America Changing – Virtual Museum: Immigration, Urbanization and
Industrialization in the US 1870-1900
America, 1870-1900
From: Teaching American History: OUSD, Brandon Miles, 2011
History Standards: 11.2
Students analyze the relationship among the rise of industrialization, large-scale rural-tourban migration, and massive immigration from Southern and Eastern Europe.
CCSS Standards: Writing, Grade 11-12
2. Write informative/explanatory texts, including the narration of historical events, scientific
procedures/ experiments, or technical processes.
4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are
appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
5. Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying
a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and
audience.
7. Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a
self generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate;
synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under
investigation.
8. Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using
advanced searches effectively; assess the strengths and limitations of each source in terms of
the specific task, purpose, and audience; integrate information into the text selectively to
maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and overreliance on any one source and
following a standard format for citation.
9. Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
10. Write routinely over extended time frames (time for reflection and revision) and shorter
time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes,
and audiences.
Guiding Question:
To what extent to we understand how immigration, urbanization, and industrialization affected
American in the late 19th and early 20th centuries? What sources help us understand these
phenomena?
Overview of Lesson:
This project assumes that students have been introduced to research methods,
particularly with respect to internet sources. It also presumes regular computer and
internet access during class time. It is suggested that the project be assigned on the first
day of the unit, and presentations may occur just before, or in lieu of, any final
assessment on the unit.
Student groups will create a virtual museum that explores one of the three main areas of
focus (Industrialization, Immigration or Urbanization). They will create exhibits that
show relevant images, events, people, and other information from the time related to
their topic. They will create their “museum” using either Powerpoint or a web design
program. Students will have 4 weeks to complete the project in conjunction with
material and information given in class
Student will be assigned groups of 4 and one of the areas of concentration
(Immigrations, Industrialization, Urbanization).
Students will create two exhibits each focused on their topic assuming two of the
following roles: historian, newspaper reporter, photographer, politician, poet,
artist/musician, humorist, and biographer.(as decided by the group)\
Listed below is each role task and the key questions that need to be addressed in all
exhibits.
Historian: Write your findings in the form of a chapter from a high school history
textbook the way you think history should be told.
Newspaper Reporter: Your job is to get the scoop on the changing times. You need to
identify at least three real people from the time period who had opinions and feelings
regarding the change you’re writing about. Either find or make up quotes matched to
the personas to use in a news story that reveals how the personalities feel about the
change. Write your news story using the who, what, where, when and why, framework,
incorporating the quotes you find (or the ones you create).
Photographer: Your task is to find at least three photos related to your topic. Write a
short paragraph for each photo in which you explain the change revealed or suggested in
the image.
Politician: You are a politician during the time period you are studying. You can either
assume the persona of an actual politician, or make up your own political personality.
Locate two political decisions from the time that brought about change. Then, write a
speech trying to convince people to accept your position.
Poet: Your task is to become a persona from the time period and write a poem from
his/her perspective about the change you’re studying.. Choose at least two poems from
the time that mirror, share, or reinforce the feelings expressed in the poem you’ve
written as well.
Make sure the product addresses these essential questions:
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How or why did change happen?
How did people bring about and react to change?
Who was involved in the change?
Who benefited from the change?
Who suffered from the change?
Did the change have enduring effects that we can still see today?
Each exhibit should have a “plaque” included somewhere that gives the visitor an
overview of what they are looking at, and why the item is important to the period as a
whole. Each plaque should be autonomous, and should be a well-crafted, full
paragraph. It should also include proper citations where appropriate.
The groups will present their museum and exhibits to the class in a guided docent tour.
The presentation should be about 10 minutes in length.
Students will have regular use of the computer lab and with any extra time in the class
period they may use the computers in class or the laptop carts (if available). The
assignment should be posted on the teacher’s website so they can access it at anytime.
The students will need continued access to the Internet to find information.