Frontier Firsts
Tanya White
4th Grade
Day 7
1. Brief Description:
This lesson will give students an idea of the lack of amenities that pioneers had once they reached their homesteads.
2. Materials/Resources Needed:
¨ Pictures of some of the first pioneers, including Bunnell and Smith (from the Winona County Historical Society)
¨ Student journals
¨ Student pencils
¨ Paper – 11” x 17”
¨ Glue
¨ Scissors
¨ Crayons, colored pencils, or markers
¨ Sheet containing pictures, descriptions, and invention dates of items used by pioneers
3. Goal(s) for today’s lesson:
¨ Students will gain knowledge of westward expansion in the 1800s by studying some of the first people who moved west and the technologies that made their lives easier.
¨ Students will understand early Minnesota history through a study of the first settlements and settlers in the area.
4. Objectives for today’s lesson:
¨ Given the Frontier Firsts activity students will recognize some of the first pioneers in this area and what major impacts they had on Winona.
¨ Given the Frontier Firsts activity students will identify some of the first technologies from pioneer times. They will pick one item and write a four paragraph journal entry describing the item. They will also compare and contrast this item to a present day technology with a similar purpose.
¨ Given the Frontier Firsts activity students will create a timeline chronologically listing some of the major inventions of pioneer times such as washing machines, stoves, and clothes irons.
5. Procedures
a. Introductory Experiences: (10 minutes)
¨ Pictures will be shown of the first pioneers to settle in Winona. Students will be given a short history of Captain Orrin Smith, the founder of Winona, and Dr. Lafayette Houghton Bunnell, a very prominent resident of the Winona area.
¨ Students will be told that the first pioneers in an area weren’t the only firsts of pioneer times. There are also many inventions we still use today that were first invented by pioneers. They may have worked a little differently but they achieved the same results.
b. Developmental Experiences:
1. Sheets will be handed out containing pictures of pioneer technologies, short descriptions of the items, and dates that the items were invented. The pictures will be colored, cut out, and made into a timeline to give students an idea of the amenities that people in that time period had to go without. (20 – 25 minutes)
2. Once the timeline is complete students will pick one item from their timeline to write about in their journal. In at least four paragraphs they will describe the item, some things about it that they see as positive or negative, and compare it to its present day equivalent. (10 minutes)
c. Culminating Experiences:
¨ Timelines will be taped up on the wall for display. Pictures of Smith and Bunnell will be shown once again. Students will be asked who each man was and what influences he had on Winona. (5 minutes)
6. Assessments used during lesson:
The completed timeline and journal entry will serve as means for assessment. Discussion and questions will also be used to check for understanding.
Monday, December 10, 2007
Frontier Firsts - Pictures and Checklist
Frontier Firsts
Timeline Project
You will be responsible for creating a timeline of dates of pioneer inventions. Please use the checklist below to make sure you have met all the requirements of the assignment.
_____ Your name must be on the back of your timeline.
_____ The pictures that you receive on the handout should all be colored in using either crayon, colored pencil, or marker.
_____ Cut around each picture.
_____ Glue each picture on your timeline according to the date in which it was invented.
_____ Once completed pick one item from your timeline and write about it in your journal. Describe the item, give me at least 4 things about the item that you see as positive or negative, and compare and contrast this item to a similar item that we use today. Must be at least four paragraphs.
_____ Tape your timeline to the wall.
_____ The timeline must be completed during the class period. If you do not finish your journal entry you can do so at home.
Timeline Project
You will be responsible for creating a timeline of dates of pioneer inventions. Please use the checklist below to make sure you have met all the requirements of the assignment.
_____ Your name must be on the back of your timeline.
_____ The pictures that you receive on the handout should all be colored in using either crayon, colored pencil, or marker.
_____ Cut around each picture.
_____ Glue each picture on your timeline according to the date in which it was invented.
_____ Once completed pick one item from your timeline and write about it in your journal. Describe the item, give me at least 4 things about the item that you see as positive or negative, and compare and contrast this item to a similar item that we use today. Must be at least four paragraphs.
_____ Tape your timeline to the wall.
_____ The timeline must be completed during the class period. If you do not finish your journal entry you can do so at home.
Building the Past - Lesson Plan Part 1
Building the Past – Part One
Tanya White
4th Grade
Day 8
1. Brief Description:
Students will learn about the lack of available education to many settlers. They will see pictures of schoolhouses and discuss the differences between pioneer schools and schools today.
