HRP
Trainsportation
Unit Overview:
Students will have background knowledge about the concept of a community. Students will be
introduced to the concept of transportation and the many different kinds of transportation in a
community in which they live. They will discover how transportation in a community can
change over time and its impact on the way people communicate and get goods from place to
place.
Unit Title:
Transportation in a Community: Then and Now
Knowledge:
The students will understand how railroads revolutionized transportation in their community and
the world. The development in transportation promoted growth in the areas of communication
and manufacturing. The students will discover that Indiana is one of 50 states and that
transportation linked people across the United States. The students will develop a sense of
understanding, the link between the progresses of transportation and how it helps to better
communication in a community and across the country.
Comprehension, Application, Analysis, Synthesis, and Evaluation:
The students will use the knowledge they have acquired through read alouds, retellings,
simulations, nonfiction reading analysis, technology, and other teaching strategies to produce an
interactive story board.
Time:
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Each lesson topic is broken into 2-3 activities, synonymous with days, and take
approximately 20-30 minutes per activity.
Indiana State Standards:
Social Studies
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Standard 1: History
English Language Arts
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Common Core Reading Standards for Informational Text (RI.1-RI.10)
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Common Core Reading Standards for Literature (RL.1-RL.9)
Common Core Writing Standards (W.2, W.3, W.5, W.7, W.8)
Common Core Language Standards (L.1-L.5)
Common Core Speaking and Listening Standards (SL.1-SL.6)
Concepts:
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Then and Now (Social Studies Standard 1: History)
Unit Vocabulary:
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Transportation
Community
Change
Train
Transcontinental Railroad
Indiana
United States
Locomotive
Engineer
Freight Train
Inter Urban
Time
Schedule
Entrepreneur
Economics
Immigration
Maps
Map Key
Promontory, Utah
Time zones
Goods
Services
Trade
Unit Vocabulary Strategy:
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Students will keep a vocabulary journal throughout the unit.
Vocabulary words will be added to the classroom vocabulary word wall.
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Students will be assessed informally and formally their use of the words in writing and
speaking.
Outcome:
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Students will be able to understand the concept of transportation and its use in a
community.
Students will be able to understand that transportation changes over time.
Students will be able to understand what makes an entrepreneur.
Essential Questions:
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How does transportation change a community?
What makes an entrepreneur?
How did trains change our economy?
Overview of Unit Lessons:
Lesson Titles
Lesson 1: What is Transportation?
Standards:
Lesson 2: History of Transportation
Standards:
Lesson 3: All Aboard! TRAINSportation
Standards:
Lesson 4: What Makes an Entrepreneur?
Standards:
Lesson 5: Economics
Standards:
Lesson 6: A Community: Then and Now
Standards:
Lesson Description
Introduction to the term transportation and
identify modes of transportation.
Compare and contrast modes of transportation
then and now.
Introduces trains as a mode of transportation in
the 19th century in Wayne County, Indiana.
Introduces the term entrepreneur and what
makes an entrepreneur.
Impact of trains in the innovation of time and
transportation of goods.
Communities change over time.
Overview of Unit Teaching Strategies:
Social Studies
Simulation
Community Maps
Timeline
Writing
R.A.N.
Diamond Poem
Photo Essay
Telling Sentences
Comprehension
Retelling
Compare/Contrast
Inferring
Visualizing
Questioning
Graphic Organizers
Vocabulary
Word Wall
Picture/word Cards
Vocabulary Journal
Overview of Unit Content:
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Concept Development: The students will understand how railroads revolutionized
transportation. The advances in transportation stimulated growth in the areas of
communication and manufacturing.
Integrative: Indiana Common Core Standards (Reading, Writing, Social Studies) along
with Social Studies Components (History, Geography, Economics, Sociology).
Value-based: The value to the students will be their understanding of how
transportation connected the East and West and brought people and goods to Indiana.
Challenging: Students will be challenged to consider that communication was only as
good as the fastest mode of transportation of the day.
Active: During this unit students will be active mentally and verbally.
