The Progressive Movement—what was its impact?

Lesson 5

Day 7

Title: Exhibit for Visitors, Debrief and Complete End-of-Unit Web

Objectives:

Students will:

1. Present their exhibits to visitors in which they have selected and explained primary sources.
2. Interact with visitors about the connections between the Progressives concerns and those of today.
3. Reflect on their collective and individual work.
4. Use what they have learned to provide associations with the word “Progressive” and compare this to the web they began with.
5. Write a letter from the point of view of one of the Progressives they have studied to people visiting their exhibit today about the progress and/or lack of progress in solving problems that Progressives faced.

Materials (online primary sources, student reading, activity sheets, supplies)

• Five exhibits that the students have created ready for visitors
• Flip chart pages, markers and masking tape
• Web that students completed on Day 1
• Rubrics on this culminating assessment for teacher to complete
• A digital camera or video camera to capture the exhibit for later viewing.

Strategies (include opening or hook and closing)

1. Allow short time for students to set up their exhibits and get themselves ready to interact with visitors.
2. Welcome visitors to your class’s Progressive Era exhibit, and let them know that they are welcome to ask the exhibitors questions about what they see. Be sure to let visitors know about the students playing historical figures and invite them to speak with them.
3. To avoid bottlenecks direct visitors to visit all exhibits and avoid standing in lines.
4. Circulate to support and assist students as necessary.
5. Take pictures.
6. Bid good-bye to visitors and thank them for coming—be sure to allow for 15 to 20 minutes left in the period.
7. As soon as visitors leave, ask students to step out of their roles so that they can be themselves to debrief and reflect on their experience. Have students share out popcorn style about what they liked and what they would change about their own work/exhibit/performance.
8. Applaud them all!
9. To help students appreciate what they have learned, have students brainstorm their associations now with the word “Progressive”—and record their associations on the web.
10. Last, compare students’ pre- and post-Progressive Unit webs—and note areas of particular growth and detail. Ask them what questions they still have about the Progressives.
11. After class, complete a rubric for each group—with copies for all group members—of the culminating assessment and return to students.
12. Homework: To complete this unit on the Progressives, assign students to write a letter from the point of view of one of the Progressives they have studied to people visiting their exhibit today about the progress and/or lack of progress in solving problems that Progressives faced. Ask students to discuss at least three of the following topics—connecting the period from 1889-1920 to today:
• Child labor
• Working conditions
• Public health
• Substance abuse
• Political participation by all groups in America.

Differentiation

This lesson provides students an opportunity to share with visitors their strengths (including oral and visual presentation), and supports them in making the cognitive connections back to where they started with the unit—to acknowledge and appreciate what they learned.

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