine the impact they have had on water quality. The students will also discover that a conservation movement began which initiated improvements in land use patterns and thus made progress toward better water quality. Students will read about the Honey Hollow Watershed project as a case study for the conservation movement.

Grade Level: Middle School

Discipline: Geography; History; Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening

Historical Period: New Nation - 1761-1800

One of the most important aspects of any battle is the "battle plan", or the strategy used to position the troops for the most effective defense or attack. In this lesson, students will analyze and evaluate the Battle of Brandywine by simulating Phase I of the battle and then predicting the outcome. First, students will construct a scale model of the battlefield and then role-play the actions of the Patriots and the British. They will further analyze both the short-term and long-term results of the battle.

Grade Level: Middle School

Discipline: History; Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening; Arts and Humanities

Historical Period: The Great Depression and World War II - 1929-1945; Post-WWII Pennsylvania - 1946-1974

Students will investigate the contributions of the Dorsey Brothers, Billy Eckstine and William Strayhorn to Swing Music.

Grade Level: Middle School

Discipline: History; Geography; Economics

Historical Period: Post-WWII Pennsylvania - 1946-1974; The Great Depression and World War II - 1929-1945; The Emergence of Modern Pennsylvania - 1901-1928; Development of the Industrial Pennsylvania - 1877-1900; Civil War and Reconstruction - 1856-1876; Expansion and Reform - 1801-1855

Choosing the correct site for the location of a settlement or manufacturing facility can be crucial to the success of the venture. This lesson leads students through the process of using maps to evaluate the site and situation for the location of the Pennsylvania Railroad shops. Students will also evaluate the success of the selection by analyzing growth of population and manufacturing in the city of Altoona, Pennsylvania and the surrounding region. Further evaluation will be made of changes that have occurred with the pullback and abandonment of the railroads.

Grade Level: Middle School

Discipline: History; Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening; Civics and Government

Historical Period: Civil War and Reconstruction - 1856-1876

Students will find evidence of the ideals expressed in the Gettysburg Address and in other Lincoln speeches, letters, and Republican Party statements. In a persuasive speech, they will borrow one or more of the ideals Lincoln used in the Gettysburg Address and then apply those thoughts to the current political, social and/or economic realities of the 21st century.

Grade Level: Middle School

Discipline: Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening; Civics and Government; Arts and Humanities; Geography; History

Historical Period: Development of the Industrial Pennsylvania - 1877-1900

Students will analyze ethnic and labor issues surrounding the Lattimer Massacre to determine how the event contributed to the growth of unions. Students will role play to simulate the fact that "coal miners in both the anthracite and bituminous regions proved adept at organization as well as strikes, as they formed hundreds of small local assemblies with the problems of their trades."

Grade Level: Middle School

Discipline: History

Historical Period: The Emergence of Modern Pennsylvania - 1901-1928; Development of the Industrial Pennsylvania - 1877-1900

Probably no other natural resource has had the impact on both American society and the modern world as did the discovery of how to extract and refine petroleum. The story of this process, which shaped our modern world, begins in Pennsylvania, in Venango County at Drake's Well. This lesson explores the early development of the oil industry.

Grade Level: Middle School

Discipline: History; Arts and Humanities; Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening

Historical Period: Post-WWII Pennsylvania - 1946-1974; The Great Depression and World War II - 1929-1945; The Emergence of Modern Pennsylvania - 1901-1928

In this lesson middle-school students will be introduced to the history of the Negro Leagues. Students will read personal interviews with former players to learn about segregation and to appreciate the passion these players had for the game of baseball.

Grade Level: Middle School

Discipline: History; Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening; Health and Physical Education

Historical Period: Contemporary Pennsylvania - 1975 to Present; Post-WWII Pennsylvania - 1946-1974; The Great Depression and World War II - 1929-1945

In 1945 Pete Gray played in 77 games for the St. Louis Browns. He collected 51 hits, 8 for extra bases, and compiled a .218 batting average. As an outfielder, he made 162 put-outs, 3 assists, and 7 errors for a .959 fielding average. These statistics are not that impressive. What they don't tell us, though, is that Gray was the first one-armed man ever to play major league baseball. Students will learn about Pete Gray's achievement and the challenges of being a person with a physical disability by viewing films, photographs, and an empathy-building exercise. Through primary source quotations students will view multiple perspectives of Pete Gray's career: from the adversity Gray faced on his own team and to the celebration of his achievement today. Finally, the class will read excerpts of an interview of Pete Gray revealing his own perspective of his achievements. Students will synthesize the multiple perspectives they have been given, choose a quote that they believe best represents Pete Gray's career, and write a 200-word essay explaining their choice.

