PUTTING HISTORY IN ITS PLACE
Developing Theme-Based Guides to Historic Places

Grades:  6-8, 9-12

Subjects:  American History, Geography, Language Arts, Social Studies

Related New York Times Article
"Where History Is Part of the Scenery, BY LAURA MANSNERUS", May 12, 2003

Overview of Lesson Plan:: In this lesson, students examine ways in which historic places and landmarks represent significant themes and events in American history; they then create theme-based travel guides for related historic locations.

SUGGESTED TIME ALLOWANCE:   45 minutes - 1 hour

OBJECTIVES:
Students will:

1. Reflect on famous landmarks and other historic places, and on their relation to American history.
2. Learn about locations in and around Philadelphia that are deeply connected to American history by reading and discussing "Where History Is Part of the Scenery."
3. Identify significant themes in American history; investigate landmarks and other historic places that are associated with those themes.
4. Develop travel guides related to their selected historic themes.

RESOURCES / MATERIALS:

• six photographs of very recognizable landmarks tied to United States history
• student journals
• classroom board
• pens/pencils
• paper
• copies of "Where History Is Part of the Scenery" (one per student)
• reference materials containing information about landmarks and other historic places the United States (American history textbooks, library resources, city or state travel guides, computers with Internet access)

ACTIVITIES / PROCEDURES:

1. WARM-UP/DO-NOW: Prior to class, arrange desks into six small groups, and at the center of each grouping place a photograph of a very recognizable landmark tied to United States history (such as the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, Mount Rushmore, etc. You might also include local or state landmarks that students will readily recognize). Number each photograph for later reference. Upon entering class, students should sit in these groups and respond to the following questions in their journals (written on the board prior to class): "Look at the photograph of the landmark on your desk. Write the number of the photograph in your journal, and then for one minute, jot down as many words and phrases as you can that describe this place and its relation to American history. When possible, include the landmark's name and location." After approximately one minute, tell students to pass their photograph to the group to their left and respond to the questions on the board again, reflecting on the new photograph. Continue this exercise until the groups have responded to all six photographs. Then, discuss each photograph as a class, jotting down many of the words and phrases associated with each on the board. Continue the discussion by asking the following: What is a landmark? What do all landmarks have in common? Do all landmarks have a historic meaning behind them? Why do you think many landmarks are very well-visited by tourists? What do you think tourists hope to gain from visiting them?
2. As a class, read and discuss the article "Where History Is Part of the Scenery," responding to the following questions:
   1. What is meant by the phrase "brick-and-mortar history"?
   2. What new museums and centers in Philadelphia are being developed or rebuilt?
   3. How did the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks impact some of Philadelphia's major historic attractions?
   4. What sites mentioned in the article are directly related to the founding and early development of what is now the United States?
   5. What sites mentioned in the article are more related to Philadelphia's history?
   6. What new exhibits will be opening soon, and how do they relate to those that currently exist?
   7. What historic re-enactments take place in or around Philadelphia?
   8. Why do you think the Eastern State Penitentiary is included in this article, which focuses mostly on buildings related to colonial history?
   9. What other post-colonial museums and exhibits are mentioned in the article?
   10. Why does the article include the following quotation from Benjamin Franklin: "Those who would give up essential freedoms to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither"?
3. Explain to students that today they will be learning about landmarks and other historic places that are associated with key themes in American history and then will be creating related travel guides. First, brainstorm a list of such themes on the board. You might encourage students to consider themes that they have already explored in your class as tied into specific events in American history, or students might consider other more general themes that span larger periods of time and movements. Possible topics might include slavery, suffrage, civil rights movements for different groups, the space race and terrorism.
   Once a well-developed list has been created, ask students to reconvene in the six groups from the initial class activity and decide which theme will be their group's focus. Ensure that no two groups choose the same theme.
   To begin thinking about their theme, each group should discuss and jot down their answers to the following general questions (written on the board for easier student access):
   • In one sentence, how would you define your group's theme?
   • At what time period(s) in American history was this theme very important?
   • Why is this theme important in understanding American history?
   • What landmarks or other historic places in the United States can you name that are related to this theme? Identify a minimum of eight related places (using the Internet or other classroom resources if necessary).
   Once these general questions have been answered, each student should select two of the landmarks or historic places identified for their group's theme and, using all available classroom resources, answer the following questions about each place (written on the board for easier student access):
   • What is the name of this monument or historic place?
   • Where is it located?
   • To what historic person or people and/or event does it relate, and how?
   • When did the related historic event take place?
   • Who participated in developing and building this historic place?
   • When someone visits this place, what will he or she see, hear and otherwise experience? (Include a physical description when possible, including both exterior elements, such as architectural style, landscaping, etc., and interior features.)
   • How does the experience of visiting this place help visitors to better understand American history?
   • How does the experience of visiting this place help visitors to better understand your group's theme?
   Students should be sure to carefully document the bibliographical information for each of their sources. If necessary, this is a good time to review MLA documentation guidelines.
4. WRAP-UP/HOMEWORK: Once research is completed, each group will create a travel guide related to their historic theme. Individually, for each of the two historic places researched by each student, the student should create one page for the travel guide, including: a title (the name of the historic place), a subtitle (the location), a minimum of one photograph of the place, and all of the information gathered in his or her research of that place. To maintain consistency throughout their guide, students in each group may determine various elements of page layout, such as which fonts and font sizes to use for different areas of the page, photograph placement, etc. Each group should also work together to develop the following elements of the travel guide: a front cover, an introduction to the guide that includes their responses to the general questions explored in the main activity, a map pinpointing the locations of the historic places explored in the travel guide, a table of contents and a bibliography. Completed travel guides should be displayed in the classroom or in the school library, where they can be used as resources for other students.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

