1.

0: Transportation in the Midwest, Day #5, Jason Maffucci, 4

th
Grade

Duration: 45 minutes

Concepts: Technological advances in transportation, and their affects of population growth and
development

Vocabulary:

Migration: the movement of people from one place to another
Flatboards: large rafts made of boards tied together
Steamboats: a boat powered by a steam engine.
Railroad: a system of tracks used by a steam engine powered train to connect cities.
Entrepreneurs: people who start new businesses.
Stockyards: A place where cattle were bought, sold and held for shipment.
Assembly Line: a line of workers along which a product moves as it is put together one step at a
time

Skills:

- Organizing facts from an informational text to learn text structure
- Making a claim and finding details to support that claim
- Writing Expository text


1.1 Integration of Learning Outcomes/Objectives: SWBAT:
1). Describe changes in transportation in the 1800s and early 1900s by completing a worksheet
with the different forms of transportation and 3 facts about each.

2). Explain how improved transportation helped the Midwest grow by citing 3 facts from the
reading about a particular advancement in a written Expository text.

1.2 PA History Standard:

8.3.4.C: Explain how continuity and change in U.S. history have influenced personal
development and identity.

Writing:
1.5.4.B: Develop content

Gather, organize, and select the most effective information appropriate for the topic, task, and
audience.
Write one or more paragraphs that connect to one central idea.

NCSS Themes:

VIII: Science, Technology, and Society:
NCSS.1.8.b ...provide opportunities for learners to make judgments about how science and
technology have transformed the physical world and human society and our understanding of
time, space, place, and human-environment interactions;

II: Time, Continuity, and Change:
NCSS.1.2.b ...have learners apply key concepts from the study of history such as time,
chronology, causality, change, conflict, and complexity to explain, analyze, and show
connections among the patterns of historical change and continuity;


1.3 Anticipatory Set:
Migration is the movement of people from one place to another. As we have been learning,
migration from the East to the Midwest in the United States was becoming more popular in the
late 1800s and early 1900s. One of the major reasons for this happening was the advancement
of forms of transportation that occurred during this period. Ask students, What types of
transportation do you use daily? What types of transportation have you used to travel long
distances? Once students have determined a list of transportation the modern Americans use on
a daily basis, ask them to Imagine a world without these types of transportation. No cars,
planes, or trains. How would you get around? Next, have students predict what types of
transportation might have affected the growth in the Midwest. Prompt students by reminding
them about previous lessons in the unit: Remember from our last lesson, the first settlers to the
Midwest traveled in covered wagons. The journey was very dangerous and took several months.
What types of transportation helped to cut down on the length of the journey? Make a list of
student predictions on the board to give students a purpose for reading and topics to pay attention
to. As we read this chapter, I would like you to pay close attention to the different forms of
transportation and their affect on the growth of the Midwest.
Note: (If students do not seem to have prior knowledge of types of transportation from the early
1900s, there are link to videos in the technology section to help build context).

1.4 Lesson Procedure:

1. Now that students have some context for the chapter, begin by passing out the worksheet
to help students organize the information on the different advances in transportation, and
the results of those advancements.

Inform the students: As we read through the chapter, I want you to look for places where the
text answers our questions. When we discuss a new advancement in transportation, you will
write that in the first section. Then, when we discuss how that advancement affected the region,
you will list those facts in the Effect section. Some of the answers will be right there
answers, others you may need to think a bit about. Please write down the page number you found
the information on, incase you need to check back in the text later. (Learning Objective 1:
Describe changes in transportation in the 1800s and early 1900s by completing a worksheet with
the different forms of transportation and 3 facts about each.)

2. Perform the chapter reading as a read aloud, but have students follow along with their
worksheets available.

3. Stop on pg. 265 to model for students how they will be using their worksheet. So,
originally pioneers used flatboards to travel on rivers, but they could only travel
downstream and were very slow. What changes did the steamboat bring to river
transportation? (Look for the answers: faster transportation, boats could travel up and
down stream, and the result of port cities). Now that we have a few facts about the
effects of the steamboat on the Midwest, we will write those in the bulleted area of our
worksheet.

