ERIC ED465665: Frontier Homes. Save Our History[TM]. Teacher's Guide.

8 Pages·2002·0.25 MB·English

by  ERIC

DOCUMENT RESUME
SO 033 793
ED 465 665
Frontier Homes. Save Our History[TM). Teacher's Guide.
TITLE
A&E Network, New York, NY.
INSTITUTION
2002-00-00
PUB DATE
6p.; Accompanying videotape not available from ERIC.
NOTE
A&E Television Networks, Attn: Community Marketing, 235 East
AVAILABLE FROM
45th Street, New York, NY 10017 (videotape, $24.95) .
Tel:
877-875-3276 (Toll Free); Fax: [phone]; e-mail:
[email protected]; Web site:
http://www.historychannel.com/classroom/frontierhomes/index.
html.
Classroom
Guides Teacher (052)
PUB TYPE
EDRS PRICE MF01/PC01 Plus Postage.
Architecture; *Built Environment; Heritage Education;
DESCRIPTORS
*Housing; Intermediate Grades; *Land Settlement; Secondary
Education; Social Studies; Student Educational Objectives;
Television Viewing; *United States History
Frontier History; Historical Preservation; National History
IDENTIFIERS
Standards
ABSTRACT
This lesson plan, based on the Arts and Entertainment
documentary "Frontier Homes," consists of four segments which examine a style
of historic dwelling built by settlers on the frontier: the post and beam
structures built by English settlers in New England; the log houses
constructed by pioneers on the forested frontier; sod houses erected on the
prairies; and adobe houses crafted in the southwest. This unit combines the
study of U.S. history with a lesson in material culture and environmental
understanding. The four home segments include:
(1) Plymouth Plantation, a
living history museum in Plymouth, Massachusetts, that features examples of
(2) The Museum of Appalachia, Tennessee, where Swedish
post and beam homes;
settlers first introduced log-style structures in the New World during the
(3) a demonstration of a "hands-on" approach on how to build a
18th century;
sod house in Minnesota; and (4) El Rancho Las Golondrinas, a living history
museum outside of Santa Fe, New Mexico, that teaches about building the
Spanish-American adobe home. This lesson plan provides an overview of these
segments, previewing activities; vocabulary, understanding geography, and
chronology; a graph of the home types; discussion questions; student
activities; and relevant vocabulary. The lesson plan identifies which
subjects are appropriate for study, grade level, national history standards,
and student educational objectives.
(BT)
Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made
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Frontier Homes. Save Our History.
Teacher's Guide.
A&E Network, New York, NY.
6LE
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1
CFR VT
national campaign dedicated to
Save Our History is The History Channel's Emmy-award winning
The History Channel shows an original
historic preservation and history education. Four times a year,
accompanied by online educational
documentary highlighting an issue in historic preservation,
visit
materials. To learn more about the Save Our History campaign,
www.historychannel.com/classroom.
divided into four segments. Each segment
Save Our History: Frontier Homes, hosted by Ron Hazelton, is
historic dwelling built by settlers on the American frontier: the post
goes on location to examine a style of
the log houses constructed by "pioneers" on
and beam structures built by English settlers in New England;
houses in the southwest. The documentary
the forested frontier; sod houses on the prairies; and adobe
they chose the specific materials,
explores who built these homes, how they built them, and why
historical and geographical context.
techniques, and tools needed for these different styles, within an
lesson in material culture and
Frontier Homes combines the study of American history with a
environmental understanding.
geography, environmental science.
Subjects: American history, Hispanic culture, social studies,
Grades: Middle through High School.
Homes fulfills-the following National
National History Standards: Save Our History: Frontier
Thinking), 2 (Historical Comprehension),
Standards for History: Historical Thinking 1 (Chronological
States History, Era 2, Standard 2 and Era 4,
3 (Historical Analysis), 4 (Historical Research) for United
Standards 1 and 2.
were created at different
Objective: Students will recognize that different types of dwelling structures
building materials, and reflecting influences from
times in American history, incorporating indigenous
have
understand that standards of living and notions of privacy
a variety of sources. Students will
changed over time.
INTRODUCTION
distinctive style and building
Each segment of Frontier Homes goes on location to examine a
Ron Hazelton visits Plimouth
technique for each historic dwelling archetype. In segment one,
and learns how traditional post and
Plantation, a living history museum in Plymouth, Massachusetts,
Post and beam houses were common in
beam houses were built in the early seventeenth century.
along the eastern seaboard originated.
