Summary Post

Our time in Springfield, Madison, and Chicago was well worth all the work we had to put into the program.  Other than the one lesson I plan to write about immigration, I found countless topics on which I can now expand in the several different subjects that I teach to my 8th graders.

In Language Arts, my students are already required to read several essays on Abraham Lincoln and his road to the Presidency.  What I now know about Lincoln’s public and private life from both the readings and the visits to Springfield and New Salem will help to reinforce my lectures and lessons on the subject.

Both the pictures and stories from the Illinois State House, as well as many of the stories surrounding the City of Chicago’s response to the Great Fire and the Haymarket Square bombing will help provide examples for my 8th Grade Civics curriculum.  A good amount of time for this class is also spent discussing the Executive branch of our government, and the information gathered at the Lincoln Museum is already helping me think of new ideas for lessons.

It might seem like a bit of a stretch, but I also plan to use many of the pictures and other materials as part of my geography curriculum.  Lake Michigan, the Chicago River (and the successful 19th Century attempt to make it flow backwards), and the vegetation of the Midwestern United States will all come up at least once this year.  The fact that Madison, Wisconsin lies on an isthmus between two lakes will hopefully help drive home a vocabulary term that students usually tend to stumble through.

Along with the big tools for instruction we were exposed to, such as the workshops with the creators of the DBQ Project and the Chicago History Museum website, there were so many smaller tools that we were given throughout the course which I feel I won’t fully appreciate until a full year of instruction has gone by, and perhaps not even then.  I look forward to sharing the photographs, stories, primary documents and interpretations with my students.  But more than anything, I am excited about getting a chance to have them take all these subjects, look at them, absorb them, and come up with their own interpretations of what happened throughout history.

Labor Pains: Final Day in Chicago

Our final day in Chicago materialized as a whirlwind tour of Progressive Era labor history.  The first stop at Haymarket Square provided a much more solid idea of exactly where the tragic events of May 4th, 1886 actually took place.  Although much of the area has changed in the last 120 years, the pictures taken there should be a great tool for reinforcing my class discussions about Chicago’s history, as well as a springboard for lessons about urban geography.  I loved the minimalist style of the memorial dedicated to the laborers, and how it seemed to represent both their enduring work ethic and spirit for justice.

The courthouse where the Haymarket trials took place was an absolutely beautiful building, (although not exactly the same one that stood there in 1886) and our tour guide did an excellent job of reminding us of just how deep corruption ran in the late 19th Century.  The photos and what we heard about the trial itself should do a great job of helping my 8th graders understand the evolution of America’s court system.

After that, it was off to the Waldheim Cemetery in Forest Park to see the memorial erected in the martyrs’ honor.  The last words of August Spies that appear on the front of the monument capture the spirit and the reason why this topic is so relevant in America’s history: “The time will come when our silence will be more powerful than the voices you strangle today!”

Such a heavy topic could only be followed by an equally heavy meal, and that’s exactly what we received at the Healthy Food Lithuanian Restaurant.  Eastern Europe comes alive in this humble setting that’s been a staple of the community since 1935.  If you’re looking for the best cabbage soup in Chicago, I wouldn’t recommend any other.

After a quick stop at the stockyards, we were off to Pullman, Illinois and the “World’s most perfect town.”  Aside from low wages for the workers, fascist control of its residents, and an incredibly creepy feel that permeates the entire company town, Pullman built a wonderful community for those willing to subject themselves to his rule.  George Orwell could have switched to the History genre, had he only looked to Pullman’s idea of a utopia!

Greetings from America’s Diary (sic) Land: Madison, Wisconsin

So who would have thought that Wisconsin could be so interesting?  Our stop at the State Historical Society Museum proved to be, despite my preconceived notions, well worth the trip.  I was very impressed with the state history curriculum that the Wisconsin teachers had designed, and I wish we could get the green light to develop our own texts the way they do in the Midwest.  It is very clear that this region of the country holds their educators in a little higher regard than we do in the West.  (I suppose that’s why Michigan has the highest starting pay for teachers in the country, huh?)

