Our Western Town of 1878: Lesson 4
Today is day two of a two day lesson.

Grade 4
1. Theme/Title of the day’s lesson with a brief description:
~ Creation of Our Town- Day 2/ Floor Plans: Today the students will continue to make their “Western Town of 1878” come to life by creating floor plans for the buildings that will line the streets of our town.

2. Materials/resources needed:
~ Notebook, pencil, eraser, ruler, 12x18 blank drawing paper (one for every child), project instruction sheet (one for every child) and overheads with pictures of Western American towns and Winona in the late 1870s.

3. Goal(s) for today’s lesson:
~ The students will demonstrate architectural skills and knowledge by creating floor plans of buildings that resemble those found in Western American towns in the late 1870s.

4. Objectives for today’s lesson:
~The students will brainstorm possible layouts and designs for buildings that correspond to their characters occupation in the town.
~ The students will demonstrate their math skills by measuring out and designing a floor plan that could be used to construct a small building out of materials found at home.

5. Procedures
a. introductory experiences
~ The students will be asked to recall what they remember, from their prior research, about the appearance of Western American towns in the late 1870s. More specifically they will be asked to brainstorm what the towns looked like? What materials were the buildings made of? What was the layout of the town? (Where was the town hall, the jail and the church?) As they are brainstorming they should be jotting down little notes to remind themselves of what they are remembering. (5 minutes)
~ The students will then be shown an overhead of a town in the late 1870s. (Be sure to use a piece of paper to cover the caption on the overhead.) Inform the students that they have seen this town before, however it may appear different now than it does in this picture. As most children will probably guess it is Winona, remove the piece of paper to reveal the caption. Lead a discussion on the questions presented and the following slides regarding Western American towns and their similarities and differences to Winona. (Note in the discussion the layout of the buildings in each town and the primary material used to construct the buildings.) (5 minutes)

b. developmental experiences:
1. Have the students take out a piece of notebook paper and brainstorm a building, similar to the ones we have reviewed, that pertains to the occupation of their town’s character. (I.e. the sheriff needs to construct the jail, the mayor- town hall and the inn keeper- the inn.) Inform the students that since they will be constructing these buildings at home, they will need to be thinking of materials and items that can be used to create a realistic rendition of these historical buildings. (Some examples of things that could be used are: small cardboard boxes, shoeboxes, Legos and Lego dolls, maybe even small dolls and doll furniture.) (15 minutes)
2. Once the students have finished brainstorming, begin handing out one 12x18 piece of drawing paper to each child. Instruct the students to leave their notebooks out for scratch paper and to take their rulers out. Explain that they are to sketch out a floor plan of how each level of their building would look from an aerial view. The floor plan should include: dimensions of the perimeter of the building (in inches), an estimated height of the building (in inches) and indications of doors/windows/staircases. Mention that the maximum number of levels their building can have is two. If the student would like two levels explain that they will have to construct a floor plan for the second level as well, using the other side of their 12x18 paper. (15 minutes)
3. As the students are finishing up, walk around the room and staple a project instruction sheet to each student’s floor plan. Explain that both papers are to be brought home and signed by their parents, indicating that they have read through and understand the upcoming project that is expected of the child. The detachable section and the attached floor plan should be returned by the student the next morning at the beginning of class. (5 minutes)

c. culminating experiences
6. Thank the students for participation in the discussion and cooperating with the instructions of today’s lesson on Western American towns in the late 1870s. Conclude by stating that the construction of this town will really be a treat as it begins to take physical shape. It should be a wonderful experience for all of us in the class to share with our friends and family. (2 minutes)

6. Assessments used during lesson:
~ The students were assessed on participation during discussion and their abilities to stay on task during today’s lesson. The students’ sketches will be graded for following directions and completeness.




Our Western Town of 1878: Constructing our Buildings

You will be constructing buildings for Our Western town. These buildings should be kept simple and use materials obtained at home. The building you make should pertain to the occupation/position your character holds in the Western town. (Examples of this are: the mayor of the town has to construct Town Hall; the baker must construct a bakery; the innkeeper must create an inn.) This should be a fun experience and a chance for you to be creative, so remember to keep it simple.
Below is a brief list of materials that you may use in constructing your buildings; by no means do you have to use these, feel free to use anything and/or make your own furniture and props.
-Lego Blocks -Lego People - small cardboard box
-shoebox -pipe cleaners -modeling clay
-small dolls -doll house furniture -any tapes (scotch, duct, etc)
-Styrofoam -paints/markers/crayons -construction paper/tag board

*Just a reminder: Your finished products of the buildings will be displayed in the hallway, so that all may enjoy our town.

PARENTS/GUARDIANS PLEASE SIGN BELOW TO SHOW THAT YOU HAVE SEEN THIS AND ARE AWARE OF YOUR CHILDS UPCOMING PROJECT. YOU CHILD MUST RETURN THIS AND THEIR FLOOR PLAN TO ME IN CLASS TOMORROW MORNING. THANK YOU!

The due date for the finished buildings will be _____________.

_________________________________________________________________

***Please return this section and the Floor Plan to me. Thank You!***


I am aware of _______________ upcoming project, that will be due

(Child)

___________________.

(due date noted above)


Signature_________________________________

Town of Winona in the late 1870s: Look at layout of Winona in this picture. What do you notice? How is it different from the way Winona looks today?

