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Learning Activity 8-B-1: Local History Project
The idea for my local history project came about because each year I show my Economics students the video “King Corn” which discusses the changes that have taken place to farming, specifically the corn industry over the last 100 years. Our school district is located 15 – 20 minutes away from prime Pennsylvania farm land and most of my students, while they have some understanding of the industry, have no idea about farming or how it has changed (there used to be a dairy farm outside my classroom window with over 100 cows, now one of our middle schools sits on the land) over the years and how it impacts their lives on a daily basis.

While being quite interesting for my own knowledge, I must say that this will probably not be a project that I ever use in its entirety for class because of the time that would needed to complete it. I might break it down and use sections of it if extra time presents itself, but the project would impractical for the class that I teach (½ year of Political Science and ½ year of Economics) and the amount of outside work that students have to do to accommodate the two courses in one year issue. I will also start with a look at farming and its changes on a national level because it was easier to find more information on that and then move to the local level to finish the project.

LOCAL HISTORY PROJECT: Webquest that follows viewing of documentary.

1. Before showing “King Corn”, I would have students fill out a KWL chart (K and W sections) and then discuss what they might already know about the farming industry.

2. “King Corn” ( documentary video) showing what it takes to farm an acre of feed corn (process, resources, money…) and how it has changed in the last 100 years. Students first will be asked to write down the 10 words that come to mind first when they hear the word farming, these will be revisited at the conclusion of the movie and will also be answering questions during the movie that I have provided for them.

3. Webquest that will take the students on a journey over the last 150 years of farming using websites that I have provided for their viewing pleasure. The trip will start on the national level and slowly work our way to our own little slice of heaven in Chester, Berks and Lancaster counties. Each stop (webpage) will ask the students to look at various aspects of farming and how it’s changed. They will analyzing each resource using various methods from; NARA worksheets to Venn Diagrams to filling in simple charts to record information for later use. Students will start by analyzing primary sources from 1800s (posters, advertisements, data…), then listen to some interviews discussing the changes in farming and machinery, hear some songs and look at sheet music describing life on the farm, analyze some maps of farm land in Chester County and finally use an interactive map to compare our local farm production to that of the rest of the country.

A. [] Students will view various primary sources on the site, but pay specific attention to the topics //By Type – Agriculture Equipment// and //By// //Theme// – //Economics// headings and pick one from each heading to analyze using the NARA Poster or Written Document worksheet. The second part of this task is to find a website that illustrates the modern equivalent of the picture/poster/advertisement that they analyzed previously. They will have to document the site they got their information from and explain why they think the source they found is comparable to its predecessor.

B. [] This site just provides an advertisement for farm land in 1857. I would like them to find a modern real estate listing (citing their source) for farm land and compare and contrast the two using a Venn Diagram.

C. []
<span style="font-family: 'times new roman','serif'; font-size: 13px;">Students will pick 2 of the 8 interviews to l listen to and list the similarities and differences of farming since their grandparents time using a simple chart to document <span style="font-family: 'times new roman','serif'; font-size: 13px;">their findings.
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13px;">Family ** ||  **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13px;">Similarities **  ||  **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13px;">Differences **  ||

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13px;">D. [] <span style="font-family: 'times new roman','serif'; font-size: 13px;">Students will listen to and analyze, using the NARA Sound Recording Document worksheet, this interview of a 4th generation farmer.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13px;">E. [] <span style="font-family: 'times new roman','serif'; font-size: 13px;">Students will just listen to this interview to gain a better understanding of how changes in technology have affected an industry. I would also like them to think about <span style="font-family: 'times new roman','serif'; font-size: 13px;">and ponder the following question (they can jot down some notes for future reference if they like, but it is not required) for later discussion, “According to the <span style="font-family: 'times new roman','serif'; font-size: 13px;">interview, how has new technology affected farming and has it been for better or worse?”

