LESSON
TITLE:
Networking
our
Land
­
The
Railroad
WRITTEN
BY:
Andrea
Holton
GRADE
LEVEL(S):
Grade
8
SUBJECT:
History
(United
States
and
North
Dakota)
TIME
ALLOTMENT:
Five
days
OVERVIEW:
The
Erie
Canal
and
the
Transcontinental
Railroad
both
served
to
network
sections
of
America
and,
thus,
to
promote
growth
in
many
ways.
Economic
growth
and
new
opportunities
for
living
transformed
the
nation.
What
did
these
two
transportation
systems
have
in
common
in
this
transformation?
The
railroad
enabled
people
to
settle
and
make
a
living
in
North
Dakota
and
the
region
in
general.
The
railroad
grew
in
stages
with
towns
developing
along
the
way.
Throughout
the
years,
railroads
have
been
networking
our
land.
They
have
changed
through
the
years
as
their
need
as
a
transportation
mode
has
changed.
Students
will
view
videos,
examine
photos,
read,
(these
all
on
the
web)
and
do
hands‐on
map
investigations,
do
an
Internet
search,
and
respond
orally,
in
writing,
and
in
an
art
piece
to
the
concepts
covered.
SUBJECT
MATTER:
Advances
in
transportation
helped
to
transform
our
nation.
Railroads
enabled
the
settlement
of
North
Dakota.
Railroads
were
networking
our
land.
Oral
discussion
and
written
summaries
about
these
concepts
Drawing
a
centennial
logo
that
includes
the
railroad
LEARNING
OBJECTIVES:
Students
will
be
able
to:
- identify three changes that occurred in our nation with the building of the Erie Canal.
- identify three changes that occurred in our nation with the building of the
Transcontinental Railroad.
- discuss the meaning of figurative language in the Transcontinental Railroad video.
- recognize three similarities that the Erie Canal and the Transcontinental Railroad
had in transforming our country.
- write paragraphs about the changes and similarities listed above.
- recognize the connection that the railroad had to the settlement of North Dakota/
our region.
- recognize the pattern of towns that were formed as railroads grew.
- list ways the railroads allowed the economy of North Dakota to grow.
- investigate the railroad system in North Dakota with the use of a road map.
- search for the “birth year” for a North Dakota city or town of choice, give a brief oral
report on its beginnings, and compare the locations in relation to others “born”
or incorporated at the same time and to the railroad system.
- investigate how railroad use has changed over the years.
- write a paragraph about how railroads impacted our state/region.
- write a haiku poem that reflects student knowledge of the railroads in North Dakota.
- design a centennial logo for a city or town in North Dakota.
NORTH
DAKOTA
STATE
STANDARDS:
Social
Studies
8.2.1
Analyze
the
transformation
of
the
nation
(e.g.
,
imperialism,
industrialization,
immigration,
political/social
reformers,
urbanization,
mechanization
of
agriculture,
changing
business
environment)
8.2.10
Analyze
the
rationale
for
western
expansion
and
how
it
affected
minorities
(e.g.,
reservations,
Indian
Removal
Act,
treaties,
Chinese
Exclusion
Act,
Dawes
Act,
Manifest
Destiny,
Homestead
Act)
8.3.2
Describe
how
technological
advances
(e.g.,
cotton
gin,
steel
plow,
McCormick
reaper,
steamboat,
steam
locomotives)
and
industrialization
impacted
regions
of
the
United
States
prior
to
the
Civil
War.
8.3.3.
Evaluate
how
economic
opportunities
(e.g.,
manufacturing,
agricultural,
and
business)
impact
regions
(i.e.,
North
Dakota;
e.g.,
Midwest,
Northeast).
8.5.2
Describe
the
characteristics,
distribution,
and
effects
of
human
migration
within
the
United
States
during
different
time
periods
(e.g.,
Westward
Expansion,
post
Civil
War,
Industrialization,
urbanization
English
Language
Arts
8.1.2.
Use
a
variety
of
primary
and/or
secondary
sources
to
access
information;
i.e.,
computer
catalogs,
magazines,
newspapers,
and
primary
sources
8.2.1.