Grade Level: Middle School

Discipline: Science and Technology; History; Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening

Historical Period: Expansion and Reform - 1801-1855

This two-day middle school lesson explores some of the medical practices of the early 1800s used on the Lewis and Clark Expedition through student interpretation of medical supply lists and journal entries.

Grade Level: Middle School

Discipline: Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening; History

Historical Period: Expansion and Reform - 1801-1855

President Thomas Jefferson wanted the Lewis and Clark expedition to map and explore the unknown territory; report on climate conditions; send back samples of the soil, minerals, plant, and animal life they were to study; look for fossils and signs of mastodons; learn about Native Americans tribes and trade possibilities with them; and search for a water route to the Pacific. It was a monumental mission that required extensive preparation, so he decided to send Captain Meriwether Lewis to the nation's center of culture, learning, and trade - Philadelphia. In Philadelphia from April to June of 1803, Lewis was mentored by the greatest scientific minds of the day and found the necessary supplies for the expedition. The objective of this lesson is to enlighten the students about the significance of Philadelphia's scientific and economic contributions to the preparation of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.

Grade Level: Middle School

Discipline: Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening; Arts and Humanities; History

Historical Period: Contemporary Pennsylvania - 1975 to Present; Post-WWII Pennsylvania - 1946-1974; The Great Depression and World War II - 1929-1945; The Emergence of Modern Pennsylvania - 1901-1928

Early public relations of railroad companies were often faced with significant challenges. People were not used to train travel and introducing change into society is difficult. In addition society held preconceived notions—many that were indeed correct--of train travel as dirty, dangerous, and inappropriate for women. Advertisers then had the task of changing public opinion about trains and making train travel appealing. In this middle-level lesson, students will look at types of early to mid twentieth century advertising (newspaper and magazine ads, postcard, calendar art, and a travel brochure) to assess the different ways advertisers "sold" the concept of railroad travel.

Grade Level: Middle School

Discipline: History; Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening; Arts and Humanities

Historical Period: New Nation - 1761-1800

Emanuel Leutze's painting, Washington Crossing the Delaware, will be analyzed for its historical inaccuracies in this middle-school-level lesson. Emanuel Leutze's painting, Washington Crossing the Delaware, is a well-known portrayal of the event during the American Revolution in Pennsylvania. The daring, famous maneuver directed by General Washington in 1776 was painted by Leutze in 1851. While Leutze's painting remains a symbol of the American spirit, it does contain several historical inaccuracies. Students will analyze the painting then compare the accuracy of the painting to a textbook description of the event of Washington's crossing. Students will demonstrate their analysis of the event and the painting by developing a persuasive argument supporting or opposing the public display of the Leutze's painting in the school.

Grade Level: Middle School

Discipline: History

Historical Period: Colonization and Settlement - 1601-1760; Civil War and Reconstruction - 1856-1876; The Emergence of Modern Pennsylvania - 1901-1928

In 1945 Pete Gray played in 77 games for the St. Louis Browns. He collected 51 hits, 8 for extra bases, and compiled a .218 batting average. As an outfielder, he made 162 put-outs, 3 assists, and 7 errors for a .959 fielding average. These statistics are not that impressive. What they do not tell us, though, is that Gray was the first one-armed man ever to play major league baseball. Students will examine Pete Gray's major league career by studying primary source quotations and the statistics he compiled during his one season with the Browns. The class will be divided into two groups: one will defend the credibility of Gray's career; the other will try to prove that he did not belong in the major leagues. After being given time to gather evidence for their respective cases, the two teams will discuss the issue: "Did Pete Gray belong in the major leagues?"

Grade Level: Middle School

Discipline: Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening; Arts and Humanities; History

Historical Period: Civil War and Reconstruction - 1856-1876

The town of Chambersburg was an anomaly during the Civil War, being the only town in the North to be burned and destroyed by fire. Why did it happen? In this middle-level lesson students will explore multiple perspectives of this event by interpreting letters, photographs, and other related primary sources, and enact a play incorporating these primary sources. Finally, students will synthesize the material with a persuasive writing activity.

Grade Level: Middle School

Discipline: Science and Technology; History; Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening

Historical Period: Development of the Industrial Pennsylvania - 1877-1900; Civil War and Reconstruction - 1856-1876; Expansion and Reform - 1801-1855

This middle-level lesson will use both historical documents and scientific procedure for students to explore the legacy of the Pennsylvanian engineer John Augustus Roebling and the workings of a suspension bridge.

