Article - Inventor of the Week: Alexander Graham Bell

"Leave the beaten track behind occasionally and dive into the woods.  Everytime you do so you will be certain to find something that you have never seen before..."
- Alexander Graham Bell (as stated in Lemelson-MIT, Sept. 2000).

     Fascinated with sound, the voice, and its characteristics, Alexander Graham Bell explored these natural phenomena and became one of the men that invented the telephone.  The article about him on Inventor of the Week is a short biography, mentioning some of his other accomplishments and interests as well.  The language is targeted toward a middle school reading level, but I would probably guide students to select passages, depending upon their reading level.  Although not American-born, he lived in America and became an American citizen - which may resonate with English language learning students who usually are from other countries.  For an activity with this article, students would work in groups to create a picture biography of Mr. Bell.  The pictures could be draw, from texts/periodicals, or printed from the internet; and the form of the final product is the student's choice: digital, paper, or more elaborate.

Lemelson-MIT. (Sept. 2000). Alexander Graham Bell: The telephone. Inventor of the Week.  
     Retrieved from http://web.mit.edu/invent/iow/graham_bell.html

Website - America's story from America's library

America's story from America's library is a website create for young people by the Library of Congress.  Curious seekers can use the search function or click on one of the main menu options to learn about America.  The pages are bright, and the short texts are accompanied by relevant images or video clips.  Often an article ends with a question to connect the content to the reader's experiences or prior knowledge.  As an activity to promote some exploration of the website, I would have students select a general subject related to the Industrial Revolution - such as energy, inventions, or important figures - and have students create a web or bubble map, showing the relationships among the different topics of at least three articles. Library of Congress. (October 23, 2012). America's story from America's library.  Retrieved from      http://www.americaslibrary.gov/index.html

Video - How inventions changed history

   The American Industrial Revolution is usually divided into at least two parts.  In 1794, the earlier part of the Age of Invention, Elias Whitney patented the pivotal cotton gin (Davis, Oct., 17, 2012).  His work and the impact of it are presented in this rather creative video that should definitely hold young students' attentions.  The narration is well-paced and clearly, and the visuals are colorful and full of motion.  This video does not hide the negative side of the cotton gin's effect, and so I would have my students consider and write about some possibilities on the following topic: What if the cotton gin had not existed?  The students' would need to use other knowledge they had been learning about this time period in their answer, and tap into higher-order thinking skills of analysis, synthesis, and probably evaluation.  A class discussion about their thoughts would also be carried out.

Davis, K. (Oct. 17, 2012). How inventions changed history (for better and
     for worse) - Kenneth C.  Davis. Retrieved from
     http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SMNYivhGsc

Book - Bright ideas: The age of invention in America 1870-1910

  

     Given the reviews of this book, Bright ideas (Rossi, 2005) seems like a good selection for middle school students - even if they still are reading slightly below 6th level.  The text is clear, the pages contain helpful colorful images.  A variety of inventions are presented, and the inventors include minorities and women (which is really nice for diversity).  For an activity with this text, I would assign a type of search.  Students would choose among a few modern inventions, and then find 3 inventors whose inventions contributed to the modern product.  Students would need to express - in drawing or writing - how the older invention links to the modern invention.  Depending upon the reading level of the class as a whole, this may be a paired-work activity.

Rossi, A. (2005). Bright ideas: The age of invention in America 1870-1910.
     Des Moines, IA: National Geographic Children's Books.

Book - Four American inventors

 

    Do old books lose their value?  If the book is Four American inventors, one could say no.  Written in language for children, the book offers a simple biography of four of America's great inventors from the Industrial Revolution era - Edison, Fulton, Morse, and Whitney.  Making this selection even nicer is that it is available for reading online for free!  For a class of students with intermediate and higher English language proficiency, I would assign a book report for one inventor.  Students with lower English language proficiency would write a report on one chapter of an inventor.  I would probably have the class vote for one or two inventors, so that I could create some type of outline or reading guide for the text.

 

Perry, F. M. (1901). Four American inventors. Retrieved from

   http://www.heritage-history.com/www/heritage-books.php?

