|
Teaching Guide
Menu Aim Audience Assessment
and Evaluation Railroads have played an
integral part of America's growth. Railroads have been
memorialized in
popular American songs and legends. Have you heard about Casey
Jones
or John Henry? Passenger train travel has been romanticized in
Hollywood films. To this day, some children refer to the "choo-choo"
train even though steam locomotives have not been prominent on
America's mainlines since the 1950s. The impact of the railroads on
America's culture is too great to be absorbed in a few lessons or even
within a few weeks. However, we can look at some of the
highlights of
how railroads affected different segments of America's diverse
population. The
aim of this unit is to introduce high school students to the role
African Americans have played in the growth and development of the
America's railroads. Many
students are unaware of the contributions their forebears may have
made to the development of America's railroads such as through
inventions or labor. Students also should be aware of the
contributions that prominent people in railroading have made in areas
not always associated with the industry, such as the modern civil
rights movement. The goal of this web quest is to explore the impact of the railroad industry on different ethnic groups in the United States including, but not limited to, the Chinese, the Native Americans, African Americans, the Irish and other immigrant groups. The first module is
entitled "Railroads and African American Culture. In
this module, students will explore the impact of George Pullman
on Illinois history, including creation of a model community now known
as the Pullman area of Chicago; analyze the impact of African American
inventors on the railroad industry and analyze the role of A. Philip
Randolph in the unionization of African-American porters and how his
actions contributed to the
development of the modern civil rights movement. Students will complete a
WebQuest on the unit and prepare a multi-media presentation of their
findings. The students will be able to choose between a project on
inventions or on labor relations and civil rights. The curriculum supports
Illinois Learning Standard 16.D.4. ILS 16.D. Understand Illinois, United
States and world social history. 16.D.4.
Identify significant events and developments since 1500 that altered
world social history in ways that persist today including colonization,
Protestant Reformation, industrialization, the rise of technology and
human rights movements. Links to the appropriate ISBE web pages
are listed below. Social
Science rubric and sample assessments The
curriculum is designed for students from 7th grade through adult who
are interested in learning how railroads have affected their lives in
ways that do not all relate to transporting goods and passengers from
one point to another. Students
should have as pre-requisites an inquisitive attitude, the ability to
"surf" the internet, and be able to read independently at the seventh
grade level. Students also
should
have some prior knowledge about the history of railroads in the United
States.
Social Science This web
quest will cover the involvement of African Americans with
America's railroads. Students will learn how African Americans
inventors advanced the development of the railroads. Students
will
learn how African Americans formed a powerful labor union that hastened
the end of racial segregation in government jobs and the
military.
Students will learn how the unionization of African-American porters
led to the rise of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. as a preeminent
spokesman of the modern civil rights movement in America.
(See below) INVENTIONS -
Choose at least TWO African American inventors and
prepare a
15-20 minute presentation and diorama or display focusing on the
following
questions:
Students will need art supplies including markers, poster board, flip chart paper. For advanced projects, wood, paints, and other modeling materials will be needed. Assessment and Evaluation Assessment of the curriculum will include several possible choices: - including a diorama of a scene out of American railroad history. - dramatization of a major event in railroad history - a monologue depicting an African-American with a significant contribution to American railroading - sample test questions from a formal assessment. Click here to return to Menu Pending Pending Click
here
to return to Menu Developing Because I am
assigned as a content area specialist in social science, my
implementation plan will be to provide in-service training for targeted
teachers teaching American History or African American History. I
will be implementing this WebQuest by asking selected classroom
teachers in one or more of the high schools for which I am responsible
to have one or more of their classes to complete the WebQuest and do
the culminating activity. I will assist the teachers in guiding
their student(s) through the WebQuest and the production of their
presentations. I anticipate that the WebQuest may be done in
different environments. Some teachers may have only one or a few
computers in a classroom while other teachers may have access to a
computer lab for several classroom sessions. I expect to
complete my implementation plan by January of 2004.
|
||
|
|
||