Grade Level: Middle School

Discipline: Geography; Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening; Arts and Humanities; History

Historical Period: Contemporary Pennsylvania - 1975 to Present; Post-WWII Pennsylvania - 1946-1974; New Nation - 1761-1800; Colonization and Settlement - 1601-1760

In this middle-level lesson students will learn about the famous Seneca chief Cornplanter and the tract of land which he was granted "in perpetuity" as a gift from the United States government for his helpful negotiation skills. 10,000 acres of this land was flooded when the Kinzua Dam was created in the 1960s as a flood control measure. As a class, students will use primary source material and logical argument to debate this controversial land/water rights issue from the perspective of both the United States Government and the Seneca.

Grade Level: Middle School

Discipline: History; Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening; Civics and Government; Arts and Humanities

Historical Period: New Nation - 1761-1800

In this middle level lesson, students will participate in a Mock Trial Simulation in which they will role play key "rebels" and government supporters who were involved in the Whiskey Rebellion. Students will analyze political cartoons of the time, as well as the perspectives presented by both sides during the trial to determine if the Whiskey "Rebels" were guilty of rebelling and violating government laws or if their actions as tax resisters were justifiable.

Grade Level: Middle School

Discipline: Geography; Civics and Government; Arts and Humanities; History

Historical Period: Post-WWII Pennsylvania - 1946-1974

Students will explore how Rock and Roll stars such as Chubby Checker gained fame upon their appearance on American Bandstand. Hosted by Dick Clark, the show debuted out of Philadelphia and, using music and dance, paved the way for integration during an otherwise turbulent era in American history.

Grade Level: Middle School

Discipline: Science and Technology; History; Geography; Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening

Historical Period: Civil War and Reconstruction - 1856-1876; Expansion and Reform - 1801-1855; New Nation - 1761-1800; Colonization and Settlement - 1601-1760

This middle-school lesson plan will use images, natural resource maps, and a blast furnace computer animation to answer the question posed in the lesson title. Students will learn about the natural resources needed to make iron, the process of smelting iron, as well as several economic factors (population, transportation) influencing the development and growth of the iron industry in Pennsylvania.

Grade Level: Middle School

Discipline: Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening; Economics; Arts and Humanities; History

Historical Period: The Great Depression and World War II - 1929-1945

During World War II in the United States many African Americans found themselves divided between two wars: a war fighting fascism abroad as well as a war fighting racism at home. The "Double V Campaign" was launched by a prominent African American newspaper, the Pittsburgh Courier, wisely recognizing and politically combining these two struggles. In this lesson middle school students will explore specific examples of war propaganda and how some African Americans chose to handle the call for support during World War II.

Grade Level: Middle School

Discipline: Science and Technology; History; Geography; Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening; Ecology and Environment

Historical Period: Contemporary Pennsylvania - 1975 to Present; Post-WWII Pennsylvania - 1946-1974; The Great Depression and World War II - 1929-1945; The Emergence of Modern Pennsylvania - 1901-1928; Development of the Industrial Pennsylvania - 1877-1900; Civil War and Reconstruction - 1856-1876; Expansion and Reform - 1801-1855; New Nation - 1761-1800

Bituminous coal has been, and still remains, a crucial part of our daily lives--but do we ever think about it? It is a main source of electricity and has been used to fuel the manufacture of iron and steel. It also has played a part in the production of various items you may not associate with coal such as paint, plastics, rocket fuel, dishes, bricks, perfume, or even vitamins. Students will gain an appreciation of the many uses of bituminous coal and explore ways that this important resource is extracted from the ground. Students will then have the opportunity to create land formations displaying different types of coal mines using edible items.

Grade Level: Middle School

Discipline: Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening; Economics; Civics and Government; History

Historical Period: The Great Depression and World War II - 1929-1945

During the Great Depression, Pennsylvania's coal miners were among many in the nation hard hit by unemployment and struggling to survive. In 1932 Schuylkill County--a county known for its anthracite coal beds--approximately half of its workforce was unemployed; 16,000 of these workers were miners. Without an established system of welfare and little opportunity to be employed in other jobs, many rural coal workers turned to bootlegging coal for survival. In this middle-school lesson students will learn about coal bootlegging through primary sources (photographs, magazine article). Students will then explore the ethical dilemmas and challenges this practice and its local acceptance placed on the notion of private property during this unique time in history.

