Amoskeag Mill Lesson - Grade Four
Objective:
Students will compare and contrast farm work vs factory work to examine the industrious growth of the state during the early 19th century. They will examine primary documents to recognize the hardships and prejudices that Franco Americans faced during the 19th century in New Hampshire. They will create a performance task based on the mill life of a Franco American.
Common Core Standards:
R I 4.7 Interpret information presented visually, orally, or quantitatively (e.g., in charts, graphs, diagrams, time lines, animations, or interactive elements on Web pages) and explain how the information contributes to an understanding of the text in which it appears. (diagrams, time lines, animations, or interactive elements on Web pages) and explain how the information contributes to an understanding of the text in which it appears.
W 4.2 2. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.
W4..7 Conduct short research projects that build knowledge through investigation of different aspects of a topic.
Materials
Before Factories reading
Factory Life in the 1800s reading
Franco American mill worker reading
Slides from Industrious NH
farm girl vs mill girl questions
Cite evidence worksheet
Amoskeag Mill video
Visit Mill
Venn diagram
Comparative essay on farm vs factory
Procedure
1) Have students read Before Factories
2) Have students read Factory Life in the 1800s
3) Have students create a Venn Diagram on Farm vs. Factory and answer the following questions.
a. What do you think living on a farm during the mid 1800’s would be like?
b. What would be some good things about farm life? Freedom, beautiful countryside…
c. What would be some things that would not be good? Long hours, hard work….
d. What do you think working in a factory would be like? Loud, dangerous…
e. What might be some benefits of working in a factory? Pay check, independence….
f. What might be some disadvantages of working in a factory? Missing home, danger….
3) Review the Industrious NH slides
4) Working in pairs, students read the Franco American mill worker story
5) Have students complete the cite evidence worksheet
6) Have students view the Amoskeag Mill video
7) Discuss the students visit to the Mill – have students devise questions that can be answered by the experience.
8) Have students reflect on their mill experience and complete a Venn diagram comparing farm vs factory life.
9) Have students write a comparative essay on farm vs. factory
10) Have students choose one of the four performance task to complete
Performance task choices:
Students role play five days in the life of a mill worker character: creating five diary entries along with illustrations descriptive of the character’slife; students will bind their entries and illustrations in their homemade diaries
Student teams create a quilt square contributing to a visual display of the development of industry in New Hampshire including the Franco American influence
Student teams create a visual display (e.g., diorama, working model, illustration, map) representing a mill worker. They will include a brief written defense of their choice of visuals
Student teams create a life-size representation of a Franco American person from the area of study, dressed in period clothing, along with three artifacts that would have been important to him or her.
Resources
/uploads/1/4/2/5/14250476/before_factories.docx
/uploads/1/4/2/5/14250476/factory_life_in_the_1800s.docx
/uploads/1/4/2/5/14250476/venn_diagram.docx
/uploads/1/4/2/5/14250476/industriousnh.ppt
/uploads/1/4/2/5/14250476/french_mill_worker2.docx
/uploads/1/4/2/5/14250476/farm_vs.factory_cite_evidence.docx
Amoskeag Mill 1935 Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuUVA7EU8bM&index=6&list=PLer1L0uQxqhPya0MoLGYLo4ZFXWUN_LXk
/uploads/1/4/2/5/14250476/comparative_essay__farmvsfactory.doc
Students will compare and contrast farm work vs factory work to examine the industrious growth of the state during the early 19th century. They will examine primary documents to recognize the hardships and prejudices that Franco Americans faced during the 19th century in New Hampshire. They will create a performance task based on the mill life of a Franco American.
Common Core Standards:
R I 4.7 Interpret information presented visually, orally, or quantitatively (e.g., in charts, graphs, diagrams, time lines, animations, or interactive elements on Web pages) and explain how the information contributes to an understanding of the text in which it appears. (diagrams, time lines, animations, or interactive elements on Web pages) and explain how the information contributes to an understanding of the text in which it appears.
W 4.2 2. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.
W4..7 Conduct short research projects that build knowledge through investigation of different aspects of a topic.
Materials
Before Factories reading
Factory Life in the 1800s reading
Franco American mill worker reading
Slides from Industrious NH
farm girl vs mill girl questions
Cite evidence worksheet
Amoskeag Mill video
Visit Mill
Venn diagram
Comparative essay on farm vs factory
Procedure
1) Have students read Before Factories
2) Have students read Factory Life in the 1800s
3) Have students create a Venn Diagram on Farm vs. Factory and answer the following questions.
a. What do you think living on a farm during the mid 1800’s would be like?
b. What would be some good things about farm life? Freedom, beautiful countryside…
c. What would be some things that would not be good? Long hours, hard work….
d. What do you think working in a factory would be like? Loud, dangerous…
e. What might be some benefits of working in a factory? Pay check, independence….
f. What might be some disadvantages of working in a factory? Missing home, danger….
3) Review the Industrious NH slides
4) Working in pairs, students read the Franco American mill worker story
5) Have students complete the cite evidence worksheet
6) Have students view the Amoskeag Mill video
7) Discuss the students visit to the Mill – have students devise questions that can be answered by the experience.
8) Have students reflect on their mill experience and complete a Venn diagram comparing farm vs factory life.
9) Have students write a comparative essay on farm vs. factory
10) Have students choose one of the four performance task to complete
Performance task choices:
Students role play five days in the life of a mill worker character: creating five diary entries along with illustrations descriptive of the character’slife; students will bind their entries and illustrations in their homemade diaries
Student teams create a quilt square contributing to a visual display of the development of industry in New Hampshire including the Franco American influence
Student teams create a visual display (e.g., diorama, working model, illustration, map) representing a mill worker. They will include a brief written defense of their choice of visuals
Student teams create a life-size representation of a Franco American person from the area of study, dressed in period clothing, along with three artifacts that would have been important to him or her.
Resources
/uploads/1/4/2/5/14250476/before_factories.docx
/uploads/1/4/2/5/14250476/factory_life_in_the_1800s.docx
/uploads/1/4/2/5/14250476/venn_diagram.docx
/uploads/1/4/2/5/14250476/industriousnh.ppt
/uploads/1/4/2/5/14250476/french_mill_worker2.docx
/uploads/1/4/2/5/14250476/farm_vs.factory_cite_evidence.docx
Amoskeag Mill 1935 Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuUVA7EU8bM&index=6&list=PLer1L0uQxqhPya0MoLGYLo4ZFXWUN_LXk
/uploads/1/4/2/5/14250476/comparative_essay__farmvsfactory.doc