4. Inform the students: The next time that you believe the text is discussing an important
form of transportation, I want you to raise your hand and tell me what it is and why you
think it is important. Then, we will fill out the next section of our worksheet. Continue
reading until a student stops you on pg. 266 where students will learn about trains.

5. When the students stop you, this time ask them to give you some answers that they
believe should be included on the worksheet. Use this as formative assessment
(observations) to ensure that the students understand the purpose of the worksheet, and
are finding the major points in the text.

6. The teacher will then continue reading through the chapter. Let the students know, Now
that you know what types of information we are looking for to fill out our worksheets, I
am going to keep reading. I will read slowly and allow you time to take note of important
information on your worksheet. When we finish the chapter, we will discuss what you
each found important in the last sections of the chapter. If at any point I am reading too
fast, or you need an extra minute to write down some information, please raise your
hand. Now that you have modeled the use of the worksheet for organizing information,
it is time for the students to try independent practice with some scaffolding provided by
the teacher.

7. When the chapter reading is complete, break the students into small groups (3 to 4
students). Ask the students to, Discuss in your groups some of the forms of
transportation you found important from the text, and share some of the important facts,
or effects of the transportation that you noted on your worksheet. Feel free to add to your
own list if one of your group mates noted something you find interesting. Allow the
students about 5 to 10 minutes to discuss their ideas in groups.

8. Bring the class back together to give the next set of directions. Now that you have had
some time to discuss some of the advances in transportation with your group, it is time
for you to decide which one of these you think is the most important. There is no wrong
answer, as long as you have at least 3 facts to back up your claim. I want each of you to
write a paragraph about the form of transportation you think was the most influential to
growth in the Midwest. You must have a topic sentence that states which form of
transportation you think is the most important, and at least 3 facts about that form of
transportation that back up your claim. This paragraph should be at least 4 sentences.


9. Give the students about 10 to 15 minutes to write their paragraph, and then come back
together to discuss what everyone wrote about in their responses.


1.5 Differentiation:

- For Struggling students: The teacher should base the groupings for the small group
discussion on students apparent grasp of the concept, which will be made clear during
formative assessment. Each group should consist of a few students that grasped the
concept quickly, and one or two that need some assistance. Through these groupings, the
more advanced students will have the opportunity to explain their reasoning and solidify
the learning, and the struggling students will have more support of the concepts.
- For Visual Learners: It may be helpful to provide images of each of the forms of
transportation. These can be passed around during group discussions. Also, allow
students to draw pictures of each of the types of transportation on their worksheets to aid
in comprehension. Visual learners will also benefit from modeling of the worksheet
activity by the teacher on the board.
- Auditory Learners: These students will benefit from the read-aloud portion of the
lesson. Hearing the teacher repeat the key aspects of each advancement will help to
solidify the learning. Also, group discussions will assist in this consolidation of
information.
- For Advanced Students: Some students may finish the activity more quickly and may
wish to extend their learning. For these students, provide some short informational texts
on each of the technological advancements. Students can spend some time reading about
their chosen form of transportation, and add some of this information to their written
assignment. This new information can also be shared with the class during the closing
group discussion. Also, the Harcourt Social Studies website offers activities for practice
of learned content. (See technology section) This could be helpful for students that finish
early if computers are available.


1.6 Closure:
Bring students back together to discuss which transportation advancement they chose as the
most important. Make sure students explain why they chose their advancement, and share their
facts with the class. Make sure that other students are adding to their list (worksheet) if someone
describes a fact they may have overlooked. Discuss how: Each of these forms of
transportation were possible because of the geography of the region. Without the rivers, there
would be no steamboats. Without flat plains and terrain, there would be no trains. As we learned
today, the production of automobiles became a major source of production and jobs in the
region. Tomorrow, we will discuss the man responsible for the production line, Henry Ford.

1.7 Formative Assessments: - Assess students prior knowledge based on participation in-group
discussion of forms of transportation.
Provide students with a worksheet to help organize their facts from the test. Use this to help
guide the students and assess if students are on task and able to pull all pertinent information
from the class reading. (Objective #1: Describe changes in transportation in the 1800s and early
1900s by completing a worksheet with the different forms of transportation and 3 facts about
each.)

Summative Assessment: The finished product will be turned in and graded based on the
following criteria: (Objective #2: Explain how improved transportation helped the Midwest grow
by citing 3 facts from the reading about a particular advancement in a written expository text.)

1). The student has picked one technological change that they believe was the most influential to
the growth and development of the Midwest.
2). The students writing has a topic sentence explaining which advancement they chose.
3). The student has found at least 3 facts from the class text or outside resource to support their
position.

1.8 Materials and Equipment:

(A). Students:
- Harcourt Social Studies: States and Regions. (2007). Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Print.
- Worksheet: Transportation Advancements and Their Affect on the Midwest
- Pencil
- Paper
(B + C). Teacher:
- Blackboard
- Smartboard (if video context is necessary).
- Images of the forms of transportation (for visual learners if necessary).
- Harcourt Social Studies: States and Regions. (2007). Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Print.
(SI)
This source is reliable because:
1). It is a widely accepted classroom Social Studies text.
2). Houghton Mifflin and Harcourt are a reputable education publishing company.
3). The text was provided to us by our professor, and was suggested as a source for some
of our lessons.

- EDR 345(Literacy Development in Inclusive Classroom) w/ Prof. Agostinelli. The
concept of providing graphic organizers for during reading activities. (SI)
This source is reliable because:
1). It is an accredited class in the degree of Early Education at West Chester University.
2). The professor is also a graduate of the Education program at West Chester, with her
masters as a Reading Specialist, and years of in the field experience.
3). The concepts she presents in class are proven to be valuable by studies done for
academic literature and articles presented in the EDR 345 Text, distributed through West
Chester University.

- The North American Midwest. (1955) Garland, John. H. John Wiley and sons Inc. New
York. Print. (MI)
- 1). This book in the regional geography of the Midwest was found in the West Chester
Library.
- 2). It supported the facts found in the textbook discussed earlier.
- 3). The information in the text was researched by the Graduate research Board of the
University of Illinois.

(D). Vocabulary/ Content Notes:

Information provided by Harcourt Social Studies: States and Regions. (2007) Houghton Mifflin
Harcourt. Print:

Migration: the movement of people from one place to another.

-In the late 1700s settlers began to use Midwest Rivers for migration to the west.

Flatboards: large rafts made of boards tied together
- Each flatboard was about 40 feet in length. They were used in shallow rivers, such as the
Ohio River, to transport migrants and supplies. They had no power and could only
transport downstream.
- River travel was faster than wagon travel.

Steamboats: a boat powered by a steam engine.
-The engine turns the boats large paddle wheel, causing the boat to move.
- Developed in the late 1700s to early 1800s by Robert Fulton and others.
- Could travel upstream, as well as downstream much faster than flatboards.
- Trips that took weeks or months by flatboard, took only days by steamboats.
-Cost of shipping goods decreased, travel on rivers increased.

Railroads: Starting in the mid-1800s, railroads spurred the growth of towns and businesses
along train routes in the Midwest.
- Provided an easy way for migrants to travel. (Less time and risk.)

Entrepreneurs: people who start new businesses.
- Opened businesses to serve new towns growing populations.

Stockyards: A place where cattle were bought, sold and held for shipment.
-The Midwest was a good location for stockyards to hold livestock. Many new cities were along
train routes from the farms of the Great Plains to the cities of the east. These cities had large
populations, but limited cattle were raised in these regions. This left opportunity for a growing
industry in the Midwest.
- Texas and Oklahoma ranchers would drive their cattle north, to places like Kansas, to be sold
and transported on trains back East.

Industries grow: Better transportation helped industries grow. Boats and trains brought raw
materials to these cities. They also could carry finished products to buyers cheaper and more
quickly.