At the Wisconsin Historical Society we were handed some excellent resources for teaching about immigration.  The primary sources come alive in the actual documentation of immigrants coming to America and applying for citizenship.  I was amazed to see just how much the federal requirements changed from the late 19th Century to the early 20th.  I definitely plan on using the samples provided for a Document Based Question pertaining to the evolution of citizenship requirements as a reflection of popular opinion in the Progressive Era.

The Wisconsin Historical Society has a fantastic website designed to search what can only be described as a truly extensive collection of modern American history archives.  Their system is based on that of the old card catalogue, and the primary sources they store in their physical archives is so extensive that I find it hard to believe they are close to having the collection digitized.  I only wish we had been allowed more time in the archives, because just as I got going it was time to return to the classroom for another lecture.

The discussion proved to be well worth it, as Dr. Stan Schultz from the University of Wisconsin gave us a more in-depth idea of just what constitutes the “Progressive Era.”  A fantastic speaker, Schultz helped solidify in my mind a period in American history that I have always found somewhat dull, a lifeless gap between more exciting times in American history.  I bite my tongue after today.  What previously seemed dull was today filled with plot, intrigue, even political scandal, and I was forced to rethink my earlier ideas of the Progressive Movement, which I had always thought began in the 1900’s.  I can’t wait to see what lessons I’m able to pull from that lecture.

Change we can believe in: Chicago Day 5

From social justice to architectural intrusion, today’s trip was one that followed change in the city of big shoulders.  At Jane Addams’s Hull House we learned about a person who was once the most famous woman in America, and for good reason.  At her settlement house in Chicago, she fed, taught, and made emigrants from all over the world feel welcome in a city that seemed to want them for little more than their capacity to fill the need for hard labor.  As Addams and other workers fought for change on the micro as well as the macro level, newcomers to America were treated with dignity and given a place where they could better themselves and their community.

The staff at the Hull House Museum these day have chosen to carry on that tradition by not only preserving the history that rests in the campus, but the spirit of pushing for social justice in the world as well.  They have taken community gardening to a whole new level with their “urban farm,” and the fact that they have adopted the true spirit of pragmatism by letting their work influence their ideals would make Addams proud that they were working for change in her name.

At lunch, we were exposed to just how far their efforts can reach in the city of Chicago and throughout the world as they network with other organizations pushing for change in their own communities.  I was particularly interested in their concern for healthy eating, especially for those who seem to have the least amount of access to nutritious food.  The workers have drawn clear parallels between the injustices of their day and those we still face, and it was inspiring to see that by studying history and learning from it we can help make history today.

As we moved along the Chicago River and saw skyscraper after skyscraper, I was overwhelmed by what people can accomplish in such a short period of time.  As a relatively new city as far as cities go, Chicago has transformed itself from a trading post to a mega-metropolis and all as a result of the hard work of people from all backgrounds.  Just imagine how this city would look if people like Donald Trump decided that instead of constructing a new hotel, he would build a community center to provide inexpensive job skills training.  I just ran a Google search for “most famous woman in the world” and Madonna is what came back.  Anyone ready for some change?

Design at its Finest: Chicago Day 4

If there was one thing I needed this morning to wake me up, it was nice, clean lines and geometric shapes.  Okay, that’s what I got in spades at the Frank Lloyd Wright home and studio in Oak Park, Illinois.  We visited the residence of this monumental architect (at least his residence from the late 19th to early 20th centuries) which was a house he designed himself in what should be described as his “coming of age” period.  I realize that his methods were groundbreaking and innovative in his day and age, but since “Prairie Style” is not my personal favorite, I like to think of his architectural choices as more of a rebellion against the status quo and a reflection of what Chicago as a city represented to the country as a whole, particularly against New York City.

