23 results
Grade Level: High School
Discipline: Arts and Humanities; Civics and Government; History
Historical Period: The Emergence of Modern Pennsylvania - 1901-1928; The Great Depression and World War II - 1929-1945; Post-WWII Pennsylvania - 1946-1974; Contemporary Pennsylvania - 1975 to Present
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: Middle School
Discipline: Ecology and Environment; Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening; History; Mathematics
Historical Period: The Emergence of Modern Pennsylvania - 1901-1928; Contemporary Pennsylvania - 1975 to Present
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: Elementary School
Discipline: Arts and Humanities; Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening; History
Historical Period: New Nation - 1761-1800; Contemporary Pennsylvania - 1975 to Present
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: High School
Discipline: Economics; Geography; History
Historical Period: Post-WWII Pennsylvania - 1946-1974; Contemporary Pennsylvania - 1975 to Present
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: Elementary School
Discipline: Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening; Health and Physical Education; History
Historical Period: The Emergence of Modern Pennsylvania - 1901-1928; The Great Depression and World War II - 1929-1945; Post-WWII Pennsylvania - 1946-1974; Contemporary Pennsylvania - 1975 to Present
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: High School
Discipline: Arts and Humanities; Civics and Government; Economics; Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening; History
Historical Period: The Great Depression and World War II - 1929-1945; Contemporary Pennsylvania - 1975 to Present
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: Middle School
Discipline: Arts and Humanities; Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening; Geography; History
Historical Period: Colonization and Settlement - 1601-1760; New Nation - 1761-1800; Post-WWII Pennsylvania - 1946-1974; Contemporary Pennsylvania - 1975 to Present
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: Ecology and Environment; Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening; Geography; History; Science and Technology
Historical Period: New Nation - 1761-1800; Expansion and Reform - 1801-1855; Civil War and Reconstruction - 1856-1876; Development of the Industrial Pennsylvania - 1877-1900; The Emergence of Modern Pennsylvania - 1901-1928; The Great Depression and World War II - 1929-1945; Post-WWII Pennsylvania - 1946-1974; Contemporary Pennsylvania - 1975 to Present
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; Health and Physical Education; History
Historical Period: The Great Depression and World War II - 1929-1945; Post-WWII Pennsylvania - 1946-1974; Contemporary Pennsylvania - 1975 to Present
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: Elementary School
Discipline: Ecology and Environment; Geography; History; Mathematics
Historical Period: The Emergence of Modern Pennsylvania - 1901-1928; The Great Depression and World War II - 1929-1945; Post-WWII Pennsylvania - 1946-1974; Contemporary Pennsylvania - 1975 to Present
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: Middle School
Discipline: Ecology and Environment; Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening; Geography; History; Science and Technology
Historical Period: New Nation - 1761-1800; Expansion and Reform - 1801-1855; Civil War and Reconstruction - 1856-1876; Contemporary Pennsylvania - 1975 to Present
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: Elementary School
Discipline: Civics and Government; Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening; History
Historical Period: The Emergence of Modern Pennsylvania - 1901-1928; The Great Depression and World War II - 1929-1945; Post-WWII Pennsylvania - 1946-1974; Contemporary Pennsylvania - 1975 to Present
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: High School
Discipline: History
Historical Period: The Great Depression and World War II - 1929-1945; Post-WWII Pennsylvania - 1946-1974; Contemporary Pennsylvania - 1975 to Present
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: Elementary School
Discipline: Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening; Geography; History
Historical Period: New Nation - 1761-1800; Expansion and Reform - 1801-1855; Civil War and Reconstruction - 1856-1876; Development of the Industrial Pennsylvania - 1877-1900; The Emergence of Modern Pennsylvania - 1901-1928; The Great Depression and World War II - 1929-1945; Post-WWII Pennsylvania - 1946-1974; Contemporary Pennsylvania - 1975 to Present
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: Middle School
Discipline: Ecology and Environment; Geography; History
Historical Period: The Great Depression and World War II - 1929-1945; Post-WWII Pennsylvania - 1946-1974; Contemporary Pennsylvania - 1975 to Present
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: High School
Discipline: Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening; History; Science and Technology
Historical Period: Post-WWII Pennsylvania - 1946-1974; Contemporary Pennsylvania - 1975 to Present
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: Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening; History
Historical Period: Development of the Industrial Pennsylvania - 1877-1900; The Emergence of Modern Pennsylvania - 1901-1928; The Great Depression and World War II - 1929-1945; Post-WWII Pennsylvania - 1946-1974; Contemporary Pennsylvania - 1975 to Present
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: Elementary School
Discipline: Arts and Humanities; Economics; Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening; Geography; History; Science and Technology
Historical Period: Post-WWII Pennsylvania - 1946-1974; Contemporary Pennsylvania - 1975 to Present
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: High School
Discipline: Geography; History
Historical Period: Worlds Meeting-Beginnings to 1600; Colonization and Settlement - 1601-1760; New Nation - 1761-1800; Expansion and Reform - 1801-1855; Civil War and Reconstruction - 1856-1876; Development of the Industrial Pennsylvania - 1877-1900; The Emergence of Modern Pennsylvania - 1901-1928; The Great Depression and World War II - 1929-1945; 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: Middle School
Discipline: Arts and Humanities; Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening; History
Historical Period: The Emergence of Modern Pennsylvania - 1901-1928; The Great Depression and World War II - 1929-1945; Post-WWII Pennsylvania - 1946-1974; Contemporary Pennsylvania - 1975 to Present
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: Arts and Humanities; Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening; History
Historical Period: Colonization and Settlement - 1601-1760; New Nation - 1761-1800; Contemporary Pennsylvania - 1975 to Present
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: High School
Discipline: Civics and Government; Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening; History
Historical Period: Colonization and Settlement - 1601-1760; New Nation - 1761-1800; Contemporary Pennsylvania - 1975 to Present
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: Elementary School
Discipline: Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening; Geography; Health and Physical Education; History
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.
