Orphan Train
Topic: Orphan Train
Names: Tracey Till d Margaret
Learning Goals:
Students will be able to answer these questions.
1. What is/was the Orphan Train?
2. Why were Orphan Trains sent west? How were children chosen to be part of Orphan Trains? What was life like in New York City for these children?
3. Why would pioneers/farmers want a child?
4. What experiences did orphans have after being adopted? What was life like for the children?
5. What was farm life like during the 1870's to 1910's?
6. Where (specifically) did the Orphan Trains go?
7. What are the Jacksonand DubuqueCounty connections to the Orphan Trains?
Teaching Standards (National):
United States History Standard and Benchmarks (3rd Ed.)Era 6 - The Development of the Industrial United States (1870-1900)
Standard 17: / Understands massive immigration after 1870 and how new social patterns, conflicts, and ideas of national unity developed amid growing cultural diversity
Level II (Grade 5-6)
1. / Understands patterns of immigrant life after 1870 (e.g., where people came from and where they settled; how immigrants formed a new American culture; the challenges, opportunities, and contributions of different immigrant groups; ways in which immigrants learned to live and work in a new country)
United States History Standard and Benchmarks (3rd Ed.)
Era 4 - Expansion and Reform (1801-1861)
Standard 10: / Understands how the industrial revolution, increasing immigration, the rapid expansion of slavery, and the westward movement changed American lives and led to regional tensions
Level II (Grade 5-6)
2. / Understands the major technological developments that influenced land and water transportation, the economy, international markets, and the environment between 1801 and 1860 (e.g., the importance of the steam locomotive,; the development of the railroad system after 1860)
3. / Understands social and economic elements of urban and rural life in the early and mid-19th centuries (e.g., the daily life of men, women, and children; factors that caused rapid urbanization; city life in the 1840s; differences in urban and rural children’s' lives,)
6. / Understands elements of early western migration (e.g., the lure of the West and the reality of life on the frontier; motivations of various settlers)
Key Terms:
orphanadoption
trains farm labor
tenement housingemigration
Orphan TrainChildren's Aid Society
Reverend Charles Loring Brace1854-1929
Maquoketa, Iowa (1919)Dubuque, Iowa (1854, 1888, 1889)
Lesson Plans:
Activity One
Title:Setting the Scene
Objectives: Students will be introduced to the topic of Orphan Trains. The students will be able to recognize some of the factors that caused children in New York City to become orphaned. The students will begin to recognize what the Orphan Train process was like for the children and what their lives were like once they reached their destination.
Materials: Key Words list, iBooks computers and websites visited:
1)
2)
3)
Microsoft Word application, Interpreting Historical Images questions, Train to Somewhere by Eve Bunting
Procedures: Class will begin by assigning the students to write a narrative using the Key Words list as a pre-assessment to the unit. The teacher will read Train to Somewhere by Eve Bunting. The class will then view the St. Charles power point together stopping to discuss the facts and images using Interpreting Historical Images questions. The students will be assigned to view the Roots and Children’s Aid Society websites to do background research on the Orphan Train. They also may expand their research by using a search engine to free search the topic. While viewing these websites, students will create a Word document to keep research notes in. This document will include the learning goals to guide students’ research. They will cut and paste at least 10 interesting or important facts into the Word document. Students will document any information copied from the free search time.
Assessment:Pre-assessment will be scored as follows: 1 point awarded for each word used, 2 points for each word used/explained correctly, 5 bonus points for trying. Students will print a copy of their Word document and turn in to the teacher. The assignment is worth 10 points. This assignment will be assessed for effort through teacher observation and following of directions.
Activity Two
Title: Literature Circles
Objectives: Students will experience life as an Orphan Train child through literature.
Materials: A Family Apart by Joan Lowery Nixon, iBooks to complete Web quest at Literature Circle job sheets
Procedures: The class will spend part of each Reading class period meeting in Literature Circle groups, reading the assigned pages, and completing assigned job sheets. They will also complete the coordinating activity in the Web quest.