   Dir=books&author=perry&book=inventors&story=_front

Website - Immigration game

       


   The Tenement Museum is actually in a preserved tenement on the Lower East Side of New York City, where many immigrants first settled in America during the latter half of the Industrial Revolution.  This site provides virtual tours, information about the museum, educational resources, and some interesting activities - like the Immigration game.  This game gives players a little view of the immigrant experience during the late 1800s-early 1900s.  Players choose identities, cross the Atlantic Ocean, stop at Ellis Island, and finally come to their new tenement dwelling.  In testing it, I performed several of the tasks before even realizing there were more explicit instructions - which is a good sign for English language learners who might have difficulties with the text.  The activity to follow the game would be to write or draw a story in which the student pretends to be an immigrant to America from that era.  They will need to consider factors such as having to pack only what could fit in one bag, the condition of the tenement, and the limited choice of jobs.

Tancil, J. (Producer). (2008). Immigration game. 
   http://www.tenement.org. Retrieved from
   http://www.tenement.org/immigrate/

Article - American history: Immigrants from Europe seek a better life in a new land



   For English language learners, a website like Voice of America (http://learningenglish.voanews.com ) could be very valuable.  It provides articles on many topics, and the print text is accompanied by a photo and oftentimes a digital recording with clearly spoken English.  The particular article that was chosen focuses on the waves of immigrants - many who would work in the American factories - during the 1800s.   Although the immigrants sought a better life, as stated in the article title, students will be learning that reality contradicted some of their hopeful expectations.  One activity could be for students to write a short essay that connects this article to the other information they will be learning about the immigrants' living conditions.  Another essay could be to connect the 1800s' immigrant experience to the immigrant experience of themselves or their family.  For the students with lower English language proficiency, they could complete a graphic organizer that shows the immigrants' troubles in their homeland next to their troubles in America for the first activity or a Venn diagram to compare/constrast the 1800s' and the modern immigrant experience for the second activity.

American history: Immigrants from Europe seek a better life in a new land. (May
   12, 2010). voanews.com. Retrieved from http://learningenglish.voanews.com/
   content/article--immigrants-from-europe-seek-better-life-in-new-land-
   93602104/115847.html

Video - Thomas Edison - World's Greatest Inventor

 

 

      Many brilliant and hardworking people made contributions to the American Industrial Revolution, and one of the most famous is Thomas Alva Edison.  Several of his inventions are the ancestors to the modern technological devices that exist today.  With this video created by the Thomas Edison Menlo Park Museum, I would ask the students to focus on the phonograph and the special way Thomas Edison is described.  Afterwards, they would answer 2 or 3 relevant questions (which they would have been given beforehand).  Students with lower English language proficiency should be aided by the clear speaking and the subtitles (which they can pause and reread).

 

 

REFERENCE

Rothmanfdu. (July 6, 2009). Thomas Edison - World's Greatest Inventor.  Retrieved from

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHPh8Q1uALI&feature=related

Article: "Samuel Slater's big secret"





   Samuel Slater is credited with starting the Industrial Revolution in America, but how did this happen?  Young students can learn the story by reading the short article "Samuel Slater's big Sscret" (Reilly-McCreen, 2004).  The title of this article can spark interest in the readers, and lead them to anticipate the secret.  The writing style of the article has a hint of a narrative, even though  it is an expository article, which can help readers in the transition from narrative texts to expository texts. ELL students with lower reading skills may be able to listen to the article being read online, if they are given access through an appropriate library system.   Students would be required to write a brief opinion piece by 1) stating whether they believe if what Mr. Slater did was a good thing and 2) supporting their opinion with facts.  ELLs with a low English language proficiency would complete a graphic organizer of the pros and cons of Mr. Slater's action.



REFERENCE
Reilly-McCreen, M. E. (2004). Samuel Slater's big secret. Appleseeds,
   6(5), 2. Retrieved from  http://ehis.ebscohost.com.ezp.lndlibrary.org/
   eds/detail?sid=abd2d379-c91d-4125-81dd-6722acb52016%
   40sessionmgr10&vid=44&hid=1&bdata=
   JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmUmc2NvcGU9c2l0ZQ%3d%3d#db=
   f5h&AN=11834572

Website: Henry Ford Exhibit builder



 
   The Henry Ford Institute - named after the man who helped create the assembly line and founded the Ford Motor Company during America's Industrial Revolution - funds and presents many educational history projects.  One of these projects is the Exhibit builder (2010), which people can use to create their own virtual history exhibits.  There are many image collections the builder can select from, and they have topics such as factories, railroads, propoganda posters, workers, and more.  Each image wall the builder arranges is accompanied by text the builder writes.  For my students, an individual or group would select a topic from the American Industrialization era for an exhibit.  The completed projects would be shared with fellow students in an oral presentation, and I would require a separate references sheet for the project.  This website provides an activity that taps into creativity, higher-level thinking skills, and student-centered work.