Multimedia used: Computer\Internet, iPod Touch, Digital Projector, Document
Camera
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Overview of Content Area Connections:
Math
Time
Fewest
Most
Science
5 Senses
Movement
Sound
Environment
Speed
Music
Train Rhymes
Train Songs
Art
Nature sketches
Drawings
Literature/Media
Videos
Primary Sources
Trade Books
Unit Assessment Tools:
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Anecdotal Notes
6+1 Traits Writing Rubrics
TAH Rubric
Hook:
The students will be introduced to this unit through a read aloud, The Little House by Virginia
Lee Burton. Throughout the story students will be given the opportunity to “turn and talk” and
share their observations about the book. Students understanding of the books concept, then and
now, will be assessed through anecdotal notes and listening to student responses during class
discussion. The information gathered will serve as a pre-assessment to the students
understanding of transportation in a community and how communities change over time.
Lesson 1: What is Transportation?
Lesson Overview:
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This lesson introduces students to the many different kinds of transportation in a
community. Then they make a bar graph of the ways they get to school.
Activity 1: Transportation in a community
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Discuss and identify modes of transportation in a community.
Resources and Materials:
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This is the Way we go to School by
Easel/white board
Labels: Air, Water, Land
Pictures of various modes of transportation from book and others
Teaching the Lesson
Hook:
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Ask: Does anyone know what the word transportation means?
Ask: Do you know any types of transportation?
Read: This is the Way we go to School.
Ask: Do you see any differences in the way these children go to school?
Procedures:
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After reading: identify the different forms of land, water and air transportation.
Discuss other modes of transportation not mentioned in the book.
Show pictures illustrating different kinds of transportation
Explain: Transportation modes can be air, water, land.
Have students put the different modes of transportation in the correct category.
Summarizing and Assessing:
1. Point to the chart and have students compare and contrast the modes of transportation.
2. Listen to students during the sharing of the book for comprehension.
3. Observe students placement of the different modes of transportation on the whiteboard.
Activity 2: Transportation to school
Objectives:
Students will be able to:
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Identify how they get to school.
Contribute to a web of transportation.
Contribute to a bar graph showing how they get to school.
Resources and Materials:
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How do you get to school? Worksheet
Crayons
Scissors
Chart paper
Easel
Tape
Teaching the Lesson
Hook:
1. Write transportation in the middle of a web.
2. Have students recall modes of transportation.
3. Ask: What kinds of transportation can people use to get to…”
4. Ask: How did you get to school today?
5. Turn and talk to partner and share how they got to school today.
Procedures:
1. Handout worksheet
2. Model how to choose and color how they got to school today.
3. Students will color one of the pictures from the worksheet and cut it out.
4. Students will tape their mode of transportation on the class graph “Ways We Get to
School.”
5. Count each row on the graph
6. Ask: How many students get to school this way?
7. Ask: Which way do the most students get to school?
8. Ask: Which way do the fewest students get to school?
Summarizing and Assessing:
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Observe students answers when asked to show on their fingers “How many
students…”for the different modes of transportation on the bar graph.
Lesson 2: History of Transportation
Lesson Overview:
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Students discover the history of transportation in their community. They will construct a
timeline of the different kinds of transportation. They will compare transportation of then
and now on an interactive story board.
Activity 1: Transportation Maps
Objectives:
Students will be able to:
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Use maps to show transportation changes.
Understand the use of transportation in a community.
Create a transportation map of a “made up” community.
Resources and Materials:
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Various transportation maps past and present with important locations labeled (hospital,
grocery stores, gas stations, depots, thrift shops, manufacturing, schools, churches, etc.)
Chart Paper
Markers
Crayons
Teaching the Lesson:
Hook:
1. Show student different transportation map.
2. Have them predict what the maps represent with “turn and talk” partner.
Procedures:
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Discuss students observation about the maps.
Ask : “What kind of transportation do you and your family use?”
Ask: “Why would transportation be important in a community?”
Create a list of responses.
