Title: New Technology in American Industrialization
Lesson Author: Scott Oliver & Bryan Gilkerson
Key Words:
1. Limited Liability Corporation
2. Bessemer Steel Process
3. Assembly Line Manufacturing
Grade Level: 11th Grade
Time Allotted: 50 minutes
Rationale/ Purpose (so what?)
The purpose of this lesson is to help students understand the significance of
certain inventions and technological innovations on the development of the
nation as an industrial power. Students will also make connections to how these
technologies have developed and impacted society throughout their development
including the students’ own daily lives.
Key Concept(s) include definition:
1. Industrial Economy: Much of the material discussed led America’s
economy to move from an agriculturally based economy to one based
around urban factories and the production of manufactured consumer
goods.
2. Expansion of Big Business: During this time period, many innovations
led to large corporate empires involving complex organization and
management systems and large-scale means for production and
distribution of their products and services.
3. Growth of Large-Scale Agriculture: Innovations of this time period led
to a dramatic shift from family-owned farms to much larger corporate
agricultural units that took advantage of new technologies and production
methods to expand.
NCSS Standard(s)
SOL Information (As written in the Virginia SOL “Curriculum
Framework” for the grade level)
NCSS Theme (s) with indicators: Theme Eight – Science,
Technology, and Society
Enable learners to identify, describe, and examine both current
and historical examples of the interaction and interdependence
of science, technology, and society in a variety of cultural
settings.
Provide opportunities for learners to make judgements about
how science and technology have transformed the physical
world and human society and our understanding of time, space,
place, and human-environment interactions.
SOL:
VUS.1c. Formulate historical questions and defend findings
based on inquiry and interpretations.
VUS.1d. Develop perspectives of time and place.
VUS.8b. The student will demonstrate knowledge of how the
nation grew and changed from the end of Reconstruction
through the early twentieth century by describing the
transformation of the American economy from a primarily
agrarian to a modern industrial economy and identifying major
inventions that improved life in the United States;
Essential Knowledge Essential Skills
(minimum for SOL Resource Guide) (minimum for SOL Resource
Guide)
Technological change spurred growth
of industry primarily in northern Formulate historical questions
cities. and defend findings based on
inquiry and interpretations
Inventions/Innovations
Corporation (limited liability) Develop perspectives of time
Bessemer steel process and place.
Light bulb (Thomas Edison)
and electricity as a source of
power and light
Telephone (Alexander Graham
Bell)
Airplane (Wright Brothers)
Assembly line manufacturing
(Henry Ford)
Guiding Question(s):
1. How did these major inventions impact American society both in the
past and today?
Assessment Tool(s): See assessment rubric (materials)
1. Students will be assessed based on their participation as a group in
examining explanation cards based on the essential knowledge and by the
questions and answers generated in an accompanying worksheet.
2. Students will be assessed on their understanding and inquiry into this
material through a brief presentation of their groups’ findings.
3. Students will continue their inquiry by generating questions of their
fellow students and will be assessed on the relevance and depth of their
questions.
Background: How does this lesson fit into a unit of study? Looking backwards,
looking forwards
Looking back, the opening activity focuses on students applying past
knowledge of the relationship between new technology and the development of
society. The lesson will likely be towards the beginning of their study of
industrialization during the late 19th and early 20th centuries because it provides
a foundation for them to discover technological causes for the societal changes
that were occurring at this time. This lesson will be followed by other lessons
that study these aspects of societal change at this time period in greater depth.
Lesson Objective(s) (Please number):
Students will be able to:
1. Give an educated explanation of the historical background behind the
innovations focused on in this lesson.
2. Explain the effects that these innovations had on American society
when they were first being introduced.
3. Make inferences into how these innovations have continued to impact
America as they developed and how they impact students’ lives even
today.