Assessment:Job sheets are turned in daily and evaluated by the teacher. Groups are evaluated once a week by the teacher using a checklist to monitor quality and effort. The groups are evaluated once a week by the students using a performance rubric. Journal and Challenge Activity portfolios will be evaluated according to rubric set in Web quest.
Activity Three
Title: The Orphan Train Collection
Objectives: Students will use the collection to continue their Learning Goal research. They will recognize further reasons why the children were orphaned or sent on the Orphan Train. Students will understand the feelings of those who went west on the Orphan Train by reading accounts of their experiences. The class will discover facts related to the locations and number of orphans sent to Iowa.
Materials: iBooks to research the following websites: Microsoft Word application, atlas, large US map, push pins, string, T-chart, research worksheet from:
Procedures: Working in partners, students enter the website and click on The Orphan Train Story. This will take them to a menu of choices. Students will be directed to complete directed research activities before exploring the remaining menu choices freely.
Part One: They will begin by visiting Frequently Asked Questions, How Did It Feel, and The Child I Left Behind. Students will create a Word document to keep research notes in. This document will include the learning goals to guide student’s research. They will cut and paste at least 10 interesting or important facts into the Word document.
Part Two:“Orphan Train in Iowa” Students will use both websites listed above to research the impact of the Orphan Train in Iowa. They will begin at the Orphan Train Riders website and will complete the worksheet for the link C.A.S. Orphan Locations by State. They will then go to the Maquoketa website and complete the mapping activity for the link Iowa Orphan Train Stops. In small groups, students will map out one city from each letter of the alphabet on a basic map of Iowa. They will be directed to choose a city they are familiar with whenever possible. For cities they are unfamiliar with, the students will use an atlas.
Part Three: The students will select “Individual Rider Stories” from the Orphan Train Riders menu. They will be assigned to research 2 men and 2 women from the Rider menu. Students will work in partners to complete the Orphan Research worksheet. When their research is completed, they will complete a T-chart showing positive and negative experiences from the rider’s stories ultimately leading to a discussion between students to decide if the Orphan Train was a good or bad thing. T-charts will have a minimum of 10 items listed. While groups wait for everyone to be finished, they will use string and push pins to mark where in the United States orphans ended up.
Assessment:Part One:Students will print a copy of their Word document and turn in to the teacher. The assignment is worth 10 points. This assignment will be assessed for effort (teacher observation) and following of directions.
Part Two:Orphan Train Riders and Mapping worksheets will be graded for accuracy by teacher. They will find 21 cities on their map and the Riders worksheet is worth 11 points for a total score of 32 points.
Part Three: Completion of Orphan Research pages will be worth 60 awarded accuracy and effort. The T-chart will be worth 20 points. One point will be given for each example and one point will be awarded for each complete explanation. Mapping the locations on the US map will be worth 10 points for marking all 4 cities correctly.
Activity Four
Title:Videos
Objectives:Students will view two videos about the Orphan Train experience to compare and contrast information presented as fact and historical fiction.
Materials: Orphan Train and The Orphan Trains, TV/VCR
Procedures: Students will view the two videos and complete the video graphic organizer to compare and contrast the information presented.
Assessment:Graphic organizer will be scored according to quality and effort of answers by teacher.
Activity Five
Title:CampSilos – Exploring the Prairie
Objectives:Upon completion of the learning activities in the Prairie Module, students will be able to:
Describe basic characteristics of the tall grass prairie ecosystem.
Use a Web-based simulation. Evaluate the role of prairie fires in prairie renewal. Take a position related to preservation of the prairie and support their position with information drawn from resource materials.