Explain that public transportation routes a typically located near or close to important
community resources/places
6. Create a list of important community resources/places.
7. Create a map key with that represents the different modes of transportation routes and
community resources/places.
8. Tell students they will create their own community map with transportation routes.
Summarizing and Assessing:
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Observe if student understands that community transportation routes are near or close to
important community resources/places.
Activity 2: Comparing Transportation: Then and Now
Objectives:
Students will be able to:
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Compare pictures of transportation.
Describe how the modes of transportation are different.
Create a t-chart of “Then and Now” modes of transportation.
Contribute to a class sentence about transportation.
Resources and Materials:
1. Pictures of modes of transportation past and present.
2. Maps of transportation routes past and present.
Teaching the Lesson
Hook:
1. Show the students black and white, “then and now” photos of different modes of
transportation.
2. Have the students decide if the modes of transportation are from the past or present.
3. Add to the class story board.
Procedures:
1. Ask: What kind of transportation would people use in the 1800’s.
2. Compare and contrast the modes of transportation in the pictures.
Summarizing and Assessing:
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Assess students t-charts for accuracy of “Then and Now” photographs.
Lesson 3: All Aboard! TRAINSportation
Lesson Overview:
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This lesson introduces and focuses on trains as a mode of transportation. Students will
participate in a story retell of the parts of a train. Students will complete an informational
writing piece using R.A.N.
Guest Speaker:
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Representative from the Wayne County Railroad Association
Activity 1: What is a train?
Objectives
Students will be able to:
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Generate a list of “What we think we know” about trains on the class R.A.N. organizer.
Resources and Materials:
1. R.A.N. folder organizer
2. Post-its
3. Pencils
Teaching the Lesson
Hook:
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Ask: What do you think you already know about trains?
Procedures:
1. Students will add their “what they think they know” on the post it.
Summarizing and Assessing:
Activity 2: Taking a Trip
Objectives
Students will be able to:
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Understand the concept of trains and different jobs of each part.
Participate in a retelling of the story.
Evaluate information on the R.A.N. organizer to confirm information, add new
information, and/or misconceptions.
Resources and Materials:
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Book I’m Taking a Trip on my Train by Shirley Neitzel
Name tags with each job of the train
Train whistle
Conductor hat
Scanned pictures from the train parts in the book
Paper
Teaching the Lesson
Hook:
1. Read: I’m Taking a Trip on my Train by Shirley Neitzel
Procedures:
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Review the jobs of the train with names and picture cards.
Choose students to play the roles as retell the story.
Engage students in acting out the rebus story.
Write "On a Train Ride" on the board.
Using a t-chart format write: Where? Who? What?
Have the students close their eyes and imagine they are on a train ride.
Turn and Talk and share.
Generate a list on a t-chart.
Summarizing and Assessing:
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Observe students comprehension during the story.
Observe students participation during the retelling.
Students will complete the following sentence and share.
On a train trip, I went ____________________. I saw _______________. I liked the
_____________________.
5. Create a class book entitled: “On a Train Ride”
6. Add any new learning, confirmed, or not confirmed to the class R.A.N. folder.
Activity 2: Back in Time with Trains
Objectives
Students will be able to:
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Discover how different engines work and how people make them run.
Evaluate information on the R.A.N. organizer to confirm information, add new
information, and/or misconceptions.
Create a train timeline.
Resources and Materials:
1. Book: Steam, Smoke, and Steel: Back in Time with Trains by Patrick O’Brien.
2. R.A.N. organizer
3. Post its
Teaching the Lesson
Hook:
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Read: Steam, Smoke, and Steel: Back in Time with Trains by Patrick O’Brien.
Procedures:
1. Have students “turn and talk” during the reading of the book.
2. Have students color the trains from each time period and put in order on a timeline.
Summarizing and Assessing:
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Informally assess each students participation before, during, and after the reading.
Assess students timeline for accuracy.
Activity 3: Trains in our Community
Objectives:
Students will be able to:
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Identify uses of trains in their community.
Construct a photo essay of trains being used for travel, communication, and getting goods
from place to place.