• What historic places have you visited, and how did they help make history more real to you?
• What buildings, structures and areas that exist today do you think will be considered to be landmarks or historic places in the future? Why?
• Are all monuments landmarks? Are all landmarks monuments? Explain.
• What historic places do you think all students your age, or people of any age, should visit, and why?

EVALUATION / ASSESSMENT:
Students will be evaluated based on initial journal responses, participation in class and group discussions, thoughtful and accurate research of historic places and related individual travel guide pages, and final group elements and presentation of travel guides.

VOCABULARY:
uninterrupted, unselfconscious, native, renovation, plied, binge, intersects, instructive, thoroughfare, encircled, barricades, hectoring, militarized, contingent, anomaly, prevailing, urban, vibrant, guild, erected, ornate, abutting, strewn, wend, ambulatory, corresponding, pavilion, re-enactment, revival, fortress, asserting, penitence, devolved, confiscated, shanks, informal, maxim, essential

EXTENSION ACTIVITIES:

1. Develop a travel guide tracing important historic events in your community, city or state. Use the guiding questions and parameters of the travel guides created in class to help focus your research.
2. Imagine that you are one of the historic figures mentioned in the article who at one time resided in or near Philadelphia (Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Willie Sutton, Al Capone). Write a first-person reflection of Philadelphia from his point of view, either writing as if he were in the time period in which he lived there and actively "creating" the historic places, or as if he were in 2003, looking back on his impact on the city and the United States today.
3. The musical comedy "1776" explores the creation of the Declaration of Independence from the perspectives of its creators. Develop and perform a similar play in which one or more historic figures who lived in Philadelphia reflect on a historic event or place there.
4. The article mentions some of the architectural styles found in Philadelphia - namely Gothic, Victorian and industrial. Research a time period in American or global history, focusing on the characteristics of its prevailing architectural style. Then, create a poster in which you feature photographs of landmarks and other historic places that represent the architectural styles you have researched.
5. The article touches on several basic elements of American history that are studied throughout one's school career: the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the 13 Colonies, the First Continental Congress, and Valley Forge, to name a few. Create a short chapter for an elementary school textbook about this time period in American history, touching on all of the aforementioned topics. Include an explanation of how this time period served as a foundation for the United States.
6. The article provides the following quotation from Benjamin Franklin: "Those who would give up essential freedoms to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither." Consider what this quotation means in light of the current war on terrorism. Create a collage of newspaper and magazine headlines and photographs that relate to this quotation and the impact of terrorism on the nation's landmarks and historic places.

INTERDISCIPLINARY CONNECTIONS:
Civics- Learn about the National Park Service. How is it managed? What are its goals? How does the organization determine what is considered to be a national park? How accessible are the national parks to the public? What preservation efforts are in place for national parks, both in terms of wildlife, historic buildings, landforms, etc.? What other related issues exist? Create a pamphlet for the National Park Service, or write a newspaper article on your findings.

Global History- Create a travel guide focusing on landmarks and historic places related to a specific time period or theme in global history. Use the guiding questions and parameters of the travel guides created in class to help focus your research.

• Choose a key event in a nation's history and create a re-enactment or living museum dedicated to that event.

Media Studies- Screen a movie that relays events in early United States history, such as "Abe Lincoln in Illinois" (1940), "Glory" (1989), "Gettysburg" (1993) or "Amistad" (1997). Then, screen a documentary or other educational film about this time period. Which retelling seems to be more historically accurate? Why? How do the Hollywood movies about these events relay the information differently than do the documentary movies?

Technology- Develop a Web companion to the travel guides created in class. Alternately, develop a Web tour of any city's historic places.

Science- The Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution are among the many historical documents that are currently or have been undergoing preservation efforts. Create a "How It Works" poster based on your research of the delicate science of historical document preservation. You may wish to focus on the preservation of one particular document or on general processes that are often used.

Copyright 2003
The New York Times Company