The History of Lawrence, Massachusetts

A Curriculum Unit

By,

Mary Blackstone

Place in Massachusetts History

Dr. Patricia Fontaine

April 16, 2003

Unit Overview

This unit was designed to teach students about the history and development of the city of Lawrence. The students will watch Lawrence grow as both an economic center and a culturally diverse community. The students will participate in the acquisition of this knowledge through classroom activities and assignments. The students will learn through the use of primary sources, the incorporation of technology, the study of literature, synthesis of knowledge, and exploration of museum exhibits. The unit will close with a performance assessment that draws upon every aspect of the city that was studied.

Enduring Understandings

Students will recognize how the geography was altered by industrialization.

Students will understand which mills existed in Lawrence and what was produced in them.

Students will understand why the area, which is now Lawrence, was chosen to build a mill city.

Students will understand the arrival of immigrants and how these people lived.

Students will understand the Pemberton Mill tragedy along with some other dangers associated with mill work.

Students will learn to synthesize information using primary sources.

Students will understand the reasons for and the results of the Bread and Roses strike of 1912.

Students will understand that all of this happened right where we are living today.

Essential Questions

How did the mills alter the land and demographics of Lawrence?

Why was the site at Lawrence chosen to become a mill city?

What was manufactured in the mills here in Lawrence?

What was the lifestyle of the mill families in Lawrence?

What are the dangers associated with working in the mills?

How was the city able to keep running during hard times?

What was the significance of the Bread and Roses strike?

How does the history of Lawrence involve you?

Day One

Grade 10

History of Lawrence, MA

Goal: (enduring understanding)- Students will recognize how the geography was altered by industrialization.

Essential Question: How did the mills alter the land and demographics of Lawrence?

Development and selection of Activities and Resources:

Opening- For the last two weeks we have been learning about the Industrial Revolution in Massachusetts. We have learned of cities like Waltham, Lowell, Fall River, and New Bedford. Today we are going to begin researching and discovering the piece of the Industrial Revolution staring us in the face everyday, the city of Lawrence. (5 mins)

Learning Plan- Students are to get into their discussion groups. Each group will be given two maps to study. One map shows the Lawrence territory just prior to the building of the dam, 1845. The other map shows a much more recent Lawrence, 1974. Students in their groups are to examine the maps and discuss the similarities and differences between the two. They should specifically address the list of questions they received with the maps. (20 mins)

Groups are then responsible to report back to the class on one of the questions. After addressing their question, each group must list one similarity or difference that only their group noticed, or that made an impression on the group. Each group must name something different. (20 mins)

Closing- Today we discussed how Lawrence looked in 1845, prior to the construction of the dam, in comparison with how it looked more recently in 1974. Tomorrow we will enter into a discussion of the building of the dam and canals in 1845. (5 mins)

Resources:

Map of Lawrence 1845

Map of Lawrence 1974

Discussion Groups

List of Questions

White Board and Markers (to record group responses)

Content:

· the geography of the area in 1845

· the geography of the area in 1974 (roughly present)

· uncovering of how the area has changed due to industrialization

Curriculum Standard:

Pathway 1 – USI.27

How will the understanding of the essential question be assessed?

· Teacher observation of group discussions

· Group answers to list of questions

· Class discussion of group responses

Names: Date:

Each group should use the attached maps in order to address the following questions. Each group will be responsible to share their treatment of one question with the class. Also, each group will be responsible to report one interesting observation.

1. What was in the area prior to the building of the great stone dam?

2. How many houses can you find on the first map?

3. How many bridges do you see on the first map? On the second map?

4. On the more recent map one can make out the highway all the way to the right. What is in this area on the older map?

5. Which two towns gave up the land that enabled the birth of the city of Lawrence?

6. What other specific similarities or differences did your group notice? What other interesting observations did you group make?

Day Two

Grade 10

History of Lawrence, MA

Goal: (enduring understanding)- Students will understand why the area was chosen to build a mill city.

Essential Questions: How did the mills alter the land and demographics of Lawrence? Why was the site at Lawrence chosen to become a mill city?

Development and selection of Activities and Resources:

Opening- Yesterday we looked at how drastically the area changed, from a farming community to a densely packed industrial center. Today we will examine the very beginnings of this change, the construction of the dam and the canals. (5 mins)

Learning Plan- Students are to once again join their discussion groups. Each group will receive an excerpt from “The Walking Tour of Lawrence,” with a brief explanation of one aspect of the dam/canal system. The group is to read the short article, and then discuss it with their group to gain an understanding of the specific function. (Teacher will be available for questions and clarification). Each group will then prepare a written explanation of their function, which addresses the questions that the teacher has posted on the board: What is it called?

What purpose does it serve?

Why is this important? (20 mins)

Each group is then responsible to share their findings with the rest of the class. Their classmates are responsible to be writing the name and function on the worksheet provided. Teacher clarification will be available if necessary.