Examine primary sources such as tickets, schedules, listen to stories, letters,
advertisements.
Evaluate information on the R.A.N. organizer to confirm information, add new
information, and/or misconceptions.
Resources and Materials:
1. Book: I’m Taking a Trip on my Train by Shirley Neitzel
2. Book: Steam, Smoke, and Steel: Back in Time with Trains by Patrick O’Brien.
3. Primary sources from Indiana Historical Society (copies of tickets, train schedules,
advertisements).
4. Book: TheHistory of Transportation in Wayne County, Indianaby Luther Feeger.
5. R.A.N. organizer
6. Pictures of trains doing different jobs.
7. Chart Paper
8. Markers
9. Computers with Microsoft Word
Teaching the Lesson
Hook:
1. Read excerpts from newspaper articles collected by Luther Feeger, TheHistory of
Transportation in Wayne County, Indiana.
Procedures:
1. Generate a list of uses of trains in a community.
2. Using the information from the R.A.N., have students write telling sentences
under the pictures of trains illustrating different uses.
3. Have students create a Photo Essay using Microsoft Word that documents the
uses of trains in a community (i.e. passenger car hauling people, engine with
engineer, etc.).
4. Add train pictures and sentences to interactive story board.
Summarizing and Assessing:
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Assess student understanding of uses of trains in a community by correct photos
and sentences generated from the R.A.N organizer.
Lesson 4: What Makes an Entrepreneur?
Lesson Overview:
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This lesson focuses on present day and past entrepreneurs in our community who have
made an impact on the economy. Students will participate in an interview with an
entrepreneur from our community. Students will write a thank you letter to an
entrepreneur in our community. Students will create an entrepreneur advertisement.
Guest Speaker: Robert Richert, The Furniture Gallery
Activity 1: Little Nino’s Pizzeria
Objectives
Students will be able to:
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Define entrepreneur (business/social)
Discover how businesses and people depend upon one another for good and services.
Develop questions that they could ask an entrepreneur.
Write a question for the guest speaker.
Resources and Materials:
1. Book: Little Nino’s Pizzeria by Karen Barbour
2. Writing paper
3. Chart Paper
4. Markers
Teaching the Lesson
Hook:
1. Ask: “Have you ever had an idea?”
2. Ask: “What happens when someone has a good idea?”
3. Give book introduction on Little Nino’s Pizzeria by Karen Barbour.
Procedures:
1. Read the book.
2. Ask comprehension questions:
 How could you tell Little Nino’s was a successful business?
 Who made the decision to open a larger, fancier restaurant and close Little
Nino’s?
 Explain why Nino decided to open a new restaurant to replace Little Nino’s.
 Why did Tony miss Little Nino’s?
 List reasons why Nino was not happy as the owner of a fancy, expensive
restaurant.
 What did Nino like best about being an entrepreneur?
 Why do you think Nino changed the name of the restaurant to Little Tony’s
Pizzeria?
 Are entrepreneurs always successful in their businesses?
 Do you think Nino made the correct decision? What would you have done in his
situation?
3. Collaboratively develop a definition entrepreneur given the information from the book.
4. Generate a list of adjectives that describe an entrepreneur given the characters in the
book.
5. Pretend that they are interviewers of the local newspaper and want to interview Nino to
generate a list of questions.
6. Have students write one question they want to ask the guest speaker.
Summarizing and Assessing:
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Informally assess student participation before, during, and after the reading.
Assess students understanding of entrepreneur based on developed question.
Activity 2: Entrepreneurs in our Community
Objectives
Students will be able to:
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Define the role of an entrepreneur in a community (business/social).
Identify important entrepreneurs in their community and their impact on the economy.
Ask questions to gather information.
Write a thank you letter to an entrepreneur in our community.
Resources and Materials:
1. Guest Speaker—Robert Richert from The Furniture Gallery
Teaching the Lesson
Hook:
1. Prior to Mr. Richert arrival, show pictures of his business and give a brief history.
Procedures:
1. Students will have an opportunity to interview Mr. Richert with their pre-written
questions.