Wright, about whom I knew very little before today, was undoubtedly a rebel in the architectural community, and his design embodies that in his own house and in those he devised throughout his neighborhood.  His use of clean lines, dramatic detail, and geometry helped to set him apart from all those around him as he walked the fine line between being an idealist and a pragmatist who still needed to provide for his family.  I would have enjoyed a bit more background about Wright, the man, but the tour guides seemed reluctant to delve into that topic.  All the more reason to further investigate on my own.

The Oak Park neighborhood we toured was amazing, and I loved how most of Wright’s designs attempted to bring the outdoors inside his constructions.  The hundred to hundred and fifty year old trees were the most spectacular element throughout the area, but I simply couldn’t help but picture Mr. T with a chainsaw clearing the acreage around his house in order to quell his allergies. (If you have no idea what I’m referring to, please look it up.  The story will have you rolling in the aisles!)

Our next stop was the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry, a favorite among the young White Sox fans I’m told.  It’s a completely interactive arrangement of exhibits ranging from human genetics to smart houses and digestive systems, with short videos and extra exhibits to break up the active learning for the kids.  I had a great time, but after seeing all the nannies there babysitting children by the “Subaru full,” I realized that this would be a far better museum for a family than for a single teacher.

The virtual tour of the 1893 Word’s Fair was wonderful, (save for the half-hearted attempt by the tour guide) and I got a much better sense of just how expansive the grounds for a world fair actually are.  The stroll around the exterior of what is now the Museum of Science and Industry building provided a great example of how the city has grown around the area, and how the geography has been changed to meet the needs of an ever-expanding city.

Documents Galore: Chicago Day 3

The number of “documents” available for analysis that this city has to offer never ceases to amaze me!  Aside from the obvious pictures, texts, and other two dimensional pieces in the Chicago collection, there seems to be an infinite amount of more abstract items that are no less deserving of attention when piecing together the background of such a complex city.

The walking tour of northern sites affected by the Great Chicago Fire was a fantastic way to obtain a much deeper, geographically personal understanding of just how destructive this tragedy truly was for 100,000 residents in the late 19th Century.  Our first stop was in one of the original roadways constructed before the fire.  Because wood was so inexpensive for Chicagoans when the city was city was being constructed, the idea of wooden boards dipped in tar must not have seemed like a bad idea for street pavers. I think the city planners of that day would have benefited from a lesson from the Romans two thousand years prior, as a road paved with stone or brick tends to be a bit more stable when exposed to open flame.

We were taken to the North Avenue Beach, where thousands of residents fled to the open water in order to escape the blaze.  In all actuality, we were standing upon sand that was not located there in 1871, but had been imported to cover the massive amounts of debris dumped there after the fire in order to make room to rebuild and actually extend the land area so as to provide for additional development.  The area where the coast now sits would have been in Lake Michigan itself, and was where many had stood as they watched their homes and community burn.  Another lesson on “Human/Environment Interaction” as one of the five themes of geography would be in order here, I believe.

After the fire, a massive reconstruction effort took place which, although ultimately successful, did more to further separate the upper and working classes in Chicago.  Temporary housing was constructed for those left homeless, but was only provided to the skilled residents who would be likely to further improve upon their new dwellings.  Those in the city whose skills included slaughtering, canning, or any other “non-construction” type labor were mostly left to fend for themselves.  A few of these temporary houses still stand, and great activity for students would be to compare these homes to those provided for the refugees left by Hurricane Katrina.

Because of the cheap material cost, many residents had been able to afford houses who could not have done so in other cities. Following the fire however, new building codes prevented those within most of the burned area from erecting wooden structures, and as a result, many workers in the “New Chicago” could not afford homes similar to those they previously could.  Representative democracy was at work though, and elected officials were able to push for looser restrictions in some of even the poorer neighborhoods.  Was this helpful or hurtful to the city as a whole?  Should the safety of a city be left up to the popular vote of the masses, or appointed bureaucrats who don’t answer to the voters directly? I think I smell a Document Based Question for my civics class next fall.