Compare
or
contrast
characteristics
of
fiction
and
nonfiction
genres
8.2.6
Identify
figurative
language
in
literary
texts
including
personification,
simile,
metaphor,
and
hyperbole
8.3.8
Use
organizational
patterns;
e.g.,
introduction,
body,
conclusion
or
exposition/body/resolution
Visual
Arts
8.3.1
Understand
how
to
apply
subjects,
themes,
symbols
and
ideas
in
visual
art
to
communicate
ideas.
MEDIA
COMPONENTS
–
VIDEO
AND/OR
WEB:
Websites
http://www.history.com/videos
America:
The
Story
of
Us
­
Building
the
Erie
Canal
and
America:
The
Story
of
Us
­
Transcontinental
Railroad
http://www.ndstudies.org
Scroll
down
to
“A
Brief
History
of
North
Dakota”
in
the
pink
box.
Select
“Territory
to
Statehood”
which
will
take
you
to
“Dakota
Territory
Overview”
in
the
North
Star
Dakotan.
Select
“The
Great
Dakota
Boom,
1878‐1890”,
and
then
find
“Railroads
Open
Dakota
for
Note:
An
easier
way,
as
listed
below,
is
to
do
a
Google
search
for
North
Star
Dakotan
then
proceed.
http://www.digitalhorizonsonline.org
Search
for
railroads.
http://www.beachnd.com
Beach,
North
Dakota
website
http://www.youtube.com
Individual
videos
are
listed
within
the
lesson
plan.
http://aar.org
American
Association
of
Railroads
website
Select
“Statistics
and
Publications”
then
“Railroads
and
States”.
http://flikr.com/photos
Railroad
trestle
crossing
a
coulee
near
Minot,
ND
MATERIALS:
Textbook
–
North
Dakota
Legendary.
Chapter
9
is
The
Iron
Road
and
will
be
used
as
a
reference.
North
Dakota
maps
‐
one
for
each
student
Styrofoam
cupsv‐
one
for
every
two
students
Paragraph
organizer
of
your
choice
Paper,
colored
pencils,
markers,
highlighters
PREP
FOR
TEACHERS:
Bookmark
websites
Reserve
the
computer
lab
for
the
days
needed
Open
videos
to
starting
points
and
minimize
Familiarize
yourself
with
stopping
points
Gather
North
Dakota
road
maps
and
styrofoam
cups
Prepare
paragraph
organizer
Review
pattern
for
writing
a
haiku
Gather
paper
and
colored
pencils,
markers,
highlighters
INTRODUCTORY
ACTIVITY
­
SETTING
THE
STAGE
:
1. Read
aloud
“The
fur
trade,
early
riverboats,
and
army
posts
introduced
the
land
of
Dakota
to
some
people,
but
it
was
the
railroad
that
enabled
many
settlers
to
come
to
North
Dakota.
Peak
years
for
bringing
settlers
were
between
1892
and
1910.”(Howe,
Neil
E.,
and
Theodore
B.
Jelliff.
North
Dakota
Legendary,
North
Dakota
Center
for
Distance
Education,
2007).
2. Ask
“How
many
of
you
think
your
great
or
great‐great‐grandparents
might
have
come
to
this
area
on
the
train?
How
did
the
train
make
getting
here
and
thriving
here
possible?”
3. Assign
an
oral
interview
“Ask
your
oldest
relative
or
someone
from
an
older
generation
whom
you
can
easily
ask
if
and
how
the
railroad
is
part
of
their
family
history.”
Students
give
brief
oral
report
in
two
days.
LEARNING
ACTIVITIES:
MATERIALS:
computers
styrofoam
cups
North
Dakota
maps
1.
Watch
video
on
the
building
of
the
Erie
Canal.
http://www.history.com/videos
Search
for
America
the
Story
of
Us
Building
the
Erie
Canal.
Ask
“What
are
three
things
you
learn
about
how
the
Erie
Canal
transformed
our
nation?”
Discuss
orally
and
possibly
write
a
paragraph
together
to
answer
the
question.
Video
notes:
The
Erie
Canal
enabled
Americans
to
move
products
across
great
distances.
It
got
people
farther
west.
It
linked
settlements.
Because
people
could
help
each
other,
they
could
specialize.