2. After Mr. Richert’s visit, students will journal about their experience and any more
thoughts or questions.
3. Students will write a thank you letter to Mr. Richert for his visit.
Summarizing and Assessing:
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Observe students participation during the interview with Mr. Richert.
Assess student journals and thank you letters for higher order thinking and connections.
Activity 2: Entrepreneurs and Trains
Objectives
Students will be able to:
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Identify entrepreneurs from our communities past.
Connect the contribution of the entrepreneur to the changes in the economy.
Create a poster advertising their product, business, etc.
Resources and Materials:
1. Book:TheHistory of Transportation in Wayne County, Indiana by Luther Feeger.
2. Picture of William Parry copied from the Palladium Item located in the book TheHistory
of Transportation in Wayne County, Indiana by Luther Feeger.
Teaching the Lesson
Hook:
1. Divide the students into two groups. Group 1 will have string that can be used for a yoyo in Town A. Group 2 will have the yo-yo without string in Town B. Neither group has
money to transport their goods. However, in Town A there’s a yo-yo training school for
kids and no one in Town A sells yo-yo’s. There is an entrepreneur with money to spend.
2. Choose one student to be the “entrepreneur” with fake money. Prompt the student to say
they will help the groups, if asked.
3. Have students decide how they could get their products from one place to the other to
make a useful product.
4. Observe if students ask the entrepreneur, what kind of transportation they would use, etc.
Procedures:
1. Bring students together and discuss.
2. Ask: “Was this a hard activity? What were some problems you ran into? What kind of
things happened in your groups?”
3. Address the role of the entrepreneur.
4. Discussion will depend on how well the students get the simulation.
5. Prompt students towards thinking about the entrepreneur having to invest his money into
creating a yo-yo with the two products.
6. Show a picture of William Parry.
7. Share his story from the newspaper article.
8. Ask: “Would you be willing to invest all your money in something?
What could happen if it failed/succeeded?”
9. Have students write in their journals what they think it would be like to be William Parry
in 1850’s and/or to be an entrepreneur.
10. Have the students pretend they are entrepreneurs and create a poster advertising their
product, business.
Summarizing and Assessing:
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Informally assess student participation during the simulation and discussion.
Assess students understanding of entrepreneurship in their posters.
Lesson 4: Economics
Lesson Overview:
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In this lesson,students will imagine what it would be like to operate a plane, train, or
truck along a trade route across the United States. They will also look at maps of major
U.S. transportation networks and will explain how specific products might get from one
place to another. Students will also begin to develop an understanding of how the
innovation of time impacted people and transportation of goods from place to place.
Activity 1: Transportation of Goods
Objectives
Students will be able to:
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Discuss modes of transportation used in getting goods from place to place.
Explain how specific products might get from place to place in their community and
the United States.
Discuss what it would be like to operate a plane, train, or truck.
Write stories telling about themselves operating a plane, train, or truck in their
community or across the United States
Resources and Materials:
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Road Atlas
Student Atlas
Map of railroad routes
Pictures of modes of transportation transporting goods
http//www.U.S. Guide to the Union Pacific Railroad.com
Teaching the Lesson
Hook:
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Ask students to tell what modes of transportation they think would be used to get
products from place to place within the United States.
Make reference to interactive story board with different modes of transportation by air,
land, and water.
Procedures:
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Show students maps of the major transportation networks in the United States.
Locate major interstates on a road atlas, major plane routes in an airline timetable, and
railroad routes at the U.S. Guide to the Union Pacific Railroad.
Have them explain how specific products might get from place to place. For example, ask
them how:
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artichokes might get from central California to Chicago;
pineapples might get from Hawaii to Seattle; and
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oranges might get from Florida to Texas.
Discuss what they think would be the best and worst things about each mode of
transportation.
Havestudents imagine that they are in charge of transporting products from one point to
another in the United States.
Ask: “What would it be like to operate a plane, train, or truck? What places would they
like to go?”
Have each student choose one mode of transportation.
Have them write stories pretending they are in charge of transporting products from one
point to another in the United States using this mode of transportation.