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13px;">F. [] <span style="font-family: 'times new roman','serif'; font-size: 13px;">Students will listen to and analyze, using the NARA Sound Recording Document worksheet, two songs from the list; John Denver’s //Thank God I’m a Country Boy// <span style="font-family: 'times new roman','serif'; font-size: 13px;">//(1975)// and one other song of their choice from the list (all from the 2000’s). They will then compare those two songs to //The Farmer is the Man,// (hard copy can be <span style="font-family: 'times new roman','serif'; font-size: 13px;">found at the bottom of the website, or I can provide one for them) poem from the 19th century, for similarities on how life on the farm/farmers are described using a <span style="font-family: 'times new roman','serif'; font-size: 13px;">simple chart.
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13px;">Similarities ** ||  **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13px;">Words used to describe farmers/life on the farm **  ||

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13px;">G. [] <span style="font-family: 'times new roman','serif'; font-size: 13px;">Students will watch a short video on the history of the FFA (Future Farmers of America) which is a student organization for those who are involved with or interested in <span style="font-family: 'times new roman','serif'; font-size: 13px;">farming. Many schools around us have this organization, we don’t, which is important for keeping the farming industry going and this video will provide students with <span style="font-family: 'times new roman','serif'; font-size: 13px;">background on why people might get into farming and why some districts around us might have such a large membership while we have none.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13px;">H. [] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13px;">I. [] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13px;">J. [] <span style="font-family: 'times new roman','serif'; font-size: 13px;">Students will use a Venn Diagram to analyze the maps of Chester County farmland from 1883, 1924 (used as one and compared against present day) and the present day, <span style="font-family: 'times new roman','serif'; font-size: 13px;">noting land use, crops that can be grown and changes in landscape.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13px;">K. [] <span style="font-family: 'times new roman','serif'; font-size: 13px;">This website was saved for last because I think it is the most interesting because it is an interactive map that lets the user compare their home state/county crop <span style="font-family: 'times new roman','serif'; font-size: 13px;">production to any other in the United States. It looks at various crops and how crop output varies across the country. There is also the ability to compare to previous <span style="font-family: 'times new roman','serif'; font-size: 13px;">year’s harvests which can illustrate how changes have taken place (less people farming, but production has grown). Students will be able to search this site on their <span style="font-family: 'times new roman','serif'; font-size: 13px;">own as a “culminating activity” to see how we “stack up” against other areas in corn, or other crop, production.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13px;">4. Conclusion: To wrap up the assignment, I would have students fill out the final column of the KWL chart and we would discuss what the student’s have learned about changes in farming, in general and more specifically how it has affected the area around where we live. We would also discuss whether these changes have been for better or worse and what impact they may have on the future.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13px;">5. Grading – I will have the students hand in all the NARA and other worksheets that have been completed along with the websites and pictures which they used for comparison throughout the webquest. I will also ask them to create one final assignment, a Venn Diagram illustrating the similarities and differences in farming from the 1800’s to today. I would also offer extra credit for any student/group of students who would conduct an interview with a local farmer or provide family pictures/documents relating to farming in the past that could be used in the future.

== Learning Activity 3-D-2: Local Documents, Data, and Cartoons ==

5 Resources: 1. [] -- // The social history of American agriculture // (book that discusses current trends, outlook and improvements during the 1930's) can see where farmers thought their industry was going and what changes were going to take place in the future and compare their predictions to what has actually happend over the last 80 years (new techniques, equipment, size of harvest...)

