The Windy White City
1893 Columbian Exposition – The Fair Felt ‘Round the World
Mary Loudon
Pontiac Junior High School
Linda Ambrose
Prairie Central Junior High School
Summer 2005
The Ferris Wheel at the World’s Fair.
The Manufacturer and Builder: a Practical Journal of Industrial Progress.
Image 176. August, 1893.Cornell Digital Library Collections.
Students will create a newspaper reporting on the Columbian Exposition of 1893 held in
Chicago, Illinois. They will gain an understanding of the effects of personal experiences
on newspaper reporting. They will also explore how world events from the past impact
their lives today.
Overview/State Standards/Resources/Procedures/Evaluation
Overview
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Objectives
As a result of this project students will be able to:
 Write articles as if they were experiencing the various new
inventions displayed at the Columbian Exposition.
 Plan the layout and produce a newspaper using the written
articles.
 Participate in a group discussion evaluating the effects of the
new inventions described in their papers on everyday life in
the 21st century.
Recommended time frame
Grade level
Curriculum fit
Resources
5 – 7 days
7th and 8th
Language Arts and Social Science
 PowerPoint
 Image Table
 Interactive Guide
 Answers.com
 Chicago Fair
 Web-Book of the Fair
 Encyclopedia of Chicago
 Resource Table
An Adventure of the American Mind
Illinois State University
The Windy White City 2
Illinois State Learning Standards
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Language Arts:
GOAL 3: Write to communicate for a variety of purposes.
3.A. Apply word analysis and vocabulary skills to comprehend
selections.
 3. A.3 Write compositions that contain complete sentences
and effective paragraphs using English conventions.
3.B. Compose well-organized and coherent writing for specific
purposes and audiences.
 3.B.3a Produce documents that convey a clear understanding
and interpretation of ideas and information and display
focus, organization, elaboration and coherence.
 3.B.3b Produce documents that convey a clear understanding
and interpretation of ideas and information and display
focus, organization, elaboration and coherence.
3.C. Communicate ideas in writing to accomplish a variety of
purposes.
 3.C.3a Compose narrative, informative, and persuasive
writings (e.g., in addition to previous writings, literature
reviews, instructions, news articles, correspondence) for a
specified audience.
 3.C.3b Using available technology, produce compositions
and multimedia works for specified audiences.
 5.A.3a Identify appropriate resources to solve problems or
answer questions through research.
 5.C.3a Plan, compose, edit and revise documents that
synthesize new meaning gleaned from multiple sources.
Social Science:
GOAL 16: Understand events, trends, individuals and
movements shaping the history of Illinois, the United States
and other nations.
16.A. Apply the skills of historical analysis and interpretation.
 16.A.3b Make inferences about historical events and eras
using historical maps and other historical sources.
 16.A.3c Identify the differences between historical fact and
interpretation.
Fine Arts:
GOAL 25: Know the language of the arts.
25.A. Understand the sensory elements, organizational
principles and expressive qualities of the arts.
 25.A.3e Analyze how the elements and principles can be
organized to convey meaning through a variety of media and
technology.
An Adventure of the American Mind
Illinois State University
The Windy White City 3
Procedures
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Activity One: – Intro to Columbian Exposition/newspaper Unit
(1 class period)
 Show students Famous Firsts PPT, discuss what they have in
common.
 Students will receive handouts/web information.
 Image Table
 Interactive Guide
 Answers.com
 Chicago Fair
 Web-Book of the Fair
 Encyclopedia of Chicago
 Resource Table
 Students will be divided into groups of 3-5.
 Students will draw or will be assigned topics.
 Students will preview material on the web.
Activity Two: – Group Brainstorming
(1 class period)
 Each student must offer an idea/suggestion/observation for
their article about the topic they are researching.
 The group will collaboratively select the facts to be used for
their newspaper articles and a name for the newspaper.
 Students will use Microsoft Word to write their articles.
Activity Three: – Application
(1 class period)
 Students will receive a brief review of Microsoft Publisher
and a guide sheet for laying out the newspaper format.
 Students will designate an editor who will copy and paste
each article into the document.
 Students in the group will all receive a copy of the rough
draft to proof read and make suggestions before the next
day’s class period.
Activity Four: – Finished product
(1 class period)
 Students will be encouraged to share their reflections of the
group’s rough draft.
 With the group’s consensus, changes will be made.
 The final documents will be printed and copies shared with
the other groups.
An Adventure of the American Mind
Illinois State University
The Windy White City 4
Activity Five – Group Discussion
(1 class period)
 Students will examine all group articles and will discuss:
o Biased points of view,
 Word choice
 Facts included
 Sentence structure
o Differences in information either included or
excluded
o Impact of 21st century point of view
o Implication of these issues in newspaper reporting
 Time for sharing other questions/observations about the
Columbian Exposition will be given.
Evaluation
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

Extensions
Teacher observation of participation in the small group
activities.
Individual assessment of articles, group assessment of
newspaper as a whole.
Observations of class participation of students during the
group discussion.
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Using the descriptions given here, designate the location of as
many attractions as you can on a current map of Chicago.
Click here for current Chicago map.
Using a map from the Columbian Exposition, identify the
different venues as listed on the map. Read information
contained in ‘additional links’ websites to find locations.
Research other world fairs and write a 300-500 word paper
detailing other inventions that affect our lives today.
An Adventure of the American Mind
Illinois State University