2. Materials/Resources Needed:
¨ Chalkboard/dry erase board
¨ Chalk/dry erase markers
¨ Student journals
¨ Student pencils
¨ Several Pictures of one-room schoolhouses (from the Winona County Historical Society)
¨ Overhead reproductions of the pictures mentioned above
¨ Selection of Children of the Wild West by Russell Freedman
¨ Shoe boxes (one per group)
¨ Cardboard, Styrofoam, and other “building” supplies
¨ Decorative craft supplies
¨ Handout containing directions for diorama project
3. Goal(s) for today’s lesson:
¨ Students will understand how agricultural obligations affected the school year for many pioneer students.
¨ Students will gain an understanding of the economic choices that led to the building of one-room pioneer schools.
¨ Students will understand the characteristics of a typical pioneer school and learning that took place there.
4. Objectives for today’s lesson:
¨ Given the text selection from Children of the Wild West students will write a journal entry at least three paragraphs in length discussing how they would feel if they attended a pioneer school. Specifically, how they would feel sharing a classroom with all the other grades, if they would like having only one teacher for as many as seventy students of varying grade and ability level, and if they find it appropriate that they would be responsible for helping teach younger students in the school.
¨ Given pictures of schoolhouses and the text mentioned above, students will begin to conceptualize the layout of their very own one-room schoolhouse. The layout of the school will be entirely the choosing of the students with the stipulation that the school must have a heater (wood burning furnace).
5. Procedures
a. Introductory Experiences: (5 minutes)
¨ Teacher will talk briefly about the importance of school. Students will be asked to think of things that are representative of schools and learning. This should include length of time attended (hours per day and months per year), subjects taught, books used, responsibilities of students, and so on. These will be written on the board by either the teacher or the students.
¨ Students will be told that all schools do not necessarily follow those same guidelines. Pioneer schools were, in fact, very different from present day schools.
b. Developmental Experiences:
1. Students will be shown overheads of several pictures of one-room pioneer schoolhouses from the Winona County. Some of these are present day while others are from the late 1800s and early 1900s. The pictures will be of both the interior and exterior of the schoolhouses. The printed pictures are reproductions so they can be passed around for students to look at as they are shown on the overhead. (5 minutes)
2. Students will independently read the selection from Children of the Wild West. They do not have to read the “About the Author” section. Briefly discuss the reading with students. Some questions to ask include: What did a pioneer school look like?, How many students were there?, Where they all one grade level?, Did each grade level have its own teacher?, Since there was only one teacher for all the grades, who was responsible for helping the younger students learn?, etc. (20 minutes or until all students are clearly finished reading)
3. Students will be told about the diorama that they are going to work on the next day. They will receive an instruction sheet with the directions for the project clearly defined. Students will be broken up into groups of three. They should start drawing out the basic layout that they will use when they design their school diorama (They can do this until it is time to write in their journals, knowing that they will have class time the next day to work on this.). They should be reminded to bring any extra supplies they need. (10 – 15 minutes)
c. Culminating Experiences:
¨ Each student will write a journal entry at least three paragraphs long. They will explain how they would feel if they attended a pioneer school. Things they should discuss in their journal include: how they would feel sharing a classroom with all the other grades, if they would like having only one teacher for as many as seventy students of varying grade and ability level, and if they find it appropriate that they would be responsible for helping teach younger students in the school. The whole class will discuss this briefly and any student’s questions will be answered if possible. (10 – 15 minutes)
6. Assessments used during lesson:
Journal entries will be used to check for understanding. Discussion and questions will also ensure that students are grasping the material. The more formal assessment will be the diorama that they turn in after the second class period of this lesson.
Tanya White
4th Grade
Day 8
1. Brief Description:
Students will learn about the lack of available education to many settlers. They will see pictures of schoolhouses and discuss the differences between pioneer schools and schools today.
2. Materials/Resources Needed:
¨ Chalkboard/dry erase board
¨ Chalk/dry erase markers
¨ Student journals
¨ Student pencils
¨ Several Pictures of one-room schoolhouses (from the Winona County Historical Society)
¨ Overhead reproductions of the pictures mentioned above
¨ Selection of Children of the Wild West by Russell Freedman
¨ Shoe boxes (one per group)
¨ Cardboard, Styrofoam, and other “building” supplies
¨ Decorative craft supplies
¨ Handout containing directions for diorama project
3. Goal(s) for today’s lesson:
¨ Students will understand how agricultural obligations affected the school year for many pioneer students.