Grade Level: Middle School

Discipline: Science and Technology; History; Geography; Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening

Historical Period: Development of the Industrial Pennsylvania - 1877-1900

This middle level lesson looks at three components of a successful mail-order business: mail service, quality products, and effective advertising. Students analyze these aspects of the W. Atlee Burpee seed company and apply their knowledge to create a business plan of their own.

Grade Level: Middle School

Discipline: History; Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening

Historical Period: The Emergence of Modern Pennsylvania - 1901-1928; Development of the Industrial Pennsylvania - 1877-1900

In 1879 an experimental school was established in Carlisle, Pennsylvania by Captain Richard Pratt. Its purpose was to assimilate Native American children into American society. In this middle level lesson students will use a variety of primary sources to identify the goals of the Carlisle Indian School, to determine the effectiveness of its football team in promoting the school's assimilation policies, and to identify ways in which the media stereotyped players from the school on the field.

Grade Level: Middle School

Discipline: Science and Technology; History; Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening

Historical Period: Civil War and Reconstruction - 1856-1876; Expansion and Reform - 1801-1855

This middle-level lesson focuses on the challenge of accurately identifying the truth or facts about events in the past. Historians, paleontologists, and other scientific experts must analyze and study various images, written documents, maps, interviews, artifacts, and other sources to locate the "missing pieces" of information and to draw conclusions about what they study. Students will specifically experience this puzzle-solving dilemma as they study the evidence and story of a Pennsylvanian paleontologist who mistakenly placed the head on the wrong end of a dinosaur. To his rival colleague's delight, this paleontologist, Edward Drinker Cope, failed to identify a key fossil's the "missing piece" of this story which would have helped him correctly orient the head of the "Elasmosaurus platyurus Cope".

Grade Level: Middle School

Discipline: Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening; Ecology and Environment; History; Mathematics

Historical Period: Contemporary Pennsylvania - 1975 to Present; The Emergence of Modern Pennsylvania - 1901-1928

In this middle level lesson, students will examine their area and create a "beautification" plan to improve that area. They will need to convince "council" to give money to support their plan. This will all be held in comparison to Mira Dock and her lobbying efforts during the City Beautiful movement that took place in Harrisburg in the early 1900s.

Grade Level: Middle School

Discipline: Geography; Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening; Arts and Humanities; History

Historical Period: The Emergence of Modern Pennsylvania - 1901-1928; Development of the Industrial Pennsylvania - 1877-1900

This lesson explores the cultural and educational phenomenon of the late 19th century- early 20th century Chautauqua movement and its role in Pennsylvania. Students will examine photographs, postcards, advertisements, and programs of various Chautauquas to determine the movement's activities and purpose. In addition to an interpretation of primary sources, students review and use concepts from the Progressive/Populist era to plan their own Chautauqua.

Grade Level: Middle School

Discipline: History; Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening; Economics

Historical Period: Post-WWII Pennsylvania - 1946-1974

THIS LESSON PLAN IS IN PROGRESS AND THEREFORE IS NOT COMPLETE. IT WILL CORRELATE WITH THE UPCOMING STORY:Pennsylvania Since World War II. COME BACK TO THIS LESSON AFTER THIS STORY IS PUBLISHED TO THE SITE In this middle level unit (adaptable for high school as well) students will examine the development of Levittown, Pennsylvania. They will examine the reasons for the community, as well as racial issues that played a part in the Pennsylvania history of the 1950s.

Grade Level: Middle School

Discipline: History; Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening; Civics and Government

Historical Period: The Emergence of Modern Pennsylvania - 1901-1928; Development of the Industrial Pennsylvania - 1877-1900

This lesson plan is not complete. It will correlate with the upcoming story on Labor. In this middle school lesson students will participate in a mock trial simulation in which they will argue the character of Mary Harris "Mother" Jones and the effect she had on others. Students will include Jones' labor strategies in Pennsylvania (various coal mine strikes; the March of the Mill children of 1903; and the Great Steel Strike of 1919) in the mock trial to decide if Mother Jones should speak freely on behalf of workers' rights or be locked up as America's "Most Dangerous Woman." Students will use images, letters, and excerpts from Mother Jones' autobiography to decide her fate.

