Learning Activity

Avondale Mills: A Change of Life for Alabamians

Subject Area

Social Studies

Grade(s)

6

Overview

Students will annotate and analyze a secondary source about the industrialization, urbanization and cultural changes to Birmingham and Sylacauga, Alabama. Students will discuss in groups how the Avondale textile mills affected urban growth and the lives of mill employees. Groups will work together to summarize excerpts of the Encyclopedia of Alabama Avondale Mills article.

This activity results from the ALEX Resource Gap Project.

Content Standards

Social Studies (2010) Grade(s): 6

SS10.6.1
Explain the impact of industrialization, urbanization, communication, and cultural changes on life in the United States from the late nineteenth century to World War I.

Unpacked Content

Vocabulary

industrialization
urbanization
WWI

Knowledge

Students know:

How industrialization, urbanization, communication, and cultural changes in the United States from the late nineteenth century to World War I have effected the lives of Americans.

Skills

Students are able to:

Explain the impact of industrialism on life in the US from the late 19^th Century to World War I.
Explain the impact of urbanization on life in the US from the late 19^th Century to World War I.
Explain the impact of communication on life in the US from the late 19^th Century to World War I.
Explain the impact of cultural changes on life in the US from the late 19^th Century to World War I.

Understanding

Students understand that:

Industrialization, urbanization, communications and cultural changes in the United States from the late nineteenth century to World War I have impacted the lives of Americans.

Interdisciplinary Connections

Phase

During/Explore/Explain

Learning Objectives

Learning Objectives

Students will explain the impact of industrialization and urbanization on families in Alabama mill towns.
Students will explain the cultural changes that families in Alabama mill towns experienced.

Activity Details

Activity Details

Assign the students into four small groups (two groups will read about the Birmingham Mill and two will read about the Sylacauga Mill).
Distribute the Avondale Mills article and tell the students they will complete a 5-4-3-2-1 graphic organizer.
Remind students that they should look for information that describes how the mill communities affected the cities (industrialization and urbanization) and families (cultural).
On the board, make a five-column graphic organizer with the following labels: COMMUNITIES (five facts), MILL FAMILIES (four facts), FINANCES (three facts), COMER INITIATIVES (two), and QUESTIONS (one or more).
The Birmingham groups should read paragraphs #4-7; the Sylacauga groups should read paragraphs #8-11.
Students should highlight and annotate their sections of the article, looking specifically for the facts to be discussed.
Allow the groups time to discuss the readings. The groups should create lists of five facts about mill communities; four facts about the mill families; three facts about mill factory/community finances; two Comer initiatives that benefited the workers; and one or more questions that the group still has.
Allow time for each group to share their responses. The teacher or students may complete the group graphic organizer on the board as ideas are shared.

Assessment Strategies

Assessment Strategies

The teacher should monitor students while they are reading, encouraging and documenting annotations on the article.
The teacher should monitor/document group discussions.
Students/Groups should complete the 5-4-3-2-1 graphic organizers.
The class should be able to discuss how the industrialization of the mill factories affected the urbanization of Birmingham and Sylacauga and the cultural effects on the families that worked in the textile mills.

Acceleration and Intervention

Variation Tips

The teacher may print photographs of the Avondale Mills and workers from the Encyclopedia of Alabama and use them for further discussions (factories, Comers, families, child laborers).

Background and Preparation

Background / Preparation

Print a copy of the Avondale Mills article from the Encyclopedia of Alabama.
Number the paragraphs and make a copy for each student.
Have highlighters for students for annotations.
Be ready to create four groups.

Digital Tools / Resources

Avondale Mills Encyclopedia of Alabama article

http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-2141

Approved Date

2018-07-06

Author

Owner (Author)

lesaroberts

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