 

Exhibit builder. (2010). Retrieved from
   http://collections.thehenryford.org/ExhibitHome.aspx

Video: Industrial revolution: Child labor

 

   Images and short text help to make Industrial revolution: Child labor (Ev3rla5ting, Sept. 17, 2009) comprehensible to middle school students - even those with a limited English language proficiency.  The song playing in the background, with lyrics that are quite appropriate to the context, can be ignored because all the important content is in type.  Students can pause the video and take time to digest the words.  Some of the images are from a book referenced in a prior blog [Kids at work (Freedman, 1998)], so I would introduce the students to this video first.  It can serve as a pre-reading activity to pique interest and build background knowledge.  Students would be asked to take note of the details of the images (perhaps aided by a reading/view guide).  They would also be asked to come to class with their opinions of what they saw, which could lead to an interesting discussion because of the different cultural views.


Ev3rla5ting. (2009, Sept. 17). Industrial revolution: Child labor [Video file]. 
   Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?
   v=DdCJivaztMw&feature=related

Tradebook:  Children's encyclopedia of American history

 

 

  Children's encyclopedia of American history (King, 2003) is quite a good history book for young people. It covers many of the pivotal historical events of the USA from its beginning to 9/11. Most of the informational paragraphs are accompanied by images of people, documents, etc., which aids in comprehension and adds to background knowledge. Its format of chunking information simply makes reading about history less boring or daunting. Other useful features are the timelines on the opening pages of each era/period, and the appendix documents and charts. A project for my students could be choosing one of the topic headings, reading the following paragraph(s), then expounding upon them. ELL students at a low English language proficiency could complete the project with pictures and a corresponding sentence - almost using the pages of the book as the format.

 

 

 

King, David C. (2003) Children's encyclopedia of American history.

   New York: DK Publishing.

Website: Remembering the 1911 Triangle Factory fire

Figure 1: 5 of 20.  This figure shows water canons being

directed at the buring Triangle Factory.

   Remembering the 1911 Triangle Factory fire (Lyons, Morley, & Sione, 2011) has a wealth of information about this New York City tragedy.  Audio recordings, images of the workers, first-hand accounts, tributes to those who perished, maps of the building, and more can be found on the website.  While many sources praise the accomplishments of the Industrial Revolution in America, this source highlights some of the negatives of the period through this pivotal event.  ELLs in middle school may become lost among the many links, so I would direct them to the primary sources section.  A writing or presentation project for supporting (or refuting) the conclusions of the investigation and trial of the fire could be designed from the website content.  With some guidance, middle school ELL students can navigate and learn much from the rich content on this website.

Figure 2: 18 of 20.  This figure shows the charred remains of a

 room in the Triangle Factory after the fire was exstinguished.

                                        

 

 

References 

5 of 20 [Photograph]. March 25, 1911. Triangle Fire (Kheel Center

   image identifier: 5780-087pb1f5c). Cornell University. Retrieved

   from Remembering the 1911 Triangle Factory fire. Web. 28

   Sept.2012. 

Brown Brothers. 1911. 18 of 20 [Photograph]. Triangle Fire (Kheel
   Center image identifier: 5780Pb39f15g).  Cornell University.
   Retrieved from Remembering the 1911 Triangle Factory fire. Web.
   28 Sept. 2012.
Lyons, C. (Director), Morley, B. & Sione, P. (Editors). (2011, Jan.).
   Remembering the 1911 Triangle Factory fire. Retrieved from
   http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/trianglefire/index.html

 

 

 

 

Tradebook: Kids at work

 