Grade Level: High School

Discipline: History

Historical Period: Contemporary Pennsylvania - 1975 to Present; Post-WWII Pennsylvania - 1946-1974; The Great Depression and World War II - 1929-1945

In 1945 Pete Gray played in 77 games for the St. Louis Browns. He collected 51 hits, 8 for extra bases, and compiled a .218 batting average. As an outfielder, he made 162 put-outs, 3 assists, and 7 errors for a .959 fielding average. These statistics are not that impressive. What they do not tell us, though, is that Gray was the first one-armed man ever to play major league baseball. Students will examine Pete Gray's major league career by studying primary source quotations and the statistics he compiled during his one season with the Browns. The class will be divided into two groups: one will defend the credibility of Gray's career; the other will try to prove that he did not belong in the major leagues. After being given time to gather evidence for their respective cases, the two teams will discuss the issue: "Did Pete Gray belong in the major leagues?��?

Grade Level: High School

Discipline: History; Mathematics; Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening; Economics

Historical Period: The Emergence of Modern Pennsylvania - 1901-1928; Development of the Industrial Pennsylvania - 1877-1900

This high-school level lesson plan explores how a restrictive labor market affected player salaries and led to the rise of a player union. Students will compare 19th century baseball player salaries with the salaries of working people during that time period, read and analyze the contrasting statements of John Montgomery Ward and baseball owners, and then, debate and evaluate the merits of both the player and management positions. As a concluding assignment students will compare the salaries of union and non-union employees.

Grade Level: High School

Discipline: History; Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening; Arts and Humanities

Historical Period: The Emergence of Modern Pennsylvania - 1901-1928

In this secondary level lesson, students will be introduced to an African American's perspective on World War I by analyzing paintings by Horace Pippin. Students will demonstrate their understanding of the African Americans soldiers" experience in World War I by writing a fictitious, though factual, interview with a soldier and/or Horace Pippin.

Grade Level: High School

Discipline: History

Historical Period: Development of the Industrial Pennsylvania - 1877-1900; Civil War and Reconstruction - 1856-1876; Expansion and Reform - 1801-1855

The Second Great Awakening saw religious revivals sweep through the United States during the early decades of the 19th century. Pennsylvania had and still has several notable examples of various religious communities. The lesson will compare various communities to the Harmonists of Old Economy.

Grade Level: High School

Discipline: History; Arts and Humanities; Civics and Government

Historical Period: Expansion and Reform - 1801-1855; New Nation - 1761-1800; Colonization and Settlement - 1601-1760

In 1688 Pennsylvania Quakers were credited with making the first formal protest against slavery. However, support for abolition in Pennsylvania was not universally strong over the next 150 years. In this lesson, students will trace the struggle for abolition from the original Quaker request to the burning of Pennsylvania Hall.

Grade Level: High School

Discipline: History

Historical Period: Colonization and Settlement - 1601-1760

William Penn's "Holy Experiment" established a tradition of tolerance that would become more widespread in America after the American Revolution. In this lesson students will compare the founding of Pennsylvania with the founding of New England and analyze some of the effects of William Penn's vision.

Grade Level: High School

Discipline: History

Historical Period: Colonization and Settlement - 1601-1760; New Nation - 1761-1800

Students will learn the background of the French and Indian War in Western Pennsylvania. Through the examination of the travels of George Washington to the Western Pennsylvania area in the years 1753-1754, students will uncover the events that led up to the outbreak of war in North America. Furthermore, students will use primary documents to comprehend actions that Washington undertook in critical situations (Jumonville Affair), and to understand how different viewpoints on an event can have an impact far beyond the immediate occurrence of the act. Students will be able to discuss and understand the events surrounding Washington's trip to Ft. LeBoeuf and the conflicting claims of ownership between France and England to the Ohio Country, as well as the Jumonville Affair.

Grade Level: High School

Discipline: Geography; Ecology and Environment; History

Historical Period: Development of the Industrial Pennsylvania - 1877-1900

Students will develop presentations focusing on the Johnstown Flood of 1889. Through research they will learn the history of this event, including the economic and environmental impact, and societal effects of the flood.

Grade Level: High School

Discipline: Arts and Humanities; History

Historical Period: New Nation - 1761-1800

A major turning point in the American Revolution was Washington's victory at Philadelphia in 1776 and 1777. His military skill set him apart as the first great leader of the new nation. The courage and determination of his men was decisive in securing the young country's independence. In this lesson, students will use a variety of primary sources to explore key individuals and events in the Philadelphia Campaign.

Grade Level: High School

Discipline: Arts and Humanities

Historical Period: The Great Depression and World War II - 1929-1945; Post-WWII Pennsylvania - 1946-1974

Mary Lou Williams was one of the preeminent jazz composers, arrangers and pianists of the 20th century. She performed with many of the top musicians, influenced countless performers and achieved recognition in her own right. Despite these accomplishments, both she and her work were often slighted simply because of her gender. However, she persevered and is recognized today as a true equal in talent and accomplishment with the other jazz greats of the 20th century. The lesson will help students understand the development of Williams" music and also the place that Williams holds in American musical history.