Ask: “Where would they go? What would they carry? What would it be like to operate
the plane, train, or truck?”
Summarizing and Assessing:
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Assess students stories for understanding that different modes of transportation can be
used to get goods from place to place and that depending on the mode it can be faster or
slower.
Activity 2: Getting There on Time (DAY 1)
*This activity is comprised of a DAY 1 and DAY 2.
Objectives
Students will be able to:
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Understand that time standards were developed in response to railroads.
Understand why time zones were created.
Understands the role of railroads in the creation of time standards.
Resources and Materials:
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7.
Paper cup
Glass or clear plastic container
Thumbtack
Masking tape
Markers
Water
Wristwatch or classroom clock for time adjustment
8. Instructions for water clock
http://www.ehow.com/how_5708370_make-simple-water-clock.html
Teaching the Lesson
Hook:
1. Get students thinking about time by asking questions like “How do you tell time? Do
you wear a watch? Does a minute matter?”
2. Show students the water clock.
Procedures:
1. Ask them to guess what the water clock is. What do you think it is used for? Have you
ever seen anything like it?
2. Explain what a water clock is and how it works.
3. Demonstrate the water clock.
4. Ask: “What did you observe about this clock? How is it different from other clocks that
you have used?How did we setthis clock?Do you think that if we built 2 different clocks
in this classroom at the same time, that they would keep the same time?”
5. Ask: “Do you think that if we built a water clock here in Richmond, Indiana that it would
keep the same time as someone building a water clock at the same time in New York?”
6. Explain that depending how the clock is made will impact how it keeps time.
Summarizing and Assessing:
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Assess student participation with discussion.
Activity 2: Getting There on Time (DAY 2)
*This activity is comprised of a DAY 1 and DAY 2.
Objectives
Students will be able to:
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Understand that time standards were developed in response to railroads.
Understand why time zones were created.
Understands the role of railroads in the creation of time standards.
Resources and Materials:
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2.
3.
4.
5.
Watches
Timetable from the 1800’s and present
Schedules from school, amusement parks, etc.
Map with time zones
Map worksheet
Teaching the Lesson
Hook:
1. Assign students to groups. Give each group a watch. Instruct them to come to a set place
in the room at a specific time. (Each watch needs to be set ahead or behind, so that each
groups arrives at the same place but at different times.)
Procedures:
1. Discuss with the class what they noticed.
2. Ask: “How did this impact all of getting to the same place at the same time? What would
this mean for getting to a party or to school? What kind of things could happen?”
3. Show the students the timetables.
4. Ask: “What do you think these were used for?”
1. Explain what the timetables are used for.
2. Ask:” Why do you think those pictures were used?”
3. Ask: “Have you ever seen something like the timetables before?”
4. In groups, allow students to investigate the timetables and schedules.
5. Have students write why we need time schedule, how does it impact our lives, what
happens if the schedule is not on time?
6. Share and talk about importance of having schedules and the impact of not following the
schedule.
7. Show the map of the United States with the time zones.
8. Ask students to share why the United States would have time zones.
9. Tell the importance and impact it has on the railroads and even today.
10. Have students color the different time zones on a map
11. Add the map with the time zones to the interactive story board.
Summarizing and Assessing:
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Assess student understanding during discussion and completion of map worksheet.
Activity 3: Transcontinental Railroad (DAY1)
*This activity is comprised of a DAY 1 and DAY 2.
Objectives:
Students will be able to:
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Understand how the railroad was built.
Understand that trains connected Indiana with the other 50 states.
Discover how the hard it was to build the railroad, especially on immigrants.
Construct a map of the United States linking the Railroads East and West.
Resources and Materials:
1. Book: Ten Mile Day and the Building of the Transcontinental Railroad by Mary
Ann Frasier
2. Post its
3. Pencils
Teaching the Lesson
Hook:
1. Do a book introduction of Ten Mile Day and the Building of the Transcontinental
Railroad by Mary Ann Frasier
Procedures:
1. Have students listen to the story.
2. As you are reading instruct students to write down any questions/thoughts they
have.