¨ Students will gain an understanding of the economic choices that led to the building of one-room pioneer schools.
¨ Students will understand the characteristics of a typical pioneer school and learning that took place there.
4. Objectives for today’s lesson:
¨ Given the text selection from Children of the Wild West students will write a journal entry at least three paragraphs in length discussing how they would feel if they attended a pioneer school. Specifically, how they would feel sharing a classroom with all the other grades, if they would like having only one teacher for as many as seventy students of varying grade and ability level, and if they find it appropriate that they would be responsible for helping teach younger students in the school.
¨ Given pictures of schoolhouses and the text mentioned above, students will begin to conceptualize the layout of their very own one-room schoolhouse. The layout of the school will be entirely the choosing of the students with the stipulation that the school must have a heater (wood burning furnace).
5. Procedures
a. Introductory Experiences: (5 minutes)
¨ Teacher will talk briefly about the importance of school. Students will be asked to think of things that are representative of schools and learning. This should include length of time attended (hours per day and months per year), subjects taught, books used, responsibilities of students, and so on. These will be written on the board by either the teacher or the students.
¨ Students will be told that all schools do not necessarily follow those same guidelines. Pioneer schools were, in fact, very different from present day schools.
b. Developmental Experiences:
1. Students will be shown overheads of several pictures of one-room pioneer schoolhouses from the Winona County. Some of these are present day while others are from the late 1800s and early 1900s. The pictures will be of both the interior and exterior of the schoolhouses. The printed pictures are reproductions so they can be passed around for students to look at as they are shown on the overhead. (5 minutes)
2. Students will independently read the selection from Children of the Wild West. They do not have to read the “About the Author” section. Briefly discuss the reading with students. Some questions to ask include: What did a pioneer school look like?, How many students were there?, Where they all one grade level?, Did each grade level have its own teacher?, Since there was only one teacher for all the grades, who was responsible for helping the younger students learn?, etc. (20 minutes or until all students are clearly finished reading)
3. Students will be told about the diorama that they are going to work on the next day. They will receive an instruction sheet with the directions for the project clearly defined. Students will be broken up into groups of three. They should start drawing out the basic layout that they will use when they design their school diorama (They can do this until it is time to write in their journals, knowing that they will have class time the next day to work on this.). They should be reminded to bring any extra supplies they need. (10 – 15 minutes)
c. Culminating Experiences:
¨ Each student will write a journal entry at least three paragraphs long. They will explain how they would feel if they attended a pioneer school. Things they should discuss in their journal include: how they would feel sharing a classroom with all the other grades, if they would like having only one teacher for as many as seventy students of varying grade and ability level, and if they find it appropriate that they would be responsible for helping teach younger students in the school. The whole class will discuss this briefly and any student’s questions will be answered if possible. (10 – 15 minutes)
6. Assessments used during lesson:
Journal entries will be used to check for understanding. Discussion and questions will also ensure that students are grasping the material. The more formal assessment will be the diorama that they turn in after the second class period of this lesson.
Building the Past - Pictures and Assignment Checklist
Building the Past
Diorama Project
You will be responsible for creating a diorama of a one-room pioneer schoolhouse with your group members. Please use the checklist below to make sure you have met all the requirements of the assignment.
_____ All group member names are on the side of the shoe box used for the diorama.
_____ Diorama is completely contained within a shoe box.
_____ Layout of the schoolhouse is a completely original idea from your group.
_____ The schoolhouse contains a heater (wood burning furnace).
_____ Once completed students will write two well written paragraphs about their diorama and why they chose to place and decorate things they way they did.
_____ Paragraphs must be typed
_____ 12 pt. font
_____ Times New Roman
_____ Double space
_____ Diorama and paragraphs must be turned in by the beginning of the class period on Monday (Day 11).
Diorama Project
You will be responsible for creating a diorama of a one-room pioneer schoolhouse with your group members. Please use the checklist below to make sure you have met all the requirements of the assignment.
_____ All group member names are on the side of the shoe box used for the diorama.
_____ Diorama is completely contained within a shoe box.
_____ Layout of the schoolhouse is a completely original idea from your group.
_____ The schoolhouse contains a heater (wood burning furnace).
_____ Once completed students will write two well written paragraphs about their diorama and why they chose to place and decorate things they way they did.
_____ Paragraphs must be typed
_____ 12 pt. font
_____ Times New Roman
_____ Double space
_____ Diorama and paragraphs must be turned in by the beginning of the class period on Monday (Day 11).
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