2. [] -- // How to get a farm, and where to find one // (book from 1864 describing how a person can get into farming, even with little or no money and what it takes to be a successful farmer at the time) can compare steps needed to get farm land 150 years and what seems to be the relative ease of doing so to today when it is almost impossible to get farmland unless it is passed done from the rest of the family

3. [] -- //The farmer's standard of living; a socio-economic study of 2,886 white farm families of selected localities in 11 states// (study done by the US Department of Agriculture in 1926 to see if farming was a viable means to make a living and can be used to see if economic gains have been made by farmers over the last 90 years by comparing to modern statistics on the average socio-economic standing of farmers today

4. [] --U.S. Corn Harvest Map (interactive map that shows how many bushels of corn have been harvested in each state and county) allows the viewer to see what the states and counties with the largest harvests and compare them to other parts of the country. Updated on a daily basis by the growers themselves

5. [] -- Meet the Families (website that interviews 8 families and asks them why they farm and how farming has changed since their parents and grandparents started farming) will be a good counterbalance to some of the journal entries I've seen from the 1800's describing what farming was like at the time

6. [] -- cartoon showing large worm coming up from ground and farmer holding "fertilizer" in his hand showing how modern farming output has changed drastically becuase of the use of growth enhancing chemicals

== Learning Activity 4-D-1: Local Photos and Posters ==

5 Resources: 1. [] -- **Advertisement for Comstock's Horticultural Implements**
 * American Agriculturalist 29 (1879)** Poster advertising the latest and greatest farm machinery "the best in the world"; seeder, weeder, cultivator... for only 18.50

2. []::-- **Choice farm lands for sale! The Illinois Central rail road company is now prepared to sell about 1,500,000 acres of choice farming lands in tracts of 40 acres and upwards, on long credits and at low rates of interest ...** Poster advertising land sale in 1857 showing how easy it was to get farm land because the government was trying to get people to move out West and become farmers to produce food for the ever increasing US population

3. [] -- shows land all over US, can zoom in to show farm land in various areas and will be used to compare old aerial photographs of farm land in various areas from local to national farms

4. Honey Brook Library resource room -- old maps and aerial photographs of local farms and history of boundary lines and crops that have been grown (items can't be scanned and uploaded so copies would have to be made for classroom use is possible), can use these to compare with Google Earth to see changes that have taken place over the years

5. [] -- The "Tornado" Tubular Silo advertisemet. Poster advertising the latest invetion in crop storage for 1910. Will be able to have students compare this to what they see on farms today and how farmers are able to store their crops until needed or sold

== Learning Activity 5-D-1: Local Audio and Music ==

5 Resources: 1. [] -- **Roy Harrington** grew up on the farm, then following service in the Army during WW II, worked for many years for John Deere. He spoke about many of the equipment advances on John Deere tractors.

2. [] -- Interview with Marcus Ladrach, a Wayne County farmer and his wife Beth Ladrach in Wooster, Ohio. Mr. Ladrach owns the 230 acres of his organically farmed land. He is a fourth generation farmer and has been farming his entire life.

3. "King Corn" documentary (Video) -- Number of short interviews of multigeneration farmers (why they do it, how farming has changed, how do they feel about farming today....)

4. [] -- "Modern" list of music linked to farming, can compare songs to actual farming activities learned about and how farming has changed, even in the songs that are written about it

5. [] -- Lyrics from "Old McDonald" written in 1917. Students (most of which can probably sing a portion of the song by heart)can use to compare the lyrics to pictures and other documents within the project

== Learning Activity 6-D-1: Local Video and Maps ==

5 Resources: 1. [] -- Breou's Official Series of Farm Maps, Chester County, 1883 (Honey Brook)

2. [] -- Map of Pennsylvania farm production, 1924. (In 1929, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture divided the state into 25 "type of farming" areas which can be used to compare to crops grown in those areas today)

3. [] -- Current Honey Brook Township Zoning map showing land that can be used for farming use of some sort

4. [] -- ** FOOD TO WIN THE WAR (first option under the video section) **This movie produced by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 1941 and encourages farmers to assist with the defense of America through a program called "Farm Defense.

5. [] -- Historical timeline of FFA (discusses the start of the Future Farmers of America and its purpose, which most students aren't aware of and will help illustrate the need to get the younger generation involved in an occupation that is needed, but fewer people are doing)

== Additional Notes and Resources ==