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The Physics of Flight
Three activities allow young flight engineers to understand the 4 principles of flight (weight, lift, thrust, and drag), to construct a glider, and to create a propeller. Multicultural history and literature are integrated by reading...
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I Hear the Locomotives: The Impact of the Transcontinental Railroad
Students examine the effects the Transcontinental Railroad had on the regions through which it passed. They analyze and discuss maps, view and describe online images, and use photos and documents to develop a cause-and-effect ladder.
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Ann Arbor Growth & Immigration
Third graders describe some of the factors that brought early settlers to Ann Arbor. They read Narrative-A Trip from Utica, New York, to Ingham County, Michigan in 1838. As an added challenge, 3rd graders can use maps to track Silas...
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The Canadian Ribbon of Steel
Young scholars research the building of the Canadian Railroad and discuss the impact it has on Canada today.
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The Industrial Revolution
Contrasting between the "Haves" and the "Have-Nots" of 18th-19th century Europe, this presentation explores the social and technological implications of the Industrial Revolution. Inventions, social trends, and scientific breakthroughs...
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Town Growth and Immigration
Fourth graders describe how Michigan has changed and stayed the same over time. They explain reasons why people settled/settle in Michigan, then explain the role of geography on the settlement of Michigan.
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The Railroads in Texas
Seventh graders differentiate between, locate, and use primary and secondary sources, such as biographies from the Handbook of Texas. They analyze the effects of scientific discoveries and technological innovations, such as the railroad,...
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Working on the Railroad
Students plan a trip on the railroad. In this railroad creation and implementation lesson, students listen to the song "Working on the Railroad", make a map of where the track was laid and discuss the geographical challenges. Students...
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Site and Situation: Right Place at the Right Time
Students analyze geographic details. In this research skills lesson, students research maps as well as primary and secondary sources to analyze growth, population, and manufacturing in Altoona, Pennsylvania following World War II....
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All Aboard! Railroad Transportation
Students create a picture of a train. In this train lesson, students read Freight Trainand discuss the trains that they see. Students discuss what it would feel like to be a train and play a game where they pretend to be a train. They...
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Altoona Horseshoe Curve: A Vital Link
Students explain the significance of the Horseshoe Curve. For this railroad lesson students reconstruct elements of a German plot to destroy the Horseshoe Curve.
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Read a Transportation Story
Third graders research the building of a transcontinental road. In this railroad history lesson, 3rd graders discuss past and present transportation. Students look at historical photos and compare and contrast photos from today.
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Industrial Revolution
Seventh graders research how the Industrial Revolution impacted people. In this Industrial Revolution activity, 7th graders examine how the change from shop or cottage industry to the factory affected people, how the railroad affected...
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Railroad Crossing Ahead
In this railroad crossing worksheet, students study and color a large black line drawing of the railroad crossing road sign. There are no directions or words on the page.
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The Railroad Booms!
Students discover how the railroads contributed to the interdependence between farms and towns. Using the railroads, they describe the effect of them on western settlement and the relationship between their location and the availability...
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U.S. History: Settlement on the Plains
Eleventh graders examine the settlement and life on the western plains. Applying role-playing techniques, they discover the importance of railroads in the settlement of the west while also evaluating the daily lives of the homesteaders....
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Traveling the Transcontinental from Yesterday to Today
Pupils examine the impact of the train on the physical landscape and spatial organization of America. They read and analyze various poems, analyze maps, and develop a list of the positive and negative changes brought by the introduction...
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Laurier House National Historic Site of Canada Immigration From 1896 (laurier) To 1947 (king)
Students study the immigration patterns in Canada from 1896 to 1947. They examine how the railroads played a part in the immigration process.
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Transformation of Texas Transportation
Young scholars research how the growth of railroads led to an industrial revolution in Texas and read a newspaper article debating which railroad company should come to Travis County. They write their own article and debate the railroad...
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The Impact of the Railroad on Western Settlement
Eleventh graders utilize a painting to explore the effects of the railroads on the U.S. in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They discover how art can reflect the mood and spirit of the time in which they are created.