Champaign County Education from 1890-1940:

A Comparison

2010 Fellowship, Champaign County Archives

Melissa Luffman

Abstract:

The turn of the twentieth century was the beginning of significant change in the United States. Farms and small towns housed 60% of Americans. Immigrants were arriving at an average of one hundred each hour. Railroads dominated land travel. The first U.S. auto show was in 1900. In 1908, Henry Ford’s Model T made automobiles more affordable to consumers thus making possible the first transcontinental family car trip. The Wright brothers stunned the world in 1903 with their first airplane flight. Baseball, America’s favorite past time, became a familiar game. All of these major events had an effect on the increasing need for education for all.

Education is an essential part of every student’s life in today’s society. Schooling has been a long evolving process and history reflects who we are today. Visiting schools and education from 1890-1940 in Champaign County through exposure and discovery in primary and secondary documents will allow students to connect to students of long ago.

Illinois State Social Science Learning Standards

· STATE GOAL 16: Understand events, trends, individuals and movements shaping the history of Illinois, the United States and other nations.

· STATE GOAL 18: Understand social systems, with an emphasis on the United States.

Assessment:

Students will complete a variety of graphic organizers and will participate in several small group activities as a means to analyze various photographs, documents, and newspaper articles from 1890-1940; as well as complete a variety of projects and reflections using knowledge gained and opinions formed during the duration of the unit.

Essential Questions:

· What was school life like in the early 1900s?

· What are the differences and similarities today in students, schoolhouses, and curriculum?

· How did advertisements influence the needs of the student in regard to books, clothes, and supplies?

· How does researching local history inform our lives today?

Setting the Purpose:

During this time of expansion and invention, the personal documents, photographs, and newspaper articles reveal the values and culture that shaped our history, promote historical thinking, and stimulate class discussion, discovery, and writing. This intermediate elementary/middle school - geared unit will cover early education from 1890-1940 in Champaign County. The lessons will reflect on the lives of students: including report cards, apparel, supplies, and school activities; schoolhouses, and school documents; in that era compared to the lives of students and their education today. All of the documents are from the Champaign County area and provide information about education and schooling between 1890 and 1940. Students will analyze photographs, newspaper articles, advertisements, complete graphic organizers, compose reflections, and design a visual “prompt” to demonstrate their understanding.

Lesson 1: Analysis of Educational Photographs

This first lesson involves examination of primary source images and photographs of student life from 1890-1940, and completion of both a graphic organizer and a reflection project about how school life differs for today’s students.

Lesson 2: Review of Primary and Secondary documents

This lesson will use small group centers to examine school documents including: promotion cards, report cards, and teacher lesson plans/record books, through the use of primary documents and student information from 1890-1940.

Lesson 3: Newspaper Analysis

This lesson involves examination of newspaper articles, completion of graphic organizers, and forming opinions or conclusions about the main ideas of the article on education and curriculum from 1890-1940.

Lesson 4: Culminating Activity and Showcase

Students will complete a reflection essay and a visual presentation about education in the early twentieth century. Students will write about life and school in the early 1900s and discuss specific examples of triumphs and hardships, while focusing on making personal connections to their own lives and families. Students will complete the process through brainstorming, seed writing, drafting, editing, and publishing. The visual presentation medium will be the student’s choice. A showcase will be presented for others to view the displays.