Closing- The construction of the dam and canals was only the first piece in the development of the city. Tomorrow we will discuss the mills and what was produced in them.

Resources:

Walking Tour of Lawrence, MA Dam and Canal Area by A. Reusch and D. Meehan’s classes

Dam and Canal Worksheet

Discussion Groups

Content:

· The founding of the company

· The building and function of the dam

· The building and function of canals

Curriculum Standard:

Pathway 1-USI.26

How will the understanding of the essential question be assessed?

· Teacher observation of student discussions

· Group presentations of individual functions

· Student completion of dam and canal worksheet

Name: Date:

Dam and Canal Worksheet

Site 1:

Site 2:

Site 3:

Site 4:

Site 5:

Site 6:

Day Three

Grade 10

History of Lawrence, MA

Goal: (enduring understanding)- Students will understand which mills existed in Lawrence and what was produced in them.

Essential Question: What was manufactured in the mills here in Lawrence?

Development and selection of Activities and Resources:

Opening- Yesterday we studied the dam at Bodwell’s Falls. Today we are going to see what the Essex Company did with all of that power. (5mins)

Learning Plan- Students will proceed with teacher to the library. Each discussion group has been assigned the name of a different major mill in Lawrence’s history. Along with primary sources to be provided by the Lawrence History Center (formerly Immigrant City Archives) groups will search the library in order to answer questions about their mill. Students should find as many answers as they are able to, although it is understood that not all answers will be available for all mills. Groups should submit the research in writing to be compiled and returned as a fact guide for students. (30 mins)

Closing- Today we did some research and found out about the different mills that existed in Lawrence. Tomorrow we will talk about the arrival of the immigrants. (5 mins)

(Class is ten minutes shorter today to allow for travel time to and from the library).

Resources:

Maurice B. Dorgan book

Lawrence High School Library

Lawrence History Center research

List of Questions

Content:

· Information of what was produced in Lawrence

· Information on available primary sources

· How to research a topic in the library

Curriculum Standard:

Pathway 1- USI.27

How will the understanding of the essential question be assessed?

· Teacher observation of students at work

· Teacher aid in student research

· Completed fact sheet

Names: Date:

Name of Mill:

What was produced at this mill?

When was the mill built?

When did it cease production?

How many people did this mill employ?

How many buildings/machines/spindles/looms/etc. were in this mill?

What other interesting facts did your group find out about this mill?

Day Four

Grade 10

History of Lawrence, MA

Goal: (enduring understanding)- Students will understand the arrival of immigrants and how these people lived.

Essential Question: What was the lifestyle of the mill families in Lawrence?

Development and selection of Activities and Resources:

Opening- Yesterday we uncovered some interesting facts and figures about the mills in Lawrence. The information that each group turned in will be compiled by Friday and returned to each of you to aid you in your final project for this unit. Today we are going to participate in an activity designed to help you to understand why people emigrated from other countries to Lawrence, and how ethnic neighborhoods were maintained.

Learning Plan- As students entered the room, they each received an envelope and were instructed not to open it. Students are now asked to open their envelopes. Inside of each envelope is a colored slip of paper. Five students have and additional envelope along with their colored paper.

Hung all around the room are large pieces of colored paper that corresponds to the colored paper that the students found in their envelopes. The colors are to represent nationalities of immigrant groups in Lawrence. Each student who received only a colored piece of paper in his/her envelope is asked to go and sit in the desks underneath his/her color. The students with a second envelope are asked to come to the front of the room.

The students are informed that we have just created “ethnic neighborhoods.” The five students in the front of the room are newly arrived immigrants. As a class, we will decide why they came to Lawrence, and what neighborhood they will most likely settle in.

The second envelopes contain different reasons for moving to Lawrence; one is a letter from a friend describing job opportunities in Lawrence, one is an eviction notice from a farm, one is a newspaper “want ad,” one is a letter from a family member indicating that they are ready to be joined with a newly immigrating family member, and one is a beautiful picture of the city of Lawrence.

The “new immigrants” are asked by the teacher to come up one at a time and open their second envelopes. The class is then asked to assess why this person came to Lawrence. Next, the class must assess based on the colored paper, and the reason’s for coming, where this person would most likely settle. Our “immigrant” is then sent off to his/her new neighborhood and we move onto the next “immigrant.” (35 mins)

Closing- Today we looked at why and how immigrants settled in Lawrence. Tomorrow we will study and discuss some of the dangers of mill work and also take a look at the Pemberton Mill disaster. (5 mins)

Resources:

Colored paper on walls

Colored slips of paper in envelopes

Five envelops containing colored paper and a smaller envelope

Five smaller envelops containing:

Letter- friend to friend

Want Ad

Eviction Notice

Letter- family to family

Pretty picture of Lawrence

Content:

· Reasons immigrants came to Lawrence

· Reasons ethnic neighborhoods developed

Curriculum Standard:

Pathway 1- USI.27 b

How will the understanding of the essential question be assessed?

