31 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: 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
In this high school level lesson students will analyze the working conditions that existed in the Pennsylvania steel mills at the beginning of the 20th century. Students will act as members of the Pennsylvania State Legislature and, through a gallery walk, examine photographs and personal statements of steel workers about the dangers that existed in the steel mills. They will work in small groups to write a Workman's Compensation Law for Pennsylvania and then write individual letters to their constituents, explaining the need for worker safety legislation during the Progressive Era
Grade Level: Middle School
Discipline: Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening; Geography; Health and Physical Education; History
Historical Period: Development of the Industrial Pennsylvania - 1877-1900; The Emergence of Modern Pennsylvania - 1901-1928
The cowboy is one of the most quintessential American icons. From where did this hero come? It is unlikely that one would answer, "...from the inspiration of an upper class Philadelphian." This middle school lesson will explore the Pennsylvania author who created this literary figure so important to our national identity, uncover historical documents related to his inspiration, examine examples of his most celebrated work, and discover several traits of the western genre of literature.
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: Elementary School
Discipline: Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening; Geography; History; Mathematics
Historical Period: 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
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: 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: 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: Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening; History
Historical Period: Development of the Industrial Pennsylvania - 1877-1900; The Emergence of Modern Pennsylvania - 1901-1928
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: 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
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: Elementary School
Discipline: Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening; History; Science and Technology
Historical Period: Civil War and Reconstruction - 1856-1876; Development of the Industrial Pennsylvania - 1877-1900; The Emergence of Modern Pennsylvania - 1901-1928
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: 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: Civics and Government; Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening; History
Historical Period: Development of the Industrial Pennsylvania - 1877-1900; The Emergence of Modern Pennsylvania - 1901-1928
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: 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: 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: Elementary School
Discipline: Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening; Geography; History
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: Middle School
Discipline: Arts and Humanities; Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening; Geography; History
Historical Period: Development of the Industrial Pennsylvania - 1877-1900; The Emergence of Modern Pennsylvania - 1901-1928
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: Civics and Government; Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening; History
Historical Period: Development of the Industrial Pennsylvania - 1877-1900; The Emergence of Modern Pennsylvania - 1901-1928
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: Elementary School
Discipline: Civics and Government; Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening; History; 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: Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening; History; Science and Technology
Historical Period: The Emergence of Modern Pennsylvania - 1901-1928
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: Geography; History
Historical Period: Development of the Industrial Pennsylvania - 1877-1900; The Emergence of Modern Pennsylvania - 1901-1928
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: 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
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: Elementary School
Discipline: Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening; History
Historical Period: The Emergence of Modern Pennsylvania - 1901-1928; The Great Depression and World War II - 1929-1945
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: 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
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: High School
Discipline: Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening; History
Historical Period: 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
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: 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: 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: High School
Discipline: Economics; Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening; History; Mathematics
Historical Period: Development of the Industrial Pennsylvania - 1877-1900; The Emergence of Modern Pennsylvania - 1901-1928
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: Middle School
Discipline: Economics; Geography; History
Historical Period: 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
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: High School
Discipline: Arts and Humanities; Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening; History
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.
