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Lesson Plans

Purpose:  This unit is designed to last 1 quarter, so that the student will be immersed in the History of our current labor practices/philosophies. At the end of the quarter, 8th graders will be able to discuss the evolution of America's  production system from the Industrial Revolution through today.

Week :  1    INVENTIONS

Goal:  Students and Teachers will learn about the inventions/inventors in the 19th century.  We will disucss how dramatically life must have changed and compare that to today's technological revolution.

OBJECTIVES for this week:

1.   Use various sources to find info. in the library

2.  Design a eye-catching poster to advertise the invention.  Post it for all to see. (if access to a computer lab, each student should create a slide for an invention slide show with Claris 4.0.)

3.  Explain invention to the class (30 seconds)

4.  Listen/Take Notes

Procedures:

        1.  Dayrunners

        2.  Day 1:  Library

A.  Give directions:  2 class periods to find research (who, what, where, when its significance in History)

B. Review Bibliography form

        3.  Day 2:  Library

A.  Minilesson:  Cobblestone Magazines, The Way Things Work CD Rom.  Smithsonian's America CD Rom

4. Day 3:  Speeches

A.  Mini lesson on note taking

5.  Day 4:  Speeches

A.  Take notes and listen

6.  Day 5.  Intro. to the Industrial Revolution  LECTURE

A.  Minilesson:  What's a revolution?  --The Industrial revolution was a huge change!  Remember when the south was telling the North that they have bad conditions for their workers too?  This is what happened:  read from The Jungle, read about the Triangle Fire, tell about workers, rich people.  There were NO government regulations--do what you want.  Does that sound familiar? EX:  Mad Cow disease.  Bill to stop cloning. etc.  What changes are we going through right now? -- How much should the gov't control?

 B.  Why should we study this? Kids brainstorm what theywant to learn.  (Keep this list to make sure you learn it)

C.  Assignment:  Interview parents:  what technology did they have?  what didn't they have when they were your age?  How much gov't control should there be?

      7.  Day 6:

A.  Lecture:  The Start of the Revolution:  Putting Out System (hiring families in their homes), Rhode Island System (child labor), Lowell system (hiring young women).  Slater (Remembered the mill and snuck out of England and built America's first factory) Eli Whitney (interchangable musket parts), Lowell (seperate factories under one roof.

 

B.  WATCH A MOVIE!  The Beginning of the American Industrial Revolution Take Notes

EVALUATION:  What to change the next time.

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Week :  2:  Horrors of the Workplace

Goal:  Students and Teachers will understand how the factory workers worked and lived in the city.

OBJECTIVES for this week:

1.   Become a factory worker

2.  Learn about FORD

3.  Hear about living conditions

4.  Compare current world wide practices with then (Nike)

5.   Rise of Unions

Procedures:

        1.  Dayrunners

        2.  Day 1:  Henry Ford

                A.  Lecture:  Jump to 1922--an assembly line

                B.  Look at Ford's original contract

                C.  Give directions for tomorrow

        3.  Day 2:

                A.  Assign places on the assembly line (desks in a line)

                B.  Assign supervisers

                C.  Sign contracts

                D.   20 min. of assembly

                E.  Write a learning log

        4.  Day 3.

A.  Minilesson:  Life as a worker

B.  Jigsaw:  each group has a different internet page or

text book.  Read as a group:  report to the class.

C.  Take Notes on each other's

D.  Conclusion?  Life was miserable.  More miserable than a slave's?

E.  Homework:  Look for current child labor practices

        5.  Day 4:  US CORPORATIONS FINDING CHEAP WORKERS

                A.  Pairs:  Internet sources--get 1-2 facts

                B.  Each person tells their facts

                C.  Take notes

                D.  What can WE do about it?    (Bill in the senate)

        6.  Day 5:  The UNIONS

                A.  Watch a movie:  The Rise of the Unions

                B.  Take Notes

EVALUATION:  What to change the next time.

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Week :  3:  Big Business

Goal:  Students and Teachers will view the Industrial Revolution from the Rich Tycoon point of view.