England, from where the large majority of British colonists
Tennessee, where we learn that Swedish
The second segment is based at the Museum of Appalachia,
World during the eighteenth century. The freely
settlers first introduced log-style structures in the New
the earth, Old World cultural influences, and
available, local materials harvested from the forest and
the other locations.
the climate determined the style of dwelling here as in
PAGE 1
3
Sod houses, built from bricks of prairie sod in the second half of the nineteenth
century, were no
exception. As in the other locations, Haze 1ton has a very "hands-on" approach to learning how
to build a
sod house in segment three, shot in Minnesota.
The last segment, on building the Spanish-American adobe home, is based
at a living history museum, El
Rancho Las Golondrinas, outside of Santa Fe. Originally built in the eighteenth
century, the dwellings at
Las Golondrinas are fascinating examples of adobe architecture. Even though Native
Americans used
adobe-type bricks for building materials, the Spanish settlers here
were influenced primarily by North
African construction techniques for building in dry, desert-like locations.
Previewing Activities: Vocabulary
There are many vocabulary words introduced in this documentary. Perhaps the
most important word for
students to understand, however, is frontier.
Ask your students to explain what frontier means. You may find that they refer vaguely
to the American
West of the nineteenth century, or to outer space as "the last frontier." Explain that frontier
is based on
the same word as "front." In this documentary, it means the border territory
at the edge of settlement.
Throughout American history, the frontier has been a shifting place, moving
west as European settlers
traveled inland from the Atlantic coast, or north as European settlers colonized
areas north of Mexico
City, the capital of New Spain. Even coastal New England and Virginia
were once frontier areas, from the
earliest English settlers' point of view.
Pioneer is another key word in this presentation. Help
your class understand that the noun pioneer can
describe anyone who is in the forefront of any endeavor or field. Ask them to
use the word pioneer in a
sentence that illustrates this concept. They may use it as a noun or a verb. (For example: "Through her
advanced work with dogs, Dr. Gant was a pioneer in veterinary medicine.")
Other key words and phrases include: settlement, structure, timber, post and beam, thatch,
wattle,
daub, foundation, Great Plains, prairie, sod, homestead, high desert, adobe, "dirt cheap."
Previewing Activities: Understanding Geography and Chronology: Because Frontier Homes explores
different geographical and chronological influences on building types,
a brief map and time line activity is
recommended. Using a map of the United States, have your students point out how the frontier moved
from east to west and north of Mexico. Make sure they can locate Minnesota, Massachusetts, New
Mexico,
and Tennessee. What does the location of these states tell your students about the climate in each area?
What century did the Europeans permanently settle in each area? (Of
course, Native Americans lived in
these areas for centuriessometimes thousands of yearsbefore the arrival of the Europeans. They had
their own building traditions that were highly adapted to the local environment. If
your class has studied
Native American life, you might want to mention this; see if
your students can identify different types of
Native American dwellings.)
Incidentally, log houses were popular throughout North America, wherever heavily forested
areas
existed, and were not limited to Tennessee. Post and beam houses followed the line of settlement. They
could be found in all the original thirteen colonies and moved westward with the frontier.
TIEWIM
VIDE
Save Our History: Frontier Homes is clearly divided into four parts. We recommend stopping the video
at the end of each segment. Referring to the charts provided below, ask your students to provide the
information requested.
Charting Information.
There are many ways to collect and record information while viewing
a documentary, such as note-
taking or outlining. Filling out a graph or a chart is another method. We have provided Chart A with
some
of the information filled in. You may make copies of this chart for your students to
use while they are
watching the documentary. They may fill it out in small groups or individually,
as they watch or after
they watch. Chart (B) has been filled in completely for your reference.
PAGE 2
4
for your whole class.
wall board and you can fill it in as an activity
Alternatively, you can create a similar chart on the
gad ous
Adobe
ilc$ Hous
B am
Rekt
Etta
Tht@ ot Dllrau,w
1700s
1600s
First Built
(European*)
Swedish
English
Influence
New Mexico
Tennessee
Video
Location
High desert
Great Plains,
Environment
hot & cold
prairie; no trees
Sawn logs
Local Materials 1
Wood rafters
Wood (a little)
Wattle & daub
Local Materials 2
Sand. straw
Chinking
Thatch
Local Materials 3
Well-insulated
Long-lasting
Advantages
Repairs
Smokey, crowded
Problems
needed
Nails must be
Comments
purchased.
used bricks made out
stated in the documentary Several different nationalities
*The outside cultural influence on sod houses is not clearly
this is not mentioned in the video.