Materials: Historical Additional
Source(s): (include copies in Materials/Resources: (include
materials section) copies in materials section)
Explanation cards
Guiding question worksheet
Presentation rubric
Procedure/Process:
JUST DO IT! The “Hook”:
Students will be instructed to take out a scrap sheet of paper and compile
a list of technologies that they have used since they woke up that morning
that would not have been available to them 100 years ago. This is to raise
awareness of the impact that new technologies can have on the lives of
individuals and how we soon begin to take these technologies for granted.
The lesson will then focus on several major technological innovations that
are often taken for granted today, but had a major impact on society when
they first came along.
Processing Activity and Check for Evidence of
Procedure -include directions, Understanding
question frames, assignment -Either Formal or Informal-
Obj #
detail to be given to students (Checks Essential
See
(these should all be made into Knowledge and Skills)
above.
explicit materials (e.g. see
material A), and time estimates
Survey room and make sure
Have students break into six assigned that everyone is working
groups. Then have them individually quietly, let students know
Just do it.
complete the above anticipatory set. that their answers will be
App. 2-2½ minutes discussed later. Pass out
explanation cards
After app. 1½ min. tell students to be wrapping comments up. In
app. 30 more seconds random call on students to share their
Transition: answers. Introduce insight regarding how different life would have
been without many of these technologies and how many of them
are taken for granted now.
Explain to students that each group Teacher should move
has an explanation card of a major throughout the room and
invention that contributed to the era gauge the progress of each
of rapid industrialization in late 19th of the groups.
th
and early 20 century America. Using
this explanation card, the students
will make inferences about their topic
Objectives
in order to complete an
#1, 2, & 3
accompanying worksheet (see
materials). Students will be given
app. 10-15 min. to complete this
exercise. Also, inform each student
that they will each be responsible for
presenting one question from the
worksheet.
Transition: Tell students to be wrapping up their group discussions.
Call on each group to give a short Help to correct any
presentation of their findings based misconceptions present in
on the guiding questions worksheet. the students’ presentations.
Objectives While the students are presenting, tell Elaborate on students’
#1, 2, & 3 the other students to be jotting down findings and try to answer
questions that they have. Before the any questions that students
groups have presented inform the may have. Random call on
students that each group will be students to begin reading
required to ask the other group and analyzing different
several well-thought out questions portions of the remainder of
and that each member of the group the Preamble.
should have at least one well-thought
out question for another group. 20-
25 min.
Tell each group to take 1 minute to review the questions they
Transition:
generated and choose one to ask another group.
Have each group ask the question
that they decided on. There is a good
Assess groups based on
chance that the group may not know
Objectives their presentations,
the answer, in which case the teacher
#1, 2, & 3 questions, and ability to
should assist the group after letting
deal with the material.
them make inferences about the
question. App. 10 min.
Modifications/Accommodations for Diverse Learners: Provide list of
questions and relevant answers based off of the question frame for
students with learning disabilities. Strategically pair students with learning
disabilities with another student who will be willing and capable of assisting
them with the group work.
Closure/Writing Prompt/Rubric: The closure will be a group
discussion of the materials allowing the students to ask relevant questions
of their peers that were generated during the presentations. While
students should have an opportunity to grapple with the questions asked of
them, the teacher should also assist in providing answers and with helping
the students make connections. Also, on the following day the teacher will
pass out a note sheet with the contents of the explanation cards for the
students to use as a study guide for the SOLs.
Materials (one resource per page- so it becomes a teacher or student handout, or
overhead directions or ppt presentation.)
The following two pages are meant to be separated and handed out as
individual explanation cards.
Bessemer Steel Bessemer First put into process uses
Process process was a practice by the large open-
means for Bessemer Steel ended
Patented by creating cheaper Company of converters (vats)
Henry Bessemer and higher- Sheffield, to oxidize pig
in 1855, the quality steel. England, this (raw) iron and
create a much longer in a high and adopted a had been
purer form of vacuum area. switchboard experimenting
steel. This On New Year’s system that with wind
brought the Eve 1879, made the device powered gliders
price of steel Edison more practical and kites for
from displayed his for mass nearly three
approximately invention and marketing. years. After
to 50-60 pounds the commercial building their
per ton to only use of the light own wind
around 7 pounds bulb was born. tunnel, the
per ton. At this He later brothers were
new price, steel capitalized on able to engineer
became the new this invention by effective wings
metal of choice creating and to gain control
for use in patenting the of the craft and
construction and first electric incorporate an
commercial distribution engine to self-
goods. system that propel the
would power his launch.
light bulbs.