OBJECTIVES for this week:

        1.   Learn about Morgan -- banking

        2.  Learn about Rockefeller & Standard Oil

        3.  Learn about Carnegie & Steel--Railroads

        4.  Compare to Bill Gates & Microsoft

        5.  Explain the Anti-Trust Act

        6.  Explain Laisse Faire

        7.  Explain Social Darwainism

Procedures:

        1.  Dayrunners

        2.  Day 1: Intro to Carnegie/Morgan/Rockefeller

A.  Preview Week:  give out Tycoon parts:  research on internet.

B.  Books and Worksheets Individual Work (have to keep a balance)

3. Day 2: Same as Day 1

        4.  Day 3.  Progressives--let's change!

A.  Minilesson:  What's a muckraker?

B.  Assign parts:  Tycoons must write a 2 min. speech defending their philosophy of business.  The rest of the class are Muckrakers trying to find out the truth.  They must turn in a news story on Friday. Say: Find infromation of what kinds of things were wrong with society. What nasty evils could you uncover? Get exact details, so that you can confront those tycoons on Friday.

C. Teach news story writing.  Email to me and I will put into a Claris Newsletter Assistant--extra credit.--and copy for all.

        5.  Day 4:  The Muckrakers versus the Tycoons

                A.  3 Tycoons on the Panel

                B.  Muckrakers attempt to dig up the "dirt"

                C.  (each muckraker must ask at least one question)

        6.  Day 5:  Friday at the Movies

                A.  Watch the Rise of Big Business

                B.  Take notes

                C.  Turn in News stories

EVALUATION:  What to change the next time.

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Week 4: Production

Goal:  Students and teachers will synthesize what they have learned about production, learn about Japan's production using Total Quality Approach and predict the United States' future style of production fo goods as well as students.

OBJECTIVES for this week:

        1.   Review production history

        2.  Introduce Edward Demming

        3.  Show Japan's factories of the 1970's using Deming's ideas

        4.  US companies using the idea SATURN

        5.  Try it. What do you think?

6. Quality vs. Quantity: Process the results. Post the best from assembly line as well as the best from Total Quality.

Procedures:

        1.  Dayrunners

        2.  Day 1:  Review production history in US

                A.  Handmade

                B.  Interchangeable parts

                C.  Assembly line

        3.  Day 2:

A.  Lecture: Edward Demmings He said that we could do a lot better with a different system of production, called Total Quality. The US didn't listen, so he took his ideas to Japan. They listened and implemented his ideas.

B.  Interesting comparison: Look at the production history. Now look at the school system history.

1. Learn what your parents taught you at home.

2. One room school house

3. Grade levels K-1-2-3...12 Finished product..Get the similarities?

        4.  Day 3. Watch video on Japan's system (1970)

A. Take notes on the Deming ideas you see.

5.  Day 4: Let's try it again: Ford's assembly line Deming style. Predict which groups will produce the best results.

A.  Set up groups of 4-5. Each of them is an expert. Let them have 10 minutes to plan out their areas of expertise. Give groups same time as the assembly line simulation. No contract. They can talk, help each other, sing, sit, whatever.

B: Discuss quality vs. quantity

        6.  Day 5:

                A. Learning Log: What did you learn about Deming's ideas of production?

 EVALUATION:  What to change the next time.

Week :  5 & 6 Plight of the Worker - Hands on Assessment

Teacher note: The lesson plans for the next several weeks are based on a similation called STRIKE! from Interact. The URL is http://www.interact-simulations.com/

Goal:  Students and Teachers will learn about the plight of the worker in the late 19th century/early 20th century--factories.

OBJECTIVES for this week:

        1.   experience working for a boss/trying to get a job

        2.  experience the hand of fate--injuries, lots of kids to feed,

        3.  work hard for little pay

        4.  keep track of earned money and records

        5.  experience socialists, anarchists, union organizers, etc.

Procedures:

        1.  Dayrunners

        2.  Day 1:  Intro to the STRIKE simulation

                A.  Intro:  letter to parent:  this isn't a vacation

                B.  Go over the rules for simulation

                C.  Show forms  to fill out on overhead

        3.  Day 2:

                A.  Owners buy PAs

                B.  Workers start finding answers

                C.  Foremen get group working

                D.   Managers look for info on computers

                E.  Government reads the Info. Bulletin

                F.  Steel Owner spins the wheel of misfortune

        4.  Day 3.

                A.  Owners pay workers, government collects cost/living

B.  Foreman leads group's study session to prepare forquality control

                C.  Quality Control Quiz

                D.  Managers & Owners count PAs

                E.  Managers & Owners correct Quality control

F.  Owners decide how much to wager on market, spin the wheel.  Government pays according to their Quality Control Test

                MODULE 1 IS COMPLETE!

        5.  Day 4:

                A.  START MODULE 2

                        Same as Tuesday--PA #2

        6.  Day 5:

                A.  Same as Wednesday--

                B.  MODULE 2 IS COMPLETE!

WEEK 6:  The same as Week 5

WEEK 7:  Negotiate with the owners.  Collective Barganing.

WEEK 8:  TEST

        Day 1:  Students write the test questions.  Class determines grading rubric.  They decide what an A answer looks like:  Topic Sentence, Conclusion Sentence, lots of information, not rambling, 18 lines of normal writing (not enlarged to make the grade) etc.

Homework:  Fill out 3x5 card "Cheat Sheet" to use during the test.

        Day 2:  TEST

Here's the one they designed last year.

90-100   A

Name:

80-89       B           ________  ( x3 )=       ________        _______ Date:

70-79       C            my points       300pts         my grade

less than 70 = redo

Directions:  For each question,  12-17 lines filled with important information = 18-20 points; 8-11 lines filled with important information = 15-17 points.  Less than 8 lines isn't enough.

Remember:  The more INFORMATION you write, the better your grade.

CHOOSE FOUR:  (20 points each)

   1.  Why was this time period called the Industrial Revolution?  Include at least 5 inventions.  (Start with a topic sentence that tells what the paragraph is about.  Finish with a conclusion sentence that concludes your thoughts)

  2.  According to the movie Newsies , there were 3 main standards of living in New York City at the turn of the century.  Explain their differences.   How did the Sears catalog begin to change that?  (Start with a topic sentence that tells what the paragraph is about.  Finish with a conclusion sentence that concludes your thoughts)

  3.  Describe Henry Ford's new  factory and how it worked.  Why was the assembly line a new idea? (Start with a topic sentence that tells what the paragraph is about.  Finish with a conclusion sentence that concludes your thoughts)

  4.  Describe the philosophy the capitalists used for their reasons not to have a welfare program at the turn of the century.  Where did they get tha t idea?  What's your opinion of it?    (Start with a topic sentence that tells what the paragraph is about.  Finish with a conclusion sentence that concludes your thoughts)

  5.  Why was Teddy Roosevelt's presidency such a radical switch from that of his predecessors?  (Include the Sherman Anti-Trust Act, Monopolies, Labor vs. management disputes.  (Start with a topic sentence that tells what the paragraph is about.  Finish with a conclusion sentence that concludes your thoughts)

  6.   The workers of the late 1800s and early 1900s organized themselves into various groups to benefit their causes. Describe unions & strikes, anarchists, socialists and tell why someone would join those groups. (Start with a topic sentence that tells what the paragraph is about. Finish with a conclusion sentence that concludes your thoughts)

  7.  Currently there are around 400 million children working in the world. Describe some of the child labor situations that are happening today.  In your opinion should the United Nations step in and stop companies from exploiting children?   (Start with a topic sentence that tells what the paragraph is about.  Finish with a conclusion sentence that concludes your thoughts)

CHOOSE ONE MORE:  (20 points)

  8.  Who was Uptain Sinclair?  What book did he write?  What did it describe?  Why did he name it that?.  (Start with a topic sentence that tells what the paragraph is about.  Finish with a conclusion sentence that concludes your thoughts)

  9.   Compare and contrast the three big capitalists of the Industrial Revolution:  Morgan, Rockefeller and Carnegie.  (Start with a topic sentence that tells what the paragraph is about.  Finish with a conclusion sentence that concludes your thoughts)

  10.  Describe the Japanese factory system of the 1970s.  Why did Deming's Total Quality Production ideas take hold in Japan, but not in the U.S. until recently?  (Start with a topic sentence that tells what the paragraph is about.  Finish with a conclusion sentence that concludes your thoughts)

11.  Briefly explain each and why they were important to History:

a.  Haymarket Square

b.  Triangle Fire

c.  Sam Gompers

d.  Eli Whitney

e.  Interchangeable Parts

Day 3:  Correct the TEST.

Since we were all in on the discussion about what an A answer is, everyone is an expert and can grade an essay test.  We go over it together orally again, as they grade.

The purpose of having the students correct eachother's test, beside the fact that I could never read all of them and return them in a timely manner,  is so that the students who I'm not sure really understand it all, can read about it one more time from another student's point of view. It may click that last time.

The trick is in handing out the test.  I select which student grades which paper.  The tests that I know are done well, go to the students who need to hear it one more time.  This means the teacher must do constant on-going assessment as the unit progresses.

Homework:  Students with grades lower than 70% must re-do their test.  (A big incentive to do well.)

Some students are allowed to put their tests on a cassette tape, or dictate to an aide.

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