3. After reading have the students post their questions in the “parking lot” for
discussion.
4. Pull questions/thoughts from the “parking lot” and share.
Summarizing and Assessing:

Assess students comprehension during discussion.
Activity 4: Transcontinental Railroad (DAY2)
*This activity is comprised of a DAY 1 and DAY 2.
Objectives:
Students will be able to:




Understand how the railroad was built.
Understand that trains connected Indiana with the other 50 states.
Discover how the hard it was to build the railroad, especially on immigrants.
Complete a map of the United States linking the Railroads East and West at Promontory,
Utah.
Resources and Materials:
1. Computers/Internet
http://cprr.org/Game/Interactive_Railroad_Project/indexy.htm
2. Map of the Central Pacific Railroad route
http://cprr.org/Game/Interactive_Railroad_Project/cpmap1.htm
3. Map of the Union Pacific Railroad route
http://cprr.org/Game/Interactive_Railroad_Project/mappage.htm
Teaching the Lesson:
Hook:
1. Tell the students that they are going to play a game that will where compete to build the
transcontinental railroad on a computer game.
Procedures:
1. Begin by showing the class how to access the website and walk them through it.
2. Divide the students into pairs. Some pairs will be the Union Pacific Railroad and others
the Central Pacific Railroad.
3. Have the students compare and contrast using a Venn Diagram.
4. Have students write their thoughts or draw a picture about the activity in their journals.
5. Share
6. Have students complete a map linking the East and West at Promontory, Utah.
7. Link and mark the East and West at Promontory, Utah on the interactive story board.
Summarizing and Assessing:


Informally assess students participation with the group activity, Venn Diagram, and
discussion.
Assess students understanding of the Transcontinental Railroad in their journals and
maps.
Lesson 5: A Community: Then and Now
Lesson Overview:

This lesson helps students understand that communities change over time. They will
examine community maps. Then they will make a story board that depicts the changes
in the community from the 1800’s to present day using topics like transportation, travel,
communication, getting goods from place to place. They will write a diamond shaped
poem to go with the story board.
Field Trip:

Wayne County Historical Museum
Activity 1: Changes in a Community
Objectives:
Students will be able to:


Identify changes in a community, using information from a primary source.
Compare and contrast differences in the community from 1830’s to present day.
Resources and Materials:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Chart Paper
Pencils
Paper
Primary source: copy of M.W. Teeter 1838 Journal located at Indiana History
Society
Teaching the Lesson
Hook:
1. Take a walk around the community. Have the students use their 5 senses to
observe their surroundings.
Procedures:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Have students sketch a picture.
Make a t-chart “Now” and “Then” with 5 senses as subheadings.
Have students add words to the chart from their walking experience.
Read an excerpt from primary source by M.W. Teeter his journey through
Richmond, Indiana during 1830’s.
Ask: What do you think Mr. Teeter is going to see, hear, feel, taste, touch, smell
on his journey through Richmond in the 1830’s.
Have the students close their eyes and visualize as being read the journal.
Have students draw a sketch of what they visualized
Have students add words to the chart that they heard written in the journal.
Compare and Contrast “Then and Now” list.
Summarizing and Assessing:
1. Listen to students responses of the 5 senses.
2. Notice the accuracy of responses when sharing Then and Now words.
3.
Activity 2: Mapping It Out: Community Changes
Objectives
Students will be able to:


Use maps to understand changes in a community.
Identify changes in a community using information from a story.
Resources and Materials:
1.
Book: The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton
Teaching the Lesson
Hook:
Procedures:
Summarizing and Assessing:
Activity 3: Future Changes in a Community
Objectives
Students will be able to:



Compare historical pictures and futuristic pictures of a community.
Use a map to show future changes in a community.
Write a diamond shaped poem about a transportation mode, communication,
manufacturing, travel, etc. about their community.
Resources and Materials:
Teaching the Lesson
Hook:
Procedures:
Summarizing and Assessing: