What kind of treatment could a patient expect in an asylum during the 1800's? The abusive and neglectful conditions in 19th century asylums are the focus of a lesson that examines the work of reformers Nellie Bly, Dorothea Dix, and...

Eighth graders utilize the SOAP method to analyze a work of art and relate it to what they know about the Progressive Era and the reasons why cities changed and the ways in which cities changed during the end of the 19th century. They...

High schoolers examine tenement life. In this instructional activity on early urbanization, students research the role of journalism for social change in early American cities. High schoolers write a journal article for themselves that...

Urban spaces are often overlooked and broken down. Offer your pupils the opportunity to reimagine an urban space. Learners examine and discuss works of art related to this theme and consider their own communities. Small groups then...

Eleventh graders explore, examine, and study the concept of reform in the late 19th century in the United States. They explain the methods that social critics advocated to improve society and examine efforts to help the urban poor found...

Learners read narratives about the experiences of 19th century fugitive slaves that fled to urban centers. They conduct further research on the African-American urban migration movement and present their findings to the class.

Students examine the correlation between urbanization and industrialization. In this 19th century American history lesson, students investigate census data from the late 1800's to find out how urbanization and industrialization in...

After reading a series of primary source documents, groups compare the lives of and opportunities available to rural and urban women in the 19th century to rural and urban life in the 21st century. As an exit ticket, individuals craft a...

Besides serving as awe-inspiring monuments of human achievement, skyscrapers are built to perform a wide range of functions in urban communities. The second instructional activity in this series begins by exploring the history of the...

High schoolers explore the immigration wave that hit the United States in 19th century. In this immigration lesson, students examine primary and secondary sources to determine what the immigration experience was like for new citizens....

Select a theme together to guide and inspire works of art. Class members view images of art and discuss the images of cities. After choosing a theme, individuals create posters that reflect and contribute to the theme. They can use paint...

Students explore and analyze the detailed, yet complicated profiles that society placed on the lives of the prosperous as well as those with economic disadvantages in 19th century New York. In addition, by seeing the Merchant House...

How has your local neighborhood changed throughout recent history? Young researchers evaluate census data, images, and primary source descriptions describing the living situation in the antebellum Five Points neighborhood. They consider...

Students plan a visit to Musse d'Orsay to examine Paris in the 19th century.  In this visual arts lesson, students explore the Haussmanian period and urban life in the 19th century.  Students discuss the relationship between...

Eleventh graders explain the methods that social critics advocated to improve society. They examine efforts to help the urban poor and critique a variety of pictures that depict both the rich and the poor in different time periods and...

Students explain what causes light pollution and how it can be curtailed. They consider the negative consequences of nighttime lighting, enabled by the invention of electric lights at the close of the 19th Century.

This 3-day immigration study draws on historical trends and current events. A worksheet accompanies initial research on one group's U.S. immigration history, giving opportunity for collaborative learning through sharing findings. Groups...

Analyze primary source documents relating the conditions under with prompted American immigration. Learners will analyze information in order to create a six-panel pamphlet. Much of the lesson is not available but the key objectives are....

Students examine how 19th-century urban conditions influenced the development of parks. They research local trees and shrubs, develop a display of trees and shrubs, plan a new park or arboretum, and write a report on a local park.

Young scholars analyze the influences on urban life in the early and late 19th century, different economic, cultural, and social characteristics of slavery after 1800, the rise of racial hostility, and the ending of the Atlantic slave...

Middle schoolers use readings and discussion to investigate the 19th century practice of Orphan Trains - sending U.S. urban orphans from the East to the Midwest in hopes of procuring them a home. They focus on the concept of social...

This lesson could be used in U.S. history, social studies, and geography courses in units on urban expansion in the late 19th century or city planning.

Learners examine transportation. In this train design lesson plan, students study how trains work and how to efficiently design a track by working with an electric train set. As a class they compare various types of trains and work...

Middle schoolers examine the motivations that prompted people to move westward during the 19th century. They take on the role of an average citizen and weigh the costs and benefits of making such a move and decide if they would have...