LESSON PLANS
Here are two sample lesson plans that were given to teachers of classes that toured the exhibit when it was on display at the library.
1.Getting Acquainted with Old and New Forms of Transportation
Lesson Used for 4th Graders
Summary
This exhibition presents forgotten images of transportation in Plainfield’s history. Buggies, trains, trolleys, bicycles, automobiles, motorcycles, buses and airplanes moved through our city shaping our culture. We have selected images and objects from our postcards, photographs, maps and documents to remind us what has happened here in Plainfield and how transportation has changed our town.
Tour the exhibit
choose a mode of transportation in Plainfield that interests you. Who invented it? When did it first come to Plainfield? Find all of the photographs, objects, postcards, or news stories on this type in the exhibit. Choose two or three you really like.Only one can be current.
Using the entire exhibit, find out the story about them. When were these images or objects made? Where? How are they alike or how are they different from today? In the weeks in between visits come to your school library, the public library, the exhibit, the children’s room, and/or the local history room to get more information from us.
2. Examing One Form of Transportation In Depth
Lesson Used for 8th Graders
Look over the entire exhibition. Choose one form of transportation. Look closely at all of the photographs and objects or postcards about it. Some of the forms that might be used are: airplane, automobile, bus, horse, carriage, taxi, ambulance, trolley, tractor, truck, motorcycle or fire engine.
Look at as many things as you can to find something about this form of transportation. The photographs, the information in the exhibit, Plainfield timeline, books, postcards, encyclopedias, biographies, police logs, and newspapers. You can also consult the Web or relatives. Some things to think about:
- What problems did this form of transportation, the driver, and its passengers meet when it was first invented? What problems did this vehicle cause?
- When was it invented? Who invented or designed it or its parts?
- Do you recognize anything, anyone, or any place in these photographs?
- When was this vehicle used?
- Did operating or riding on this vehicle require lessons and skills?
- Was there any danger involved in using this form of transportation?
- How did this mode of transportation change Plainfield?
- Does this form of transportation appeal to you? Why? /Why not?
* Imagine yourself as the first driver of this vehicle and predict what would have happened.
* Interview an older person about a form of transportation that that person has experienced. Try to find something that is unfamiliar to you and learn what it was like for people to use. Write down the information that you have learned on no more than one page. Be prepared to share the information out loud with the class.
|
