COURSE TITLE: Ball State Library Archives and Special Collections Digital
History
GRADE LEVEL: 4th Grade
UNIT: Middletown Studies
ABSTRACT
This task is designed to assess students’ knowledge on the Middletown studies. Students
will explore the reasons as to why researchers could have chosen to conduct the study in
Muncie, Indiana. After reviewing a Muncie souvenir booklet from 1910, reasons will
become evident. Students will create a souvenir booklet of their own that will define the
“new” attractions of our city. Students’ books will focus on attractions that are
considered important in the current year, 2011. After creating the souvenir books,
students will share with the class about what and why certain attractions were mentioned
in the booklet. A class discussion will be led pertaining to how some of the attractions
could alter a new Middletown study, if it were to be conducted.
PROMPT
 Discuss Middletown by reviewing the book, Middletown: A Study in American
Culture and the online source,
http://americanradioworks.publicradio.org/features/muncie/f1.html.
 On the computer, show students the souvenir booklet obtained from Ball State
Digital Archives database. Souvenir Booklet:
http://libx.bsu.edu/cdm4/document.php?CISOROOT=/MunHistBklt&
CISOPTR=488&REC=4
 Provide students with the prompt of creating their own souvenir books.
 Give students paper booklets with which they will assemble and create their
souvenir booklet.
 Provide this website: http://www.cityofmuncie.com/ to help students when
thinking of interest points to mention within their souvenir booklets. Allow
students to find information online and on their own.
DIRECTIONS
“We have been learning about the Middletown studies. Now we are going to assess the
aspects of Muncie, Indiana that may have attracted researchers to this town. After
analyzing a 1910 souvenir booklet that provides details about Muncie during the time of
the Middletown study, we will create our own souvenir booklets of 2011 that could
potentially attract researchers or other people to this city.”
1. As a class, review the Middletown studies that were conducted by the Robert
and Helen Lynd. Revisit the book, Middletown: A Study in American Culture
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
and the online source,
http://americanradioworks.publicradio.org/features/muncie/f1.html.
Students will look at the souvenir booklet provided by the Ball State Archives
and Special Collections website. The website is:
http://libx.bsu.edu/cdm4/document.php?CISOROOT=/MunHistBklt&CIS
OPTR=488&REC=4
After viewing the souvenir booklet, students will discuss as a class the
possible appeal Muncie had to researchers like the Lynds.
Students will work individually to create a new version of the souvenir
booklet that reflects Muncie in the year 2011.
The booklet must provide details about certain attractions in Muncie that
could be exciting and interesting to researchers and visitors. The website:
http://www.cityofmuncie.com/ will be provided for students to use as a
tool in making the souvenir booklets.
After the completion of the booklets, students will present their own
booklet to the class. Each student will also explain which attraction listed
in their booklet would be found the most interesting to researchers and
why.
Students will be reminded that the audience is made up of a diverse
culture of people, and so, the attraction that is most worthy of mentioning
should be appealing to a broad expanse of different people.
Presenters will answer questions about chosen attraction from the
audience of students.
After students complete their presentations, lead a class discussion about our
findings within the present-day community. Lead students with the following
questions: Is this community attractive to people traveling? Do you think that
people would choose to leave their current homes to move to Muncie because
it is an attractive place? If our community is not attractive, what kind of
consequences may we see occur throughout the upcoming years? Is there
something that we can do in order to attract more people to the community?
“Work independently in class and use the material provided. After presenting and
persuading the class about one important attraction, turn in the completed work by the
end of class today.”
PROCEDURE
Review information with students pertaining to the Middletown study. Display and read,
as a class, the 1910 Muncie souvenir booklet found online at the Ball State Digital
Archive Center. Discuss attractions mentioned in the booklet that may have led the
Lynds to conduct their study in Muncie, Indiana. Explain the task. Read the directions to
the students and show them how the scoring rubric will work. Answer any questions
students have pertaining to the task. Explain to students that the souvenir booklets will
be placed on display at the Muncie Visitor’s Bureau.
SCORING RUBRIC
BENCHMARK
SCORE
1
(4.4.1) Give examples of
the kinds of goods and
services produced in
Indiana in different
historical periods. (Core
Standard)
Students create a
current Muncie,
Indiana souvenir
booklet that
includes writing
about at least 3
major attractions
for visitors and
researchers.
2
3
4
Students create a
current Muncie,
Indiana souvenir
booklet that
includes writing
and pictures of at
least 3 major
attractions for
visitors and
researchers.
Students create
a current
Muncie, Indiana
souvenir booklet
that includes
writing and
pictures of at
least 4 major
attractions for
visitors and
researchers.
Students create a
current Muncie,
Indiana souvenir
booklet that includes
writing and pictures
of at least 5 major
attractions for visitors
and researchers.
Students present
their booklets to
the class.
Students present
their booklets to
the class where
they identify
one particularly
interesting
attraction.
Students present their
booklets to the class
where they identify
one particularly
interesting attraction.
Students explain and
defend with reasoning
the importance and
interest in the chosen
attraction mentioned
in the created
souvenir booklet.
COURSE TITLE: Ball State Library Archives and Special Collections Digital
History
GRADE LEVEL: 4th Grade
UNIT: Middletown Studies
ABSTRACT
This task is designed to assess students’ knowledge on the Middletown studies. After
reviewing concepts of the initial Middletown study conducted by the Lynds, students will
explore in their own communities. While conducting their own research within their
community, students will gather information that will represent similar concepts shown
by the Lynds’ research.
PROMPT
 Discuss Middletown by reviewing the book, Middletown: A Study in American
Culture.
