Adapted by Linda Burdick
from a unit by Carol Sullivan, Perry Village School.
This lesson uses a focus
question to compare modern life with life in
the past, particularly in
the areas of manufacturing, communication,
transportation and leisure.
FOCUS QUESTION V:
How have technology and science affected life in NH?
ERAS : 6 ( 1870-1900)
and 10 ( 1968-present)
INSTRUCTIONAL OUTCOMES:
Students should be able to define technology, give personal experiences
of how technology affects people and how people have used technology. Students
should be able to compare the technology of today with technology in one
era of the past.
QUESTIONS
TO EXPLORE (inquiry questions taken from NH History Curriculum):
1. What
is technology?
Methods:
A. Have students
brainstorm ideas about how technology has affected life in NH and list
the ideas on a chart.
B. Have students look
up technology and technical in different dictionaries and a thesaurus.
technology: a) practical
application of knowledge especially in a
particular area, b)
a manner of accomplishing a task especially using
technical processes, methods,
or knowledge, c) the specialized aspects of
a particular field or endeavor.
technical: having
a special and usual practical knowledge especially of a
mechanical or scientific
subject. thesaurus synonyms: industry and commerce
2. What
technologies do I and others use every day?
Methods:
A. Have students
identify the technologies they use throughout the day and describe how
technology affects their lifestyles. Have them think about the following
topics:
the ways we keep warm and cool
the ways we get and prepare our food
the ways we communicate
the ways we travel
the ways we have fun
the ways we get rid of trash and waste
the ways we learn
the ways we use spare time
B. To organize
their thoughts, students can prepare individual posters on how they use
technology in a day, and group posters on each topic. They can prepare
surveys and graphs on who uses what technology. They can write essays on
how technology affects their daily lives. (See student
worksheet. Sample descriptions
may be deleted as teacher's discretion.)
C. Have students
identify how technology affects the lifestyles of other people in their
community by observing and identifying the topics listed above for the
community as a whole. They should interview adults as part of their research.
Students can prepare posters and displays as projects.
3. What are some
of the technologies people used at different times in New Hampshire history?
Who used them? When? Why?
Methods:
A. Have students
look at photographs or images from photography books, scrapbooks, town
histories. etc., that depict their community in the late 1800s. (These
are probably available in your local library and local historical society.
Books that depict the Victorian era in general can be found at the NH Historical
Society library and Museum of New Hampshire Store.) Students can take notes,
write a report, and illustrate with posters the ways people kept warm and
cool, etc.
B. Have students
take photographs of evidence of past technology in their communities
old railroad beds, stone walls, logging roads, mills, etc. Make a display.
4. How has technology
affected the natural environment in New Hampshire?
Methods:
A. Have students
brainstorm in groups and choose one technology to research and report back.
Use old newspapers as well as resource books. Discuss/acf vs. opinion.
Possible topics: farming . logging, railroads, paper-making, mining, tourism.
What are some technologies that have helped the natural environment? What
are some technologies that have harmed the natural environment?
B. Ask speakers
to come to class and discuss their jobs. Have students devise interview
questions. Ideas: the local recycling center manager, a forester, a logger,
a horticultural nursery owner, a dairy farmer, a highway maintenance supervisor.
ASSESSMENT:
Have
the class discuss differences between today's technologies and technologies
in Era 6. Devise evaluation rubrics and have students assess their essays,
reports, and posters. In student conferences, compare students' evaluations
with the teacher's evaluations.
SOURCES:
Ailing, Diane. A New Hampshire
Histon- and Electric Timeline, 1820-1985: A Reproducible Teacher Resource.
Manchester, NH: Public Service Company. Call (603) 634-2557.
AMC and Forest Service Workshop
in Crawford Notch. "The Industrial Revolution." Cobblesrone, September,
1981.
Gillon, Edmund V. Jr. Cut
and Assemble a Nineteenth Ceniun' Mill Town. New York: Dover Publications.
Govatski. David, articles
and hand-outs (time line, articles on the railroad industry, and maps of
railroads) White Mountain National Forest, 1996.
Granite Monthly, Vol. VII,
No.5. May 1912. Article on John E. Henry, "Lumber King."
"Lumber King of the North Country." Granite Monthly. September, 1914. Article
on George Van Dyke.
Macauley, David. Mill. Boston:
HoughtonMifflin.l983. Museum of New Hampshire History Tour, Concord. NH.
Call (603)226-3189.
Ober, Richard, ed. At What
Cost? Shaping the Land We Call New Hampshire. Concord. NH: New Hampshire
Historical Society, 1992. New Hampshire forest history timeline.
Ross, Pat. Hannah's Fancy
Notions. New York: Penguin Books. 1988.
Society for the Protection
of New Hampshire Forests. Books, pamphlets, speakers. Concord, NH.
Weisman. Joanne B., ed. The
Lowell Mill Girls. Lowell, MA: Discovery Enterprise.
NH STANDARDS: Geography
II, 13, 14. 15; History 16. 17, 18: Economics 7 |