Speaking of DBQs, the workshop we received today was, in my opinion, the best we’ve had yet. I am admittedly a bit bias, as I became hooked on these writing activities last Spring, but the lessons we caught a glimpse of today were well put together and could be easily incorporated into just about any of the subjects I teach.  My students loved the “Martin Luther King vs. Malcolm X” DBQ we studied this year, and after they asked for more like it, I threw together a sort of mini-Q on the Boston Massacre.  I hope to persuade our new principal this Fall to invest in at least one of the sets we saw today, and I hope that the DBQ Project will continue to develop these and new lessons, possibly even incorporating some new multimedia documents such as web-based audio and video clips.

Lessons on Leadership: Chicago Day 2

If there is one theme that stands out today as a common thread tying together all the instruction, sources, and exhibits, I would have to say for me it was that of leadership.  Both good and bad, the leaders that helped to establish, shape, and change the form and spirit of Chicago were all represented today in a clearer light than I have ever known.

We began the day with a subway trip (thanks to some last-minute leadership from our professors) up to the Chicago History Museum and an extensive lecture on the first century of the Windy City.  Founded by Jean Baptiste du Sable at the beginning of the 19th Century, the site remained a relatively small village until the middle of the same century.  The curving of the Chicago River and the sandbar near its mouth made the area perfect for a harbor complementing the trading post that had already been established.  The physical geography of the area will provide an excellent example for my 8th graders of how particular sections of land are chosen for settlement, and I also plan to tie in an activity with my middle school leadership class (if the powers that be allow me to teach it again) which involves choosing a place to settle a community and why they should stop there.  Should be interesting.

The “special features” on the Encyclopedia of Chicago website seemed to be a great source for backing up a few of the lessons I already teach regarding worker conflict and urban geography changing over time.  The “Plan for Chicago” about which we learned today shows how the leaders of one city inspired the majority of the people to adapt their environment to suit their own development and economic needs.  The “Labor Unrest in Chicago” rich map will be a great way for students to explore on their own the clashes between workers and business leadership before an established system of workers’ unions had become prevalent in the United States.

As an offshoot of the Chicago History website, the “Great Chicago Stories” series of lesson plans is the most exciting resource I’ve come across on the trip thus far.  Historical fiction involving Albert Parsons and his radical leadership for the anarchist movement, Shoeless Joe Jackson and his 1919 “Black Sox” scandal, even elementary lessons about the history of the hot dog come together for a great all-around set of plans that I will most likely use to reinforce my writing curriculum.  I loved the idea of the “History Head” diagrams, (although the skulls were a bit creepy) and I can’t wait to do some group work across my curricula, especially in my reading series and when I teach The Diary of Anne Frank.

In the museum exhibits, I loved the fact that they were organized thematically rather than chronologically.  That seems to be a better way for me to grasp the overall concepts without getting caught up in the particular dates.  I’ll have to try that with my class this year.  My favorite exhibits were the 1968 DNC events and the video on Chicago’s changing neighborhoods.  For the next grant, we should do a class entitled “Chicago: 1920-1970” so we can lump together the great leaders of those days: Al Capone, Mayor Daley. etc…

Chicago, Day 1

Our first real day in Chicago turned out to be just a little more than a half-day.  I got to meet up for breakfast with some old college friends who now live in Wisconsin, and then was kidnapped (thankfully) by Ann and Wendy for an impromptu trip to the top of the Sears Tower.  Even on this overcast day the views in all directions were spectacular, and it helped to provide a much better idea of just how immense this city truly is.

The pictures I took from the top will undoubtedly help my 8th graders (many of whom each year have never left Pueblo) comprehend how Chicago became the hub of railroad activity for the Central United States and the gateway to the “Great West” in the late 19th Century.  I also plan to use several of the pics for my Geography curriculum, emphasizing both the Earth’s curvature (somewhat visible from such a height) and the tendency of pioneers to settle near major bodies of water.