 Review from the book that the study of people in the city was broken down
into 6 main-trunk activities: getting a living, making a home, training the
young, using leisure in various forms of play and art, engaging in religious
practices, and engaging in community activities.
 Guide students in thinking about current available jobs, who is usually
working these jobs, what type of houses people live in, type of relationship
between parents of children, how are children raised, does the family eat
together, is appearance and clothing important, describe different aspects
about schooling, leisure time activities, dominant religious beliefs, local
government, and keeping healthy.
 On the computer, show students the many different modes and ways that
information can be collected. Visit the Ball State Digital Media Repository online
at:
http://libx.bsu.edu/cdm4/BrowseResults.php?sortby=SUBJECT#Middletown%20
Studies
 Provide students with the prompt of conducting their own study about the
local community.
 Give students necessary materials needed to gather information: tape
recorder, tapes, paper, and video camera.
DIRECTIONS
“We have been learning about the Middletown studies. Now we are going to conduct our
own research that will look into information about our community. Most of the
information we will gather will be based upon the study that was conducted almost a
century ago by Robert and Helen Lynd. We will examine how the information found by
the Lynds could have affected life during the early 20th century in Indiana. Furthermore,
we will analyze the information gathered by our classroom about our community. We
will see if any of our findings majorly affect our lives today.
1. As a class, verbally describe the Middletown study (where/why it was
studied in Muncie, Indiana, what components made up the study, and how
the Muncie environment may have affected participants lives).
2. Visit the online Ball State Digital Media Repository to view different modes of
information that contribute to the Middletown study.
3. Perform your own study on the local community in present day (focus on aspects
that were identified in the Lynd’s original study of Muncie).
4. Provide tangible data from your own study (pictures of people, pictures of
artifacts important to community, interviews, DVD of local happenings, or oral
recordings.)
5. Be sure to focus your data on an aspect of the community that you find very
important and influential to the daily lives of people who live within our
community.
6. Present your findings to the class, and explain why the data you gathered was
very important. Include a printed description about the data that was collected.
(Where the data was found and what kind of data it is).
7. As a class, combine all community research into a classroom book.
“Work independently in and out of class and use the materials provided. After
presenting and persuading the class about one important attraction, turn in the completed
work by the end of class tomorrow.”
PROCEDURE
As a class, review the Middletown studies that were conducted by the Robert and
Helen Lynd. Revisit the book, Middletown: A Study in American Culture. Ask students
to identify the major components and findings of the Lynd’s study. The components
include: getting a living, making a home, training the young, using leisure in various
forms of play and art, engaging in religious practices, and engaging in community
activities. Ask students how these findings may have affected the lives of those living in
Middletown during the study. Discuss with students if the surroundings of the city may
have played a part in the findings of the study.
Explain to students that the class will be conducting it’s own research about the
local community. After visiting the online Ball State Digital Media Repository online,
and discovering different forms of research that are listed on the website, tell students
that we will be collecting information from the community in a variety of forms (pictures,
recordings, interview, drawings, and video recordings), and will eventually combine all
of our research into a book. Be sure to explain to students that while looking for research
in the community, some negative information about the town or experiences in the
community may surface. Explain that both positive and negative findings in the
community will help further our understanding about the local community. Give an
example of an interview that may be conducted. Perhaps the interviewee dislikes the
location of a local park or dislikes the new restaurant in town, explain to students that the
interview documentation must include all comments made during the interview,
including negative comments.
Students will be asked to include descriptions within the classroom book
describing the interesting information they individually contributed to the book. The
classroom book will be placed in a display with the book, Middletown: A Study in
Modern American Culture at the local library. To accompany the two books, as a class,
we will create a summarized description of the completed project, which will inform
onlookers about the library display.
SCORING RUBRIC
BENCHMARK
SCORE
1
(4.1.12) Growth and
Development: 1900 to
1950. Describe the
transformation of Indiana
through immigration and
through developments in
agriculture, industry and
transportation. (Core
Standard)
2
Student visits Ball
state Digital Media
Repository to view
different modes of
information.
Student lists one
mode of research
gathering that was
evident on the
website.
Student visits
Ball state Digital
Media
Repository to
view different
modes of
information.
Student lists two
modes of
research
gathering that
Student presents
was evident on
tangible data found the website.
while researching
within the
Student presents
community. The
tangible data
data can consist of found while
at least one of the
researching
following: pictures within the
of people, pictures community. The
of artifacts
data can consist
important to
of at least one of
community,
the following:
interviews, DVD
pictures of
of local
people, pictures
happenings, or oral of artifacts
recordings.
important to
community,
interviews, DVD
of local
happenings, or
oral recordings.
Student presents
their findings to
the class.
3
4
Student visits Ball
state Digital Media
Repository to view
different modes of
information.
Student lists three
modes of research
gathering that was
evident on the
website.
Student gives input about
the Middletown study.
Student presents
tangible data found
while researching
within the
community. The
data can consist of
at least one of the
following: pictures
of people, pictures
of artifacts
important to
community,
interviews, DVD of
local happenings,
or oral recordings.
A description of the
data is included.
Student explains
and defends with
reasoning the
importance and
interest in the
chosen information
that was studied.
Student presents
their findings to the
class.
Student visits Ball state
Digital Media Repository
to view different modes
of information. Student
lists at least four modes
of research gathering that
was evident on the
website.
Student presents tangible
data found while
researching within the
community. The data
can consist of at least one
of the following: pictures
of people, pictures of
artifacts important to
community, interviews,
DVD of local
happenings, or oral
recordings. A description
of the data is included.
Student explains and
defends with reasoning
the importance and
interest in the chosen
information that was
studied.
Student presents their
findings to the class.