2.
Watch
the
video
on
the
building
of
the
Transcontinental
Railroad.
http://www.history.com/videos
Search
for
America
the
Story
of
Us
Transcontinental
Railroad.
Ask
“What
are
three
things
you
learn
about
how
the
Transcontinental
Railroad
transformed
our
nation?”
Discuss
orally
and
possibly
write
a
paragraph
in
pairs
to
answer
the
question.
Locate
the
Transcontinental
Railroad
on
a
map.
Video
notes:
The
Transcontinental
Railroad
was
a
convenient,
efficient,
economical
transport
of
goods
and
people.
It
got
people
to
the
West.
The
coasts
were
united.
Cities
could
now
be
built.
People
could
think
continentally.
Many
foreigners
came
to
work
on
building
the
railroad
as
5,000
people
were
needed.
Two‐thirds
of
the
workers
were
Chinese.
The
Transcontinental
Railroad/railroads
can
be
called
the
“arteries
of
America”,
“the
Internet
of
the
19th
century”,
and
that
which
“knitted
together
America”.
Communication
and
commerce
were
fostered.
The
Industrial
Revolution
was
now
possible.
The
United
States
could
become
a
global
economic
power.
Anywhere
the
railroad
was
built,
the
area
around
it
was
transformed.
3.
Discuss
the
meaning
of
the
figurative
language
found
in
the
Transcontinental
Railroad
video:
“arteries
of
America”
“Internet
of
the
19th
century”
“knitted
together
America”
4.
Ask
“What
similarities
in
transforming
America
did
the
Erie
Canal
and
the
Transcontinental
Railroad
have?”
Discuss
and
possibly
individually
write
paragraphs
to
answer
this
question.
5.
Google
North
Star
Dakotan;
find
“The
Great
Dakota
Boom,
1878‐1890”,
and
then
find
“Railroads
Open
Dakota
for
Settlement”,
by
D.
Jerome
Tweton.
Read
together
and
discuss
to
answer
the
question
“How
do
you
think
the
railroad
impacted
North
Dakota?”.
On
a
North
Dakota
road
map,
use
a
highlighter
to
draw
the
progression
of
railroads
as
outlined
in
the
previous
article.
6.
View
photos
of
railroads
throughout
the
years.
Go
to
http://www.digitalhorizonsonline.org
and
search
for
railroads.
Have
the
students
look
at
various
photographs
of
their
interest.
7.
Have
groups
of
two
choose
an
area
of
North
Dakota.
Put
a
styrofoam
cup
upside
down
on
this
area,
and
trace
around
it.
On
the
Internet,
research
the
date
each
town
within
the
circled
area
was
born
or
incorporated.
Discuss
the
following:
‐
How
did
the
formation
of
the
town
relate
to
the
railroad?
‐
Were
there
similarities
in
when
and
why
or
how
the
towns
in
your
circled
area
formed?
‐
Why
were
railroad
stops
so
close
together?
‐
Has
our
town
celebrated
its
centennial?
‐
Have
you
attended
any
centennials?
For
an
example,
go
to
http://www.beachnd.com.
Look
at
Golva
and
Sentinel
Butte
as
well.
8.
Ask
“How
has
railroad
use
changed
over
the
years?”
Use
the
following
examples
to
assist
in
the
class
discussion.
‐
Coal
trains
are
common.
Look
for
photos
of
coal
trains
­
Discuss
Amtrak.
Search
for
Amtrak
Fact
Sheet,
Fiscal
Year
2008,
State
of
North
Dakota
and
discuss.
­
Many
branch
lines
are
closed.
See
a
1994
railroad
map
on
this
website:
http://www.digitalhorizonsonline.org
Search
for
railroads.
See
Item
19.
­
For
information
on
ND
freight
trains,
go
to
http://www.aar.org.
Select
“Statistics
and
Publications”
then
“Railroads
and
States”.
Choose
ND.
­
If
possible,
visit
the
North
Dakota
State
Railroad
Museum
in
Mandan,
ND.