   Kids at work: Lewis Hine and the crusade against child labor (Freedman, 1998) is a book that captures the images and stories of many immigrant children during the industrialization in America. Praised in customer reviews of the book (Lappen, March 3, 2002: An [sic] powerful book, Nov. 16,1998), the authentic pictures of children in poor health and working conditions are striking and memorable. Mr. Hines photography contributed toward the creation of child labor laws in America. The text in the book gives more background and history to the photos. For ELL students, this quality visual support should help them comprehend the text and generate personal opinions about the subject. Connecting this with class material could lead to class discussion and a writing assignment (perhaps one in which the students imagine themselves as one of those working children). Because Kids at work is about actual children, young student readers should find it an interesting expansion on a school subject.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

REFERENCES

Freedman, Russell. Kids at work: Lewis Hine and the Crusade against
   child labor. (1998). San Anselmo, CA: Sandpiper Press.
Lappen, Alyssa A. (2002, March 3). The Meaning of Tough. [Review of the
   book Kids at work: Lewis Hine and the crusade against hild labor ].
   Amazon.com. Retrieved from http://www.amazon.com/review/
   R3BGGYURMTPX9V/ref=cm_cr_dp_title ie=UTF8&ASIN= 
   B003IWYJZE&nodeID=283155&store=books
An [sic] powerful book full of visual and written imagery. (1998, Nov. 16).
   [Review of Kids at work: Lewis Hine and the crusade against child
   labor]. Amazon.com. Retrieved from http://www.amazon.com/review/
   R1Z7M8VQ15ZLD9/ref=cm_cr_dp_title?ie=UTF8&ASIN=
   B003IWYJZE&nodeID=283155&store=books

Video: The birth of an Industrial Revolution 2

   The birth of an Industrial Revolution 2 (Ranusingh123, May 22, 2009) is one of several simple, understandable videos about the Industrialization.  Under two minutes in length, it presents one chunk of information: a description of one kind of manual work that would soon be performed by machines.  The significance of this manual work is also mentioned.  I would ask my students to watch this video as well as the preceding and following video, and make some comparisons between pre-industrialization and industrialization life and work in 2-3 paragraphs.  For ELL students, these videos provide the clear language and visuals they can use to gain comprehension and learning of the content in a self-directed way.


Supplementary Videos: The birth of an Industrial Revolution 
                                   The growth of industrial cities





REFERENCES
Ranusingh123. (2009, May 22). The birth of an Industrial Revolution
   [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=
   HNUSes7cJss&feature=relmfu
Ranusingh123. (2009, May 22). The Bbrth of an Industrial Revolution 2
   [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6BZ-
   WTcR8Y&list=PLUflnPiDzPGcFIskZgq6joR3556mGsvP&index=6&
   feature=plpp_video
Ranusingh123. (2009, May 22). The growth of industrial cities [Video file].
   Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=
   vPlFGGJkQK0&feature=relmfu

Article: "A real worker's views"

   "A real worker's views" (Sept., 03, 1878) is an article that The Washington Post reprinted from another newspaper, The New York Tribune.  Dated Sept. 1878, it reports the opinions of Mr. Roach, a worker during the American industrialization.  He recounts the positives and negatives of the industrialization - changes in SES, labor costs, the impact of war, etc - from a personal viewpoint. For my ELL students, I would probably create a selective reading guide for this article and have them concentrate on a few paragraphs prior to instruction on the formation of labor unions.  "A real worker's views" touches on several main ideas about the impact of America's industrustializtion on the working individual. 

 

REFERENCE
A Real worker's views. (1878, Sep 03). The Washington Post (1877-1922), pp. 2-2.
   Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/hnpwashingtonpost/docview/137675276/
  1396ADB5D6F5CD69EBB/1?accountid=34685

So I had to change my topic again and raise the supposed language level of my students.  My topic now is the American Industrial Revolution. 

The English proficiency level of the students is High Intermediate.  According to the WIDA Standards for English language development, this level may be labeled Developing or Expanding.

After some reading and talking to a teacher, I've thought of another topic idea:

Title: In the Kitchen
Grade(s): 6-8
Language Proficiency: Beginner English Language Learners

Summary:  The unit will include some basic foods, basic tools/utensil, some key dynamic verbs, adjectives, 1 or 2 sentence structures, and following directions.

So after finding out that articles is too small a topic, I would like to make my unit topic Prepositions and Participles.  But I don't know if that is too narrow as well...

My unit for instruction is on articles - a, an, and the - for middle school beginner level English language learners.