Chicago History Museum & Navy Pier

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I learned that not only is Chicago a result of its location but a place where  speculators were willing to invest in hopes of big returns.  A canal connected the Chicago River to the Illinois River which allowed water transportation to the Mississippi River system.  Trains also met in Chicago allowing its goods to travel the nation.  All of this made Chicago a speculator’s dream.  The Chicago History Museum has primary resources available on-line at:  encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org !!!  The thought of being able to use all of these primary resources without charge was exciting.  In fact I think I found my lesson plan; the Chicago Riot of 1919 – why was there conflict between blacks and whites and how does that compare to racial conflicts in Colorado?

Chicago rebuilt quickly after the fire of 1871.  More and more immigrants came to Chicago, it was experiencing an industrial boom.  This included blacks from the “Jim Crow South”, especially during WWI while the city was manufacturing goods for WWI.  I enjoyed listening to Dr. Sarah Marcus, she was expressive and interesting.