Electricity as a Telephone Airplane Assembly Line
Source of Manufacturing
Power/Light While there is a In 1903, Orville
great deal of Wright piloted Ransom Eli
In 1878, controversy over the first Olds borrowed
Thomas Edison who actually sustained several ideas of
of Menlo Park, invented the powered flight division of labor
NJ created the prototype for the over the beaches and repetition
Edison Electric telephone, of Kill Devil from English
Light Company Alexander Hills, NC. naval
to develop a Graham Bell Though his manufacturers
commercially was granted a flight lasted and employed
viable electric patent its only 12 seconds them in the
lighting system. invention in and spanned a production of
Though he did 1876. While it distance of 121 his Olds motor
not actually is not likely that feet, his brother vehicles in
invent the light Bell invented Orville’s flight 1901.
bulb, Edison did the telephone, later that day Perfecting this
make it practical he and his lasted an system of
by finding an company the impressive 59 manufacturing,
appropriate Bell Telephone seconds Henry Ford
filament that Company did encompassing created entire
would last fine-tune the use 852 feet. The factories
exponentially of the telephone Wright Brothers beginning in
1913 based on provide that
this concept of company with
one worker the money
performing one needed to
task to a large expand and
number of develop.
identical Limited liability
products. After laws allow these
adding the companies to
movable become
conveyor belt to corporations,
pass work along meaning that the
in 1916, Ford investors are in
Motor Company most cases not
was able to liable for any
double the more than they
production of all originally
other car invested in the
manufacturers corporation.
combined while Investors are
also cutting thus provided
prices in half. with security
Corporation measures
making them
By 1860, many not liable for
states had additional debts
followed in the the company
footsteps of the may accrue.
British by
creating laws
allowing
businesses to
incorporate.
Very basically,
this means that a
group of
individuals can
invest, or buy a
share of a
company, to
Guiding Questions for Explanation Cards
Directions: This should be filled out as a group for the students’ assigned explanation card.
Students should be prepared to discuss their group’s findings and answer questions on them.
Answers do not have to be in complete sentences and these will be taken up for a grade at the
end of class. Included in this grade will be how well the students worked together as a group.
1. Give a brief summary of what this invention was and how it would have been beneficial at the
time of its creation.
2. Generate examples of how this invention has developed over time and in what forms it may
still be used today.
3. Generate examples of overall effects this invention may have had on society or the economy
in time period following its creation. Focus on how this may have made certain aspects of
business or daily life simpler and what may have resulted from these benefits.
4. How have these inventions led to the development of society and the economy today? Focus
on how life may be different if these inventions were not around.
5. Are there any questions you as a group may have regarding your invention after reading about
and discussing the material on each of your cards?
Grading Rubric
Presentation/Worksheet – (5 pts.):
Students had a basic understanding of what their invention was and the historical facts
associated with it.
Students answered each of the questions on the worksheet thoughtfully and addressed
each of these adequately in their presentation
Students made inferences and connections beyond what they were presented with on their
cards to generate adequate answers to each question and addressed these inferences in
their presentation.
Students worked cooperatively as a group to analyze the material and produce a
presentation of their findings.
Question & Answer Session – (5 pts.)
Students created a minimum of four reasonably well-thought out questions based on their
peers’ presentations.
Students made reasonable attempts to consider and answer questions posed by their peers
and teacher following their presentations.
Students reacted to prompting or assistance from teacher and questions from peers
positively and respectfully and made further connections based on this feedback or
additional inquiry.
Students were attentive to all other groups in order to form relevant questions and not
distract others.
Teacher Comments: