Lesson 2: Children of the Steel Kings
Fourth grade : Lesson 1 | Lesson 2 | Lesson 3 | Lesson 4
Lesson plan developed by Mardy Flanagan.
Institutions such as schools, churches, families, government agencies, and the courts greatly influence our lives, yet they are merely organizational embodiments formed to promote the ideals and social values of those in charge. It is important that students know how institutions are formed, operated, maintained and changed as well as their influential power over individuals.
The institution that affects elementary students more than any other is perhaps the school they attend. Effective schools target their students' needs rather than merely following the lead of what another school is doing. In Gary, as students will discover in this lesson, necessity led the city to break away from educational tradition and branch off in new directions.
Standards alignment
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National Council for the Social Studies
- Strand II. Time, Continuity, and Change
- Strand V. Individuals, Groups, and Institutions
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NCTE/IRA List of Standards for the English Language Arts
- 5. Students employ a wide range of strategies as they write and use different writing process elements appropriately to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes.
- 8. Students use a variety of technological and information resources (e.g., libraries, databases, computer networks, video) to gather and synthesize information and to create and communicate knowledge.
- 12. Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes (e.g., for learning, enjoyment, persuasion, and the exchange of information).
Guiding questions
- What controlled and influenced the shaping of Gary's schools?
- How did the ideals of the U.S. Steel Corporation and Mr. Wirt differ?
- What advantages did Mr. Wirt's system offer to the several thousand Polish and Hungarian families living in Gary?
- What would it have been like to be a student at the Froebel school?
Learning Objectives
After this lesson, the students will have:
- Observed and described the public school system of Gary in 1913.
- Explored ways in which institutions are created to respond to changing individual and group needs.
- Compared and contrasted the ideals of two powerful influences over an institution.
- Synthesized historical data through creative writing.
- Linked human decisions and consequences and themselves to the past.
Preparation
- Prepare several copies of the article, Children of the Steel Kings, by Burton J. Hendrick, in full-text, PDF, or DjVu format. Students will derive information from the article and use it to write their own stories. The article is 9 pages long, so you may elect to have students share copies.
- Make overheads of the following photographs from the U.S. Steel Collection:
Lesson plan
Through careful examination of historical photographs of Gary in Lesson 1, the students have developed a feeling for the period and for the city itself. They are ready to look closely at Gary's public institutions and its residents.
- Begin by distributing copies of Children of the Steel Kings to the students and instruct them to read the article individually or in pairs, highlighting points of interest. When students finish reading, discuss these questions:
- Describe William A. Wirt. How did he become involved with Gary's school system?
- What was the role of school in Gary? What kinds of changes needed to be made in order to meet the needs of Gary's diverse population?
- Compare and contrast the difference between the ideals of the Steel Corporation and Mr. Wirt.
- Explain the advantages of the Froebel School over the Jefferson School. Relate today's schools to those you have studied in this lesson.
- Show the students images of the school and children on the overhead. Discuss the photographs. You may use the student-designed criteria from Lesson 1, if applicable.
- Have students create their own stories as if they attended school in Gary during this period. They should include descriptions of their families, the lifestyle, and the school itself as well as photographs or illustrations.
Extending the Lesson
- Based on images and articles available through the U.S. Steel website, have students work in groups to create dioramas depicting a child's life in Gary. Students may wish to use the stories they have written for inspiration.
- Encourage students to read stories about Kit Kittredge and Samantha Parkington from the American Girl Collection. Samantha's books offer a firsthand look at life during the Victorian era in 1904, and Kit's offer a glimpse of hard times in 1934, during America's Great Depression. Using a time line such as the one available from At Home In the Heartland Online, students can identify historic events related to the period and draw parallels between individual lifestyles.
- Several thousand Polish and Hungarian families populated Gary. Immigration therefore played a crucial role in the formation of the city. Have students research families who emigrated from these countries during the early 1900's and share their findings with the class.