Materials: iBooks, websites used Microsoft Word application
Procedures: Part One:Students will bring up the CampSilos home page and click on the Exploring the Prairie link. The class will read the introduction together and explore all links. They will enter Exploring the Prairie for Studentstogether and read the Quick Facts as a class. From there, the class will be broken into groups of four. Each group will have two computers. Groups will then enter the Scavenger Hunt portion of the Prairie site. They will create a Word document to answer the eight questions posed on the site. Questions will split within the groups. When completed, they will print a copy of their answers to give to the teacher.
Part Two: Students will bring up the CampSilos home page and click on the Exploring the Prairie link. Working in the same partner groups as yesterday, they will enter Exploring the Prairie for Students together and begin with the Mystery Photo. Students will use the two clues and do any free research they feel necessary to formulate a guess. The groups of two will come together to share information and write down their guess on paper. Answers will include the answer to the Mystery Photo question and why they think it is correct. The class will share guesses together before going to the Think you know? link. The class will then go to the Who Was Albert Lea? link and read together. The groups will be instructed to check out online resources to find additional information about Albert Lea. The teacher will set a research time limit and the class will go together to Albert’s Great Adventure. Here they will follow the directions to play the game on this link. They will use their knowledge of prairie life and Albert Lea to aid them in answering the questions.
Assessment:Part One: Word documents will be evaluated for accuracy and effort by the teacher.
Part Two: Students will be assessed for effort by teacher observations of time on task and teamwork/cooperation. Students will report to the teacher the number of questions it took to successfully complete the Albert Lea game.
Activity Six
Title:CampSilos – Pioneer Farming
Objectives:Upon completion of the learning activities in the Pioneer Module, students will be able to:
Describe why early pioneers settled on the Iowa prairie. Explain how fire brought renewal to the prairie and describe the effect on the pioneer farm.
Retell the annual and seasonal cycle of farming. Describe the impact of technology on farming practices during the 19th century. Describe the impact of railroading on the emerging farm economy
Materials: iBooks, websites used chart paper, art materials, Microsoft Word application
Procedures: Part One:Students will bring up the CampSilos home page and click on the Pioneer Farming link. The class will read the introduction together and explore all links. They will enterStudent links together and read the Quick Facts as a class. The class will from there go to Life as a Pioneer and read/discuss Why Move West?, Traveling West, and Frontier Problems.
Part Two:Students will bring up the CampSilos home page and click on the Pioneer Farming link. Working in the same partner groups as yesterday, they will enter the Student links together and begin with the History Detective. Groups will complete the Buying Land and Surveying the Land sections of the website. Students will read the information at these sites and create Word document to answer the questions in each section.
Part Three: Students will bring up the CampSilos home page and click on the Pioneer Farming link. Working in the same partner groups as yesterday, they will enter the Student links together and begin with the History Detective link. Groups will complete the 100 Years of Change section of the website. The class will go over the directions together and explore all of the links as part of the directions. We will look at the chart and discuss the projects directions. Groups will then be assigned to research cultivating, haying, and threshing at both the Agriculturist and 1900 Horse Powered web links. Groups will also research two choices of their own from each link. After researching, groups will complete the chart according to the directions.
Assessment:Part One:Students will be assessed for effort by teacher observations of time on task and teamwork/cooperation.
Part Two: Students will be assessed for effort by teacher observations of time on task and teamwork/cooperation. Word documents will be evaluated for accuracy and effort by the teacher.
Part Three: Students will be assessed for effort by teacher observations of time on task and teamwork/cooperation. Charts will be evaluated for accuracy and effort by the teacher.
Activity Seven
Title: Post-assessment
Objectives:To show what knowledge students have gained. Students use key words to write a narrative showing the understanding that they have gained.
Materials: Key Words worksheet
Procedures: Give students a list of the Orphan Train Key Words and ask them to write a narrative using all of the words. This narrative should show what they have learned and now know about the Orphan Trains..
Assessment:Teacher reads the narratives and assigns points as follows:
1 point for each word used
2 points for each word used/explained accurately
2 additional points for more detailed information about each word
5 bonus points for trying