· Student participation in activity

· Student discussion during activity

Day Five

Grade 10

History of Lawrence, MA

Goal: (enduring understanding)- Students will understand the Pemberton Mill tragedy along with some other dangers associated with mill work.

Essential Question: What are the dangers associated with working in the mills?

Development and selection of Activities and Resources:

Opening- Yesterday we learned about the arrival of immigrants in Lawrence. We discussed why they came and where they lived. Today we will be looking at some of the dangers associated with the work they did. We will also look at the Pemberton Mill disaster. (5 mins)

Learning Plan- Teacher led discussion on mill dangers. Students are prompted to, using what they know about mill work, synthesize what the dangers to their health and well being might be. Discussion prompting questions may include: What threats do the machines pose to the people operating them? What about girls with long hair? With the shuttle moving that fast, what is the potential for injury? How would the long hours affect an operative? What about air and water quality? Overall, were mill workers healthy people, do you think?

Students should be taking notes during the discussion in order to form for themselves a list of mill dangers. (20 mins)

Students should then join their discussion groups where they will receive and except on the Pemberton Mill disaster. Students should skim this excerpt in order to find the answers to the attached list of questions.

Closing- The fall of the Pemberton Mill happened upon the city just as it had begun to recover from economic crisis. The dangers associated with life in the mills were exceedingly great. Tomorrow we will look at major events over the course of five months in Lawrence’s history.

Resources:

Teacher discussion questions

Article regarding the Pemberton Mill

Questions on Pemberton Mill

Content:

· the dangers of life in the mills

· the fall of the Pemberton Mill

Curriculum Standard:

Pathway 1- USI.27

Assignment: Students are to interview a person who grew up in the city of Lawrence using the interview sheet received today. It is due three days from now.

How will the understanding of the essential question be assessed?

· Participation in class discussion

· Completion of Pemberton Mill work sheet

Names: Date:

The Fall of the Pemberton Mill

What day did the mill fall?

How did it manage to catch fire?

How many people were in the building?

Of these, how many lived?

How many were injured?

How many people died in the tragedy? Men? Women?

Where were the dead and injured taken? Why?

How was disaster relief handled?

What do you think led to the collapse of the building?

Day Six

Grade 10

History of Lawrence, MA

Goal: (enduring understanding)- Students will learn to synthesize information using primary sources.

Essential Question: How was the city able to keep running during hard times?

Development and selection of Activities and Resources:

Opening- Yesterday we talked about the dangers of mill life and the collapse of the Pemberton Mill. Today with out discussion groups we are going to synthesize what kind of a city Lawrence is to live in during the year 1893-1894. (5 mins)

Learning Plan- With discussion groups, students will asses what one can learn about life in the city of Lawrence from this excerpt of the Gazetteer. Using input from all group members, each group must produce a journal entry for one of the dates listed in the excerpt. The journal entry should be at least one page long. Be sure to address the questions posted on the dry erase board: Who is writing the journal entry? What is his/her name? How old is he/she? Does he/she work? If so, where? If not, what does he/she do? Where does he/she live? Does he/she like Lawrence? What happened in the city today? How did this event impact the author of the journal entry? The journal entry should be fictional but historically correct. The groups will then share their journal entries with the entire class. Written forms of the entry will be submitted to the teacher after they are shared. (40 mins)

Closing- Today we used a primary source to help us synthesize what a day in the life of a typical Lawrence resident would be like 1893-1894. Tomorrow we will be using the internet to learn about the Bread and Roses Strike of 1912.

Resources:

Pages from the Lawrence Gazetteer

Discussion Groups

Journal guiding questions

Content:

· learn about five months in Lawrence

· use this information to understand daily life in the Immigrant City

Curriculum Standard:

Pathway 1- USI.27 and USI.27 b

Assignment: Students should still be working on their interviews. If a student is having trouble finding someone who grew up in Lawrence they should see the teacher who can connect them with a volunteer interviewee. Brochure (performance assessment) assigned.

How will the understanding of the essential question be assessed?

· Teacher observation of group work

· Completed journal entries

Day Seven

Grade 10

History of Lawrence, MA

Goal: (enduring understanding)- Students will understand the reasons for and the results of the Bread and Roses strike of 1912.

Essential Question: What was the significance of the Bread and Roses strike?

Development and selection of Activities and Resources:

Opening- Yesterday we were using primary sources in order to learn history. Today we are traveling to the other end of the spectrum. We will be using the Internet to access, uncover, and share the information about the Bread and Roses Strike of 1912. (5 mins)

Learning Plan- Today students will be working in pairs. Pairs will each be given one aspect of the Bread and Roses Strike and asked to research it on the web sites provided by the teacher. Topics are: Strike Timeline, Immigrant involvement, Children and “exile,” Strike Leaders, Soup kitchens and other relief, Military and Police involvement, and Strike results. The students will travel to the school library and, with their partner, search the teacher provided web sites.