Kelly Goldsborough

Jessica Labo

Chipman Lesson Plan

Building in the early 1800’s: Constructing the Chipman Cultural Center

Grade Level: 1st-3rd

Preparation/Materials:

  • Wood (any type of soft wood)
  • Be sure to check with your local building supply sellers for free scrap wood.
  • Nail files
  • Sand paper
  • Pictures of old building materials
  • Pictures of the Chipman’s CulturalCenter’
  • Nails
  • Pictures of modern building materials and buildings
  • Art materials

Objectives/Goals:

  • Students will be able to identify the different types of building materials that were used during the time of the Chipman’s CulturalCenter.
  • Students will be able to understand the difficulties that slaves (carpenters) endured during the construction of the Chipman’s CulturalCenter, such as making their own materials.

Standards:

Indicator

2. Compare people and objects of today and long ago

Objectives

  1. Construct meaning from informational text and text features about the past
  1. Collect and examine photographs of the past and compare with current photographs of similar images, such as old photographs of the school and community

Procedure:

  1. Phase One:
  2. Begin by organizing students in groups of four, so that they are facing each other in a circle.
  3. Pass out envelopes to each group. The envelopes should contain a series of pictures of the Chipman’s CulturalCenter, modern building materials, and old fashion building materials.
  4. Guide students to discuss the pictures and brainstorm about what they think we will be learning about today. Students may discuss the following:
  5. What similarities and differences do they recognize the pictures?
  6. What ideas come to mind when you see these pictures?
  7. What do you think we will be talking about today?
  8. Tell students that “today friends we are going to be talking about the construction of a very special building.”
  9. Together, discuss the pictures and let the students share some of their answers to the questions that they discussed.
  10. Phase Two:
  11. Begin by informing students that they are going to have the opportunity to talk to someone who is knowledgeable about construction.
  12. In their groups, have the students brainstorm possible questions that they may want to ask the speaker. Invite a speaker who is knowledgeable about construction in the 1800’s and in today. Possible guest speakers might be historians, architects, carpenters.
  13. Introduce the speaker.
  14. Phase Three:
  15. Discuss the results of the speaker’s presentation.
  16. Pass out materials for students to use to create their own wooden nails.
  17. Instruct the students to use the nail files, sand paper, and wood to try and create their own nails. Allow students to participate in this activity for about ten minutes.
  18. Then, discuss with students the following topics:
  19. What was hard about this activity?
  20. Do you think it would take a long time to make all the nails like this?
  21. What would you do if you were a carpenter in the 1800’s and you had to make hundreds of nails just so you could build one building? How would you feel?

Evaluate:

  • Allow students to talk about the things that they learned with their group.
  • Tell students that they are going to work in their groups to complete a project that demonstrates the things that they have learned. Allow students to complete one project per group and let them choose one way to present what they have learned:
  • Literature Based Project
  • Drama Based Project.
  • Art Based Project.
  • Allow students to present their work.

FYI: Possible ways for students to present their knowledge:

  • Dioramas
  • Painting/Drawing
  • Skit
  • Newscast
  • Game
  • Puppet play
  • Song and dance
  • Poems
  • Talk show radio program
  • Picture Collage