Winona in the late 1870s Continued…

Winona in the late 1870s Continued…
A historical fact: much of Winona’s prosperity during this time came from lumberyards such as Laird Norton Lumber Mill. (pictured below)

Western American Towns in the late 1870s: Notice the look of this town- the design of the store fronts, the layouts of the buildings (in relation to each other) and the material of which they appear to be made. How is it different from the town of Winona at this time? How is it the same?
http://www.skyways.org/orgs/fordco/photographs.html


Western American Towns in the Late 1870s Continued…

http://www.skyways.org/orgs/fordco/photographs.html

Our Western Town of 1878: Lesson 3
This will be a two day lesson, but the project will last a week.

Grade 4

1. Theme/Title of the day’s lesson with a brief description:
~ Creation of Our Town- Day 1/Characters: Today the students will begin to make their “Western Town of 1878” come to life by creating their characters two dimensionally, with the “About Me” worksheet.

2. Materials/resources needed:
~ Notebooks, revised notes from the “About Me” worksheet, pencil/pen, the “About Me” worksheet, markers/crayons/colored pencils, 2 pieces of blank drawing paper per student, tape and overhead pictures of western town’s people and Winona town’s people from 1878.

3. Goal(s) for today’s lesson:
~ The students will be able to demonstrate the skills and knowledge required to logically create a realistic character that mimics the Western lifestyles of people from 1878.

4. Objectives for today’s lesson:
~The students will demonstrate their abilities to write neatly, with little or no grammar, spelling or handwriting mistakes.
~ The students will demonstrate their skills in creative thinking, decision making and coloring of two dimensional pictures of people.

5. Procedures
a. introductory experiences
~ The students will be asked to recall what they remember, from their prior research, about people from the western United States in 1878. More specifically they will be asked to brainstorm their physical features, interests and mannerisms. As they are brainstorming they should be jotting down little notes to remind themselves of what they are remembering. (5 minutes)
~The student will then be introduced to more people from 1878. (on an overhead, show some pictures of Winona towns people in 1878, just do not tell them yet) These people are actually from the Midwest, in fact they lived right here in Winona! Have the students start naming off some things that are similar between people of Winona and the people of the west that they have studied? Ask them what is different? Help direct their thinking, by pointing out similarities and differences. Also, have some pictures of people from the west in 1878 available on another overhead for the students reference when trying to make connections. (5 minutes)

b. developmental experiences:
1. Have the students take out the rough draft of “About Me” and the actual clean, unmarked “About Me” worksheet. This is the moment they have all been waiting for; they get to fill out the “About Me” worksheet. Sternly, remind them that this is to be done in their best cursive handwriting- not only will they be graded on them but, they will be displayed in the hall for all to see. Inform the students that all they are to be doing is copying their rough draft carefully to their final sheet, avoiding any eraser marks and mess ups. (the first drafts should already be corrected, there should be little to no grammar mistakes or spelling mistakes.) (15 minutes)
2. Once the students are done filling out the “About Me” worksheets, begin handing out two pieces of blank drawing paper to the students. (2 minutes)
3. Explain to them that now they will be creating a realistic drawing of what their character looks like. Using one piece of paper as scrap paper and putting the other piece of paper in their folders, they should construct a rough drawing of their character, while taking many things into account: their occupation, economic status, gender, age and obviously the location and year their town exists. Suggest that it may be wise for them to brainstorm around the border of the paper, while coming up with some ideas on what to draw. After all questions are answers, instruct them to begin. Suggest starting with a pencil and them embellishing from there. Inform the students that embellishing does not only mean adding color to the drawings, but also adding a background that accurately portrays what they have see through their research.(15 minutes)
4. As the students are finishing up with their rough drawings, have them take out their second piece of paper and begin to copy their drawing over to the blank sheet. Suggest that they may want to try tracing the outline of their person and fill in the details afterwards, if they think it would help, otherwise they can attempt if freestyle as well. Inform the students if they do not finish that it will be homework due the next day in class. Remind them to take their time and work neatly, because these, too, will be graded-not for artistic ability, but neatness and accuracy-and will also be hung in the hall. (Remainder of time- 2-3 minutes)

c. culminating experiences
6. Thank the students for their hard work brainstorming when discussing similarities and differences between the people of Winona and the people from Western America. (1 min)

6. Assessments used during lesson:
~ The assessments that were conducted by the teacher were mostly done observationally in today’s lesson. The teacher will also grade the students on their accuracy and neatness in handwriting on the “About Me” worksheet and the same in the drawings of their characters and backgrounds.

Citizens of Winona in the late 1870s: Look at the way they dress. What do you notice? How is it different from how we dress today?

Winona Citizens Continued…
A historical fact from 1878, the first bicycle is made in America; as you can see in the photos, Winona was no exception to jumping on this craze.

Winona Citizens Continued…

Western American Dress of the late 1870s: Notice how they dressed. How is it different from Winona citizens of this time? How is it the same?

http://www.skyways.org/orgs/fordco/photographs.html


Western American Dress of the Late 1870s Continued…

http://www.skyways.org/orgs/fordco/photographs.html





About Me

My name is ______________________.
I am __________ years old.
I am __’__” and weigh _______.
Personal Traits: (hair color, facial features, eye color, skin color, birthmarks etc. *It is understood that each character will be draw, but a description of each character will help us create a better image.)



My position/occupation in the town is _____________. (ie: child, doctor, miner, teacher)
- If I am a child my parents’ position/occupation is _____________. (ie: farmer, inn keeper)

Family Background: (Where did my family come from? What are my parents’ and siblings’ names? What is my role in the family? What are some family traditions? Etc.)



What is a typical day in the life of ________________, in the western town of _________? (speaking as the character) What are my hobbies? What do I do for entertainment? Who are my friends?