of peat or turf for inexpensive, temporary housing, but
ouse
Adob
god] 50(02w
Hous
B am
oust
ll
1700s
1800s
1700
1600s
First Built
North African
(European*)
Swedish
English
Influence
New Mexico
Minnesota
Tennessee
Massachusetts
Location in
Documentary
High desert;
Great Plains,
Forested frontier
Woods,
Environment
hot & cold
prairie; no trees
cold winters
clay
Sod bricks
Sawn logs
Sawn logs
Local Materials 1
Wood rafters
Wood (a little)
Daub (clay & straw)
Wattle & daub
Local Materials 2
Sand, straw
Chinking
Thatch
Local Materials 3
Warm, easy
Well-insulated
Long-lasting
Cozy
Advantages
Frequent
Damp, small
Smokey, crowded
Smokey, crowded
Problems
repairs
Very pretty
Not built anymore
Nails were
Comments
purchased.
nationalities used bricks made out
clearly stated in the documentary. Several different
*The outside cultural influence on sod houses is not
but this is not mentioned in the video.
of peat or turf for inexpensive, temporary housing,
Discussion Questions
lead a discussion with
documentary and completed their charts, you may
After your class has viewed the entire
the following questions:
will agree,
adapted to their environment? Why? (Not everyone
1. Which homes do you think were the most
which is to be expected.)
be small?
Does the building style require that the houses
2. All the structures in the video were small.
PAGE 3
5
(Answer: No. These houses could be added on to and turned into very large houses. Or they could be built
originally as much bigger structures. Sod houses were the most limited in their size.)
3. How would you feel about living in a one-room log cabin with ten other people? Do you think
people in earlier times felt differently about their privacy? Do you think this is related to what people
are accustomed to, or to human nature?
4. What do all the frontier homes have in common? (Answers include: People worked together to build
them. Friends and neighbors helped each other. All the techniques used components from the soil to
one extent or another. They were all adapted to the climate. They used materials that were freely
available. Only a few of the materials were purchased.)
5. When you learned about these houses, what made you glad you live in a modern world? What would you
like about living in one of the "Frontier Homes?"
Student Activities
Materials (these vary according to the activity): Poster board, pencils, colored pencils, rulers, drawing
paper, writing paper, tracing paper, internet access.
1. Pretend you are a member of a frontier family in one of the locations described in the video. Write a
journal entry about the building of your family's frontier house or about living in it. Include information
about the interior, the exterior, the building materials, and your environment. Remember to date your journal.
2. You will need pencils, an eraser, a ruler, and drawing paper for this activity. Colored pencils are optional.
Choose one of the building styles featured in the video. Sketch an exterior and an interior plan for the
house in the style of your choice. Identify the materials used and important building techniques.
3. Research the use of the log cabin as a symbol in American history. Create a poster that illustrates the
ways the log cabin has been used as a symbol/icon.
4. Trace a map of the United States on a piece of paper, or down load a map from the internet. The map
does not need to be detailed
a blank map is ideal! Indicate on the map where the four building styles
examined in Frontier Homes were popular, not just where the featured segment was located. Don't be
surprised if the styles overlap. (For example, don't just pin point Sante Fe. Indicate where adobe building
techniques were used generally.) Provide the century when they were first built.
FRONTMR
HOMES
VOCABU
LARY.
adobe: (n) building material made of clay mixed with straw, often molded into bricks
daub: (n) mud or clay plaster smeared over a frame of woven sticks (wattle) used to build the walls of houses
"dirt cheap": (adj) costing very little
foundation: (n) sturdy, supportive base on top of which a house our building is erected
Great Plains: (n) vast grassland region of North America, much of which is used for cattle and wheat
ranching; the Great Plains extend from southern Canada to Texas
High Desert: (n) region of North America bordered on the east by the Rocky Mountains and on the
west by the Sierra Mountains; to the north, it includes the Snake and Columbia River plateaus and to
the south, the Great Basin
homestead: (n) house and other buildings on a piece of land that usually is given to a settler to clear
and cultivate
post and beam: (n) building technique that uses a long, thick piece of wood fixed in the ground vertically
(post), connected to a horizontal piece of wood that supports the roof (beam)
prairie: (n) large open grassland that is flat or with rolling hills and very few trees
settlement: (n) small group of homes or people new to a region
sod: (n) top layer of soil held together by grass and matted roots, which can be cut into squares and
used to build houses
structure: (n) something, such as a house or a bridge, that has been built
thatch: (n) plant material, such as straw or reeds, used for roofing
timber: (n) cut wood used for building
wattle: (n) woven frame of sticks or reeds to be covered with mud or clay plaster (daub) and used to
build the walls of houses
PAGE 4
6
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