Grade Level: High School

Discipline: History; Geography

Historical Period: The Great Depression and World War II - 1929-1945; The Emergence of Modern Pennsylvania - 1901-1928; Development of the Industrial Pennsylvania - 1877-1900; Civil War and Reconstruction - 1856-1876; Expansion and Reform - 1801-1855; New Nation - 1761-1800; Colonization and Settlement - 1601-1760; Worlds Meeting-Beginnings to 1600; Post-WWII Pennsylvania - 1946-1974; Contemporary Pennsylvania - 1975 to Present

Students will discover that Native American paths were the blueprints for modern transportation routes throughout Pennsylvania, and in particular, in crossing the Allegheny Mountains. They will analyze a series of maps to determine geographic barriers associated with crossing the mountains and will establish how Native Americans and later travelers overcame these barriers. Journal entries from a traveler will be read and analyzed to provide a first hand account of what it was like to travel across the Allegheny Mountains in the early 1800s. A historical overview of transportation will be provided and students will discover how geographic features provided the foundation for Native American paths, as well as modern transportation routes.

Grade Level: High School

Discipline: History; Geography; Civics and Government

Historical Period: Civil War and Reconstruction - 1856-1876

The election of 1860 was a watershed event in American history and Pennsylvania was an important state in that election. In this lesson students will compare the national candidates party platforms and will determine the best campaign strategy for Lincoln to win Pennsylvania's electoral votes.

Grade Level: High School

Discipline: History; Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening

Historical Period: The Great Depression and World War II - 1929-1945; The Emergence of Modern Pennsylvania - 1901-1928; Development of the Industrial Pennsylvania - 1877-1900; Civil War and Reconstruction - 1856-1876

The phenomenon of the coal company town will be studied, showing the advantages and disadvantages for both the company and the employees.

Grade Level: High School

Discipline: History

Historical Period: The Emergence of Modern Pennsylvania - 1901-1928; Development of the Industrial Pennsylvania - 1877-1900

Investigative journalism became a movement at the turn of the century when magazines began publishing articles exposing corruption in politics and business. Ida Tarbell, writing for McClure's Magazine, was one of the premier writers in this genre as she took on John D. Rockefeller and Standard Oil. This lesson will ask students to examine the writings of Ida Tarbell and political cartoons of the era. They will compare circumstances at the turn of the century with government actions against monopolies today.

Grade Level: High School

Discipline: Geography; History; Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening

Historical Period: Expansion and Reform - 1801-1855

This high-school level lesson uses artifact analysis, journal entries, and secondary research to bring to life various Indian tribes" encounters with the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Students will research the culture of a specific tribe and rewrite a Lewis or Clark journal entry describing their encounter from the perspective of a member of their tribe.

Grade Level: High School

Discipline: Science and Technology; History; Geography; Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening

Historical Period: Expansion and Reform - 1801-1855

In this high school lesson students work in groups to read background information about the Lewis and Clark Expedition. They then create an interview question for Lewis based on the specific goals of the expedition in each of the following areas: paleontology, geography, cartography, ethnology, and science. Based on research from the Lewis and Clark journals, students will prepare Lewis" supposed response to their question.

Grade Level: High School

Discipline: Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening; History; Arts and Humanities

Historical Period: Post-WWII Pennsylvania - 1946-1974; The Great Depression and World War II - 1929-1945

In this high-school level lesson, students will look at the relationship between Pennsylvania railroads and World War II. Through the examination of photographs and informational readings of the Horseshoe Curve and the Third Reich sabotage effort, students will uncover the historical and strategic importance of the Horseshoe Curve. Then, using this new knowledge, they will construct a plan of action for the Department of Homeland Security on the appropriate security for railroads in the United States, particularly the Horseshoe Curve. Finally, students will create an appropriate memorial for Pennsylvania Railroad workers who lost their lives in World War II and compare their ideas to the powerful and emotionally compelling Angel of Resurrection memorial located at 30th Street Station in Philadelphia.

Grade Level: High School

Discipline: Economics; Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening; Civics and Government; History

Historical Period: The Great Depression and World War II - 1929-1945

The struggles of Rural Electrification in Pennsylvania are exemplified through an incident in western Cumberland County that received national media attention as the "Battle of the Pole Holes."

