Technology: Then and Now
Robert Schroen
Illini Bluffs High School
Summer 2012
Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division,
Historic American Buildings Survey , 1A-29.
This lesson provides students an opportunity to compare the Industrial Technology of
today with that of the Industrial Revolution.
Overview/ Materials/LOC Resources/Standards/ Procedures/Evaluation/Rubric/Handouts/Extension
Overview
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Objectives
Students will:
 Locate and analyze four different primary resources
pertaining to industry prior to the end of World War II
(1945).
 Locate and analyze four different primary resources
pertaining to industry since 1945.
 Create two resource tables: one for each era.
 Create a list of differences between the eras, and
formulate questions about them.
 Research the answers to those questions.
 Write a report about what has been learned.
 Answer the essential question: Why would you rather
work in industrial technology today than 100 years
ago?
Recommended time frame
Grade level
Curriculum fit
Materials
(3) 1 ½ hour class periods
9th – 10th
Will be used with diversified metals class
 Handout #1: Technology Then and Now
 Handout #2: Organization sheet
 Handout #3: Sample image table
 Multimedia Project Rubric
Teaching with Primary Sources
Illinois State University
Illinois State Learning Standards
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STATE 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.5a Analyze historical and contemporary
developments using methods of historical inquiry
(pose questions, collect and analyze data, make
and support inferences with evidence, report
findings).
Procedures
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Day One:
Student Research:
 Students will be instructed in the use of the Library of
Congress Database to find specific items.
 Students will each be tasked with locating 4 primary
resources from prior to WWII that pertain to industrial
technology. These can be in any format: pictures,
text, sound recordings, movie clips, etc.
 Students will locate 4 primary resources pertaining to
industrial technology in the modern era (Post WWII).
Day Two:
Resource Tables:
 Students will create two resource tables, both
containing all 4 of the primary resources that they
retrieved from each era. Use sample resource table
Day Three:
Analysis and Report:
 Students will identify and list at least 4 differences in
industry between the period prior to 1945 and today,
and create a list of questions about those differences.
 Students will write a report about what they’ve
learned, including the questions that they formulated,
and the answers that they found. The report will
conclude with their answer to the essential question.
Evaluation
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The Multimedia Rubric will be used to determine whether
students have met the goals of the activity.
 http://rubistar.4teachers.org/index.php?screen=Sh
owRubric&rubric_id=2205875&
Teaching with Primary Sources
Illinois State University
Extension
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
Students will choose one of the questions that they
have answered in the last activity, and answer all of
the investigative questions about that question.
 Who?
 What?
 When?
 Where?
 How?
 Why?
Teaching with Primary Sources
Illinois State University
Primary Resources from the Library of Congress
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Image
Description
Hematite Fuel
Fabrication
Facility, Recycle
Recovery
Building, 3300
State Road P,
Festus, Jefferson,
MO
Citation
Library of
Congress, Prints
& Photographs
Division, HABS
[or HAER or
HALS], mo5.
Hardie-Tynes
Manufacturing
Company,
Fabrication
Shop, 800
Twenty-eighth
Street, North,
Birmingham,
Jefferson, AL
Library of
Congress, Prints
and Photographs
Division, Historic
American
Buildings Survey
or Historic
American
Engineering
Record, 33G-7.
East Broad Top
Railroad & Coal
Company,
Machine Shop,
State Route 994,
West of U.S.
Route 522,
Rockhill Furnace,
Huntingdon, PA
Library of
Congress, Prints
and Photographs
Division, Historic
American
Buildings Survey
or Historic
American
Engineering
Record, 1A-29.