For
further
interest:
­
A
train
trestle
over
the
Cheyenne
River
is
found
at
http://www.youtube.com
BNSF
Loaded
Coal
Train
C‐SCMSUD
Crossing
the
Cheyenne
River
at
Valley
City,
ND
with
All‐EMD
Lashup
­
A
train
clearing
snow
is
found
at
http://www.youtube.com
North
Dakota
Railroad
Crossing
­
Information
on
Minot
and
a
photo
of
the
trestle
there
is
found
at
http://www.flikr.com/photos
Railroad
trestle
crossing
a
coulee
near
Minot,
ND
‐
A
video
of
a
train
crossing
on
this
trestle
is
found
at
http://www.youtube.com
BNSF
train
on
Gassman
Coulee
Trestle
CULMINATING
ACTIVITY:
MATERIALS:
paper
colored
pencils
1.
Social
Studies:
Write
a
paragraph
that
answers,
“How
did
the
railroads
impact
the
settlement
of
North
Dakota?”
2.
Language
Arts:
Write
a
haiku
that
reflects
knowledge
of
the
railroads
in
North
Dakota.
3.
Art:
Design
a
town’s
centennial
logo
that
includes
the
railroad,
even
if
it
is
a
small
part
of
the
logo.
For
an
example,
go
again
to
http://www.beachnd.com
and
look
at
the
logo.
A
small
set
of
railroad
tracks
could
have
been
added
to
show
that
railroads
supported
the
settlement
and
the
growing
of
the
wheat.
4.
Social
Studies:
Discuss
why
the
title
of
this
lesson/unit
is
Networking
our
Land
­
The
Railroad.
Ask
“How
did
the
railroad
enable
westward
expansion
for
America?
How
did
the
railroad
enable
North
Dakota
to
become
settled?
What
is
a
network?
How,
then,
did
the
railroads
network
our
land?”
CROSS­CURRICULAR
ACTIVITY:
MATERIALS:
paper
colored
pencils
1. Language Arts: Write paragraphs about the changes and similarities listed above.
Use a format taught in your school’s English class.
2. Language Arts: Write a paragraph about how railroads impacted our state/region.
Use a format taught in your school’s English class.
3. Language Arts: Write a haiku poem that reflects student knowledge of the railroads in
North Dakota. Haiku is a Japanese word that means “Light Verse”. There are 5 syllables
in the first line, 7 in the second, and 5 in the third. They do not need to rhyme. While
nature was originally the topic, any topic can be used.
Examples:
Reaching
to
new
lands
Bringing
people
and
supplies
New
towns
are
built
there
Whistles
in
the
night
Important
work
to
get
done
Long
ago
and
now
4.
Art:
Design
a
centennial
logo
for
a
city
or
town
in
North
Dakota
that
includes
the
railroad,
even
if
it
is
just
a
detail
on
the
graphics.
COMMUNITY
CONNECTIONS:
1.
Interview
an
older
relative
or
other
person
of
an
older
generation
about
any
connections
their
ancestors
had
to
the
building
of
or
use
of
the
railroad
in
North
Dakota.
2.
Research
the
connections
between
North
Dakota
towns
and
the
railroad.
Discuss
ways
your
town’s
origin
is
connected
to
the
railroad
and
share
that
information
with
others
through
a
display
at
the
local
library.
3.
Possibly
visit
the
North
Dakota
State
Railroad
Museum
or
a
local
depot.
4.
Find
out
when
a
town
or
towns
celebrated
their
centennial
and
any
relationships
they
have
and
share
with
the
railroad.
Enter
a
contest
or
help
a
centennial
planning
committee
design
a
logo.
OTHER
POSSIBILITIES
TO
EXTEND
OR
ENHANCE
THIS
TOPIC:
• Discuss
Morse
code
and
how
the
train
engineers
reached
for
their
instructions
written
in
Morse
code
by
leaning
out
the
train
window
as
they
passed
by
a
station.
• Research
date
nails
used
at
the
time.
See
http://fantasticprices.com/DATENAIL/Railroad.htm.
• Research
the
perils
of
train
travel,
snowstorms
and
robberies.
• Research
dining
cars
and
“The
Great
Big
Baked
Potato”
served
by
the
Northern
Pacific
Railroad.
• Research
the
various
jobs
on
the
train.
• Invite
someone
who
works
on
the
railroad
as
a
guest
speaker.