Grade Level: High School

Discipline: History; Civics and Government; Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening

Historical Period: New Nation - 1761-1800

As the democratic ideology inspired by the American Revolution was taking hold in the colonies, Pennsylvania governance was undergoing a revolution of its own, resulting in the Constitution of 1776. In this lesson, students do a close reading of a historical document, consider how democratic the Pennsylvania Constitution of 1776 was in scope, and write a persuasive essay from the point of view of a historic figure.

Grade Level: High School

Discipline: History; Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening; Arts and Humanities

Historical Period: Civil War and Reconstruction - 1856-1876

In this high-school lesson students will compare the earliest examples of battlefield photography with today's media coverage and evaluate its impact on public perceptions of war.

Grade Level: High School

Discipline: History; Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening; Civics and Government

Historical Period: The Emergence of Modern Pennsylvania - 1901-1928; Development of the Industrial Pennsylvania - 1877-1900

This high-school level lesson explores assimilation as it was adopted by Captain Pratt and his experimental Carlisle Indian Industrial School. Students will read background information about the controversial school and study interesting primary materials (student letters and photographs, community newspaper article, excerpt from letter to the Commissioner of Indian affairs, and an enrollment tally of Indian nations at the school). Through these sources students will uncover how assimilation was instituted in school policy and some of the resulting benefits and consequences. Students will ultimately "assimilate" this information in an essay responding to one of several quotes.

Grade Level: High School

Discipline: History; Geography; Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening

Historical Period: New Nation - 1761-1800

During the early years of our new nation, Pennsylvanians welcomed a number of interesting, famous and unusual immigrants into their new state. The famous, infamous and intriguing came to live, set up religious communities, create fortunes and have political influence. This lesson is a brief look at two of the most influential and eccentric of these early immigrants: Prince Demetrius Gallitzin and enlightenment scientist Joseph Priestley.

Grade Level: High School

Discipline: History; Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening

Historical Period: Development of the Industrial Pennsylvania - 1877-1900

This high-school level lesson explores the pivotal events of the Homestead Strike of 1892 from multiple perspectives. Using newspaper articles, cartoons, sermons, magazine covers, etchings, letters, and sworn testimony, the class will analyze four group perspectives and write an objective news article as a culminating activity.

Grade Level: High School

Discipline: History; Civics and Government; Arts and Humanities

Historical Period: Contemporary Pennsylvania - 1975 to Present; Post-WWII Pennsylvania - 1946-1974; The Great Depression and World War II - 1929-1945; The Emergence of Modern Pennsylvania - 1901-1928

In 1911 Pennsylvania became the first state to pass a film censorship law, creating the Pennsylvania Board of Motion Picture Censors. In this lesson, students will analyze primary source documents of the 1920s to find the roots of film censorship and understand how Pennsylvania led the way in this movement. Afterward, they will analyze actual government documents that banned a film in Pennsylvania and compare and contrast their earlier findings to the modern-day rating system used for films.

Grade Level: High School

Discipline: Mathematics; History; Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening

Historical Period: Development of the Industrial Pennsylvania - 1877-1900; Civil War and Reconstruction - 1856-1876; Expansion and Reform - 1801-1855; New Nation - 1761-1800; Colonization and Settlement - 1601-1760

In this upper-level lesson students will identify key concepts of the industrial revolution and use those concepts to analyze the industrial advancement of Pennsylvania's iron industry. By completing a case study of iron furnaces from two different time periods and analyzing images of the iron industry, students will be able to identify the industrialization process at work.

Grade Level: High School

Discipline: History; Civics and Government; Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening

Historical Period: The Great Depression and World War II - 1929-1945

In this high school-level lesson, students will have the opportunity to look at World War II from the perspective of those who did not fight it. They will study conscientious objection—its background and variety, the experiences of several who chose it, and the rights associated with it. Students will use a variety of interesting primary and secondary resources as tools to explore this topic: a letter to the draft board, interviews of conscientious objectors, compelling photographs, the draft and final version of the Bill of Rights, and the Declaration of Human Rights (passed by the General Assembly of the United Nations in 1948).

Grade Level: High School

Discipline: History; Civics and Government; Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening

Historical Period: Development of the Industrial Pennsylvania - 1877-1900

This high school lesson focuses on the working conditions faced by individuals who worked in the coal mines in southwestern Pennsylvania during the mid-eighteenth and nineteenth century. Students will have the opportunity to analyze photographs, newspaper articles, petition letters, and other documents that give evidence to the poor working conditions faced by miners. Once students uncover these working conditions, they offer their own solutions to these concerns and then turn their attention to examine how miners and labor unions in history addressed those working conditions.

