For over a hundred years, Pennsylvania was the "Steel Capital of the World," and Pittsburgh was the hub of that capital. The immigrants who worked in the steel mills and coal mines, the entrepreneurs who became captains of industry, the natural resources and geography of the Pittsburgh region, all worked together to bring steel to a growing country. Common folk endured tough working and living conditions. Men and women worked hard, raised their families, grabbed what happiness they could, and were sustained by their ethnic communities and churches. Tall tales about Joe Magarac, a fantastically strong steel worker, both entertained and made men proud to be steel workers. Another man of steel, Henry Noll, became the strong man that Frederick Winslow Taylor used to develop his scientific principles which enabled management to increase the output of their work force. This lesson examines the fictional Joe Magarac and the real Henry Noll and their place in the story of steel in the early 1900s.

Objectives

Students will be able to: 1. Describe and locate places connected with the making of steel in Pennsylvania at the beginning of the 20th century. 2. Describe the human characteristics of places and regions by their cultural characteristics (ethnicity, language, customs, and religion). 3. Describe the impacts of people on physical systems (water, air). 4. Describe and explain historical research including historical events (time and place); facts, folklore and fiction; primary and secondary sources. 5. Read and understand essential content of informational texts and documents relating to Frederick W. Taylor. 6. Differentiate fact from opinion and identify stereotypes and exaggeration. 7. Produce work in a literary genre that follows the conventions of the tall tale. 8. Write using well-developed content appropriate for the topic.

Standards Alignment

• Geography
  
  7.1.6. B. Describe and locate places and regions.
  7.3.6. A. Describe the human characteristics of places and regions by their population characteristics.
  7.3.6. C. Describe the human characteristics of places and regions by their settlement characteristics.
  7.3.6.B. Describe the human characteristics of places and regions by their cultural characteristics.
  7.3.6.D. Describe the human characteristics of places and regions by their economic activities.
  7.4.6. B. Describe the impacts of people on physical systems.
  
  
• History
  
  8.1.6. B. Explain and analyze historical sources.
  8.1.6. D. Describe and explain historical research.
  
  
• Reading, Writing, Speaking, and Listening
  
  1.2.5. A. Read and understand essential content of informational texts and documents in all academic areas.
  1.4.5. A. Writes multi-paragraph stories to include detailed descriptions of people, places and things
  1.5.5. B. Write using well-developed content appropriate for the topic.
  1.6.5. B. Listen to a selection of literature (fiction and/or nonfiction).
  1.6.5. D. Contribute to discussions.