URL
http://memory.loc.gov/c
gibin/displayPhoto.pl?path
=/pnp/habshaer/mo/mo1
800/mo1871/photos&to
pImages=364010pr.jpg
&topLinks=364010pv.jp
g,364010pu.tif&title=m
o5&displayProfile=0
http://memory.loc.gov/c
gibin/displayPhoto.pl?path
=/pnp/habshaer/al/al090
0/al0930/photos&topIm
ages=046049pr.jpg&top
Links=046049pv.jpg,04
6049pu.tif&title=7.%20
%20FABRICATION%2
0SHOP,%20INTERIOR
%20EAST,%20SOUTH
WEST%20END%20OF
%20BUILDING.%3cbr
%3eHAER%
http://memory.loc.gov/c
gibin/displayPhoto.pl?path
=/pnp/habshaer/pa/pa33
00/pa3370/photos&topI
mages=359576pr.jpg&to
pLinks=359576pv.jpg,3
59576pu.tif&title=29.%
20%20SMALL%20PLA
NER%20FROM%20NO
RTHWEST.%3cbr%3e
HAER%20PA,31ROCFN,1A29&displayProfile=0
Teaching with Primary Sources
Illinois State University
Rubric
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Multimedia Project : Technology: Then and Now
Teacher Name: Mr. Schroen
Student Name:
CATEGORY
Essential
Question
Sources
Content
Mechanics
________________________________________
4
Answer shows
clear
understanding of
at least two
differences.
3
Answer shows
clear
understanding of
only one
difference.
2
Answer to
question is
perfunctory:
reflects little
thought or
analysis.
Source
Source
Source
information
information
information
collected for all collected for all collected for
graphics, facts
graphics, facts graphics, facts
and quotes. All and quotes. Most and quotes, but
documented in
documented in not documented
desired format. desired format. in desired
format.
Covers topic in- Includes
Includes
depth with details essential
essential
and examples.
knowledge about information
Subject
the topic. Subject about the topic
knowledge is
knowledge
but there are 1-2
excellent.
appears to be
factual errors.
good.
No misspellings Three or fewer Four
or grammatical misspellings
misspellings
errors.
and/or
and/or
mechanical
grammatical
errors.
errors.
1
No answer to
essential
question is
given.
Very little or
no source
information
was collected.
Content is
minimal OR
there are
several factual
errors.
More than 4
errors in
spelling or
grammar.
Date Created: July 09, 2012
Teaching with Primary Sources
Illinois State University
Handouts
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Technology: Then and Now




Directions:
For the next three class period, you’ll be using the Library of Congress website as well as
other internet resources to explore differences between Industry prior to the end of World
War II and today.
Day 1: The Media director and I will demonstrate using the Library of Congress website
to locate specific items. After that, your job will be to locate and save hyperlinks (we
will show you how to do that also) for four specific Primary Resources pertaining to
Industry Prior to 1945, and four pertaining to the era since then. You may choose
pictures, print, sound clips, or video, or any combination. Your goal will be to analyze
these resources to develop and answer questions about the differences between Industry
then and now.
Day 2: Today you will develop two resource tables similar to the one I’ve handed out to
you: one for each era. Each resource table should have a minimum of four entries. Use
the blank resource table format provided. You should also be comparing and contrasting
the eras, identifying at least 4 differences between the eras, so that you can write and
eventually answer 4 questions about those differences.
Day 3: Today you will research the answers to the 4 questions that you have asked about
the differences between the two eras you’ve studied, and write a report about what
you’ve learned. Use the attached handout to organize your report.
Suggestions:
When looking for resources, look specifically for ones that give you a feel for what it
would be (or would have been) like to work in the technology field during each era. The
main goal of this unit is for you to be able to answer this question: Why would you
rather work in industry today than 100 years ago? All of your research should be directed
towards answering that question.
When formulating your questions, think about some of the following aspects of what it is
like to work in industry:
 Working conditions (could include hours, comfort, actual type of work, lighting,
etc.)
 Safety
 Compensation (realize that any comparisons of wages are meaningless unless
adjusted for inflation. You can use sights like ask.com to do so.
Teaching with Primary Sources
Illinois State University
Technology: Then and Now
Handout II
Organize your thoughts.
Use this page to take notes as you do your research and formulate your questions.
Step 1. Once you’ve completed your resource tables, use this space to write down a minimum of four
differences between the eras that you’ve researched.
Step 2. Ask yourself (and then write here) a minimum of 4 questions about the differences that you
identified above.
Step 3. Use the internet (try ask.com) as well as library resources if needed to answer your four questions.
Write the answers here.
Step 4. Write your report. It should include all 4 questions, your answers, and the answer to the question
that I originally asked.
Why would you rather work in Industrial Technology today than 100 years ago?
Image
Description
Citation
URL