Grade Level: High School

Discipline: History; Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening; Economics; Civics and Government; Arts and Humanities

Historical Period: Contemporary Pennsylvania - 1975 to Present; The Great Depression and World War II - 1929-1945

In this high-school level lesson students will investigate Pennsylvania's "artifacts‿ of two Depression-era New Deal Programs—the Civilian Conservation Corps and the Work Progress Administration's Federal Art Project—in order to gain an understanding of these programs" legacies. Students will use this knowledge in a creative writing assignment which asks them not only to demonstrate an understanding of these program legacies, but also to reflect upon how they will continue to honor and preserve these legacies today.

Grade Level: High School

Discipline: History; Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening

Historical Period: Civil War and Reconstruction - 1856-1876; Development of the Industrial Pennsylvania - 1877-1900

This high-school level lesson focuses on the retail evolution from the early dry goods stores to Wanamaker's "New Kind of Store," the department store. Students will explore the history of John Wanamaker and his first true department store, the experiences of the "shop girls" who worked in such stores, and the role of advertising in making Wanamaker's a success.

Grade Level: High School

Discipline: History; Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening

Historical Period: Post-WWII Pennsylvania - 1946-1974; Contemporary Pennsylvania - 1975 to Present; Development of the Industrial Pennsylvania - 1877-1900; The Emergence of Modern Pennsylvania - 1901-1928; The Great Depression and World War II - 1929-1945

This lesson plan focuses on several Pennsylvania boxers and considers the important ways in which factual and fictional accounts of boxers in the state have interacted to create a unique boxing history. The lesson then asks students to make a connection between the individual life experiences of these boxers and their boxing careers and to see their experiences in light of the American Dream.

Grade Level: High School

Discipline: Science and Technology; History; Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening

Historical Period: Contemporary Pennsylvania - 1975 to Present; Post-WWII Pennsylvania - 1946-1974

In this interdisciplinary high school lesson students analyze the impact of the first successful weather satellite, TIROS. Students will discover its significant political, meteorological, and historical impact through investigation of interesting satellite images and a Cold War presidential letter exchange, as well as through online research and secondary source reading. Finally, they will synthesize their learning in a culminating creative writing assignment.

Grade Level: High School

Discipline: History; Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening; Economics

Historical Period: Development of the Industrial Pennsylvania - 1877-1900

In this high school lesson students will have the opportunity to explore competing theories of wealth and social responsibility, as expressed in the late nineteenth century. Through examination of primary sources, students will develop an understanding of varying approaches to the problem of wealth. Afterward, they will express their own interpretations and propose solutions to the questions raised through written, verbal, and creative expression.

Grade Level: High School

Discipline: Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening; Civics and Government; History

Historical Period: Contemporary Pennsylvania - 1975 to Present; New Nation - 1761-1800; Colonization and Settlement - 1601-1760

In this lesson high school students are challenged to think about the roots of their education and how historical events can shape educational policies both in past and present. Students look at the original writings of two early influential educators in our nation, both hailing from Pennsylvania--Benjamin Franklin and Dr. Benjamin Rush. They compare these men's thoughts about education (what to teach, whom to teach, discipline, diet, role of religion, etc.), discuss the historical events which may have influenced those thoughts, and complete an assignment which shows an understanding not only of these men's thoughts, but also incorporates their own thoughts about the educational topic.

Grade Level: High School

Discipline: History; Geography; Economics

Historical Period: Contemporary Pennsylvania - 1975 to Present; Post-WWII Pennsylvania - 1946-1974

THIS LESSON PLAN IS IN PROGRESS AND THEREFORE IS NOT COMPLETE. IT WILL CORRELATE WITH THE UPCOMING STORY:Pennsylvania Since World War II. COME BACK TO THIS LESSON AFTER THIS STORY IS PUBLISHED TO THE SITE Rich in physical beauty and cultural heritage, the Pocono region is renowned as a vacation destination. In this high-school lesson, students will investigate the many ways this region has accommodated vacationers. Initially, students will explore Unity House, a unique retreat for garment industry union members, and the inspiring role it played in Pennsylvania history. Ultimately, students will discover how demographic and economic factors have shaped the contemporary Pocono tourism experience.

Grade Level: High School

Discipline: History; Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening

Historical Period: Development of the Industrial Pennsylvania - 1877-1900

This lesson plan is not complete. It will correlate with the upcoming story on Labor. In this high school lesson students will learn about The Great Railroad Strike of 1877 through analysis of several primary sources documents from the time period. The students will participate in a hearing simulation to determine the cause of the violence that occurred during the strike