Port Cities: The regions largest cities grew near ports. Ex. St.Louis, Missouri; Cincinnati, Ohio;
and Minneapolis, Minnesota. Also grew along the Great Lakes in cities such as Chicago, Illinois;
and Detroit, Michigan.

Detroit: Became the center of the automobile industry, mostly due to its location on the Great
Lakes (transportation).
- Another reason was the regions steel industry.
Henry Ford helped the auto industry grow with the creation of the assembly line.
Assembly Line: a line of workers along which a product moves as it is put together one step at a
time. It is a form of mass production, in which a product is made more quickly and cheaply by
using machines.

Information from The North American Midwest: Ch. 6. Trade and Transportation:

The evolution of such an advanced transportation system can be ascribed to many factors both
physical and cultural which work together in a time-place-and-people relationship.
Continentality, with its implication of space to be conquered, flat terrain with easy grades and the
absence of serious surficial barriers in transportation routing and construction, a wealth of
resources with the potentiality for exchange, a culture with an economic system based on a need
for exchange in order to function, and a political system with a minimum number of artificial
trade barriers area among these. Pg. 67 (There are many characteristics of this region that
helped, and were helped by, the development of the transportation system.

The competitiveness of the transportation industry to produce income for investors was also a
major factor in the fast growth of these industries. (Pg. 68)




1.9 Technology:

The Harcourt Social Studies Website:
http://www.harcourtschool.com/ss1/adventure_activities/interactives/gr4_unit4.html

This website offers students a chance to test their knowledge of the forms of transportation in an
adventure style game. Students must answer questions about the Midwest to continue on their
journey. Could be used for advanced students that finish their assignment early.


Both Videos below would be helpful to add context if students are having trouble coming up
with different forms of transportation. The first video is longer and more in-depth, but the second
is short and could be worked into any time frame.

Video: The Transportation Revolution:
http://education-portal.com/academy/lesson/the-transportation-revolution-turnpikes-to-
steamboats-to-railroads.html#lesson

Video: History of Transportation in the U.S.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNgAHOIofpI



2.1 Reflection on Planning:

For this lesson, I found the 4
th
grade Harcourt Social Studies textbook very helpful in
coming up with the main concepts that I wanted to address in the lesson. The textbook was my
source of inspiration for my anticipatory set. The textbook suggested having students brainstorm
forms of transportation that were influential to the growth of the Midwest. I thought it might be
difficult for students to come up with these different forms of transportation without first
discussing the forms of transportation we use today, and maybe watching a video to see what
types of transportation were popular throughout the history of the United States. This would help
students to have a purpose for reading and to focus their listening during the read-aloud.
The idea for providing students with a graphic organizer to use during their reading of the
chapter was developed based on a concept discussed in my EDR 345 class. The idea was to use
the worksheet (graphic organizer) to help students organize the information in the text to help
with comprehension. Some students have difficulties with informational text because they are
not as used to the text structure. This worksheet was designed to help students realize that the
text is broken down into several main topics (in this case the forms of transportation) and then
supporting details. The graphic organizer helps students to see this text structure, and organize
the information into a more accessible form that they will be able to use later in the writing
activity.
The idea for the assessment of the lesson came out of the necessity to have some written
work in our unit plan, and I thought this was a great opportunity. I thought that having the
students determine the various types of transportation that were important to the region, and then
choosing a particular one to write about would help them to see how any types of transportation
can affect a regions growth and development. This also would provide students with an
opportunity to write an informational text about a specific topic. Then, the students would share
their written pieces with the class, so that the students are hearing about each of the forms of
transportation in different words to help to ensure that students grasp the concept.
I believe this lesson will be successful in helping students to not only learn the major
concepts about the forms of transportation in the Midwest, but also helping them to learn a new
strategy to aid in comprehension of informative texts. The lesson lacks in its ability to address
kinesthetic learners. In revisiting this lesson I would try to add a hands on component. One
possibility could be simply having students move from group to group at the end of the lesson to
share their piece with other students.



Graphic Organizer for Worksheet:

How Advances in Transportation Changed the
Midwest



Advance in
Transportation:
Effects of
Transportation:

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