After a quick lunch, it was off to the Art Institute of Chicago for a tour of their American collection.  The iconic paintings housed there, as well as some of the lesser-know works, will be great supplementary tools when teaching about the cultural reflections of American history, and possibly even a springboard into a critical thinking writing activity such as “Art Imitating Life, or Vice Versa.”  My favorite painting at the museum was, without a doubt, “Nighthawks” by Edward Hopper.  Although it is obviously not the most impressive example of great talent, it has become a wonderful example of the emptiness and sense of loss in America during World War II, and the painting’s “film noir” quality can be felt as you look upon it, as a slow, bluesy saxophone tune or Tom Waits ballad plays gently in the background.  I will definitely be using the print I purchased today to emphasize the feeling back home during the war.

I usually try to find a way to squeeze in time each year to show the film “Last of the Mohicans,” and although I wish some of the time spent analyzing the painting inspired by Cooper’s novel would have been devoted to explaining the painting of a dead chicken, it will be nice to share with my students an example of how artists in completely different genres influenced each other in establishing an American style.  Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get a pic of the so-called “Last of the Mohicans” painting or the artist’s info.  If someone could email that to me at jedcook@comcast.net I would greatly appreciate it.  Thanks.

I

Second Day in Springfield

Well the day started off with a not-so-early rise and a short walk to the old Illinois State House for a fantastic tour of a building that has been through a lot of change.  The House room in which Lincoln had served was opulent and perfectly restored in great condition.  Although not much was original from the Lincoln era, I really enjoyed hearing about how they had decided what to include (or not include) in the restoration project, and I’m always a sucker for old maps.  Lincoln’s old law office was interesting as well, where we learned a few interesting “Abe tidbits” and waaaay more about running a dry goods store than I’ll ever need to know.
After a quick lunch and a swing by a Frank Lloyd Wright house around the corner, we headed to Mr. Lincoln’s final resting place.  Although the tour was a bit lacking in energy, it was interesting to see where Honest Abe was finally laid to rest and to hear about the attempted body theft that occurred in the 1874.  Does anybody know exactly what they were attempting to gain by stealing Lincoln’s body?  It seems like there are much easier ways to pull in some cash.
New Salem was fun and informative, but it seemed like the kind of place I’d rather be with kids.  There wasn’t much about Lincoln, and my favorite part was hanging out with the blacksmith.  I was surprised to find that all but one of the buildings had been completely reconstructed, and when I asked several “re-enactors” about the ornate brick fireplaces that were found in all of the buildings compared to the rugged, homemade accommodations throughout the rest of the village, only one employee gave me a straight answer.  It seems that since they actually use the fireplaces today, they must meet current fire codes and the old “stick and riverstone” jobs that were functional in the 1830’s would be a bit to hazardous these days, even for an historical park.  Oh well, except for the plexiglass, the mill was pretty cool, and the crazy lady who ran the tavern provided quite a bit of entertainment, even without alcohol.

First Day in Springfield

A great first full day in Springfield! Despite the early start, the classroom activities with Ms. Bishop were fun and informative. I loved hearing about the mid-Nineteenth Century idea of “Great Men” aspiring to be more than what their fathers had settled for. I’m definitely gonna’ pick up a copy of The Young Eagle when it hits paperback. (Check out www.betterworldbooks.com when you get a chance. Free shipping and socially responsible.) I enjoyed the group work, and we got some cool website references in the computer lab. Did anyone get her email address?

The Lincoln Presidential Museum was incredible as well. I thought about skipping the two “theater” shows, but I’m glad I didn’t. I was expecting nothing more than low-budget documentaries about Lincoln, but what I got was nothing short of a multi-sensory bombardment of lights, sound, and history. I wish we could bring our students out here to show them all how exciting this stuff can be! I will have to watch my budget for the rest of the trip after splurging a bit in the bookstore, but it’s worth it. The DVD “The Civil War in Four Minutes” should help provide my students with better idea of the real cost of a nation divided, and I loved how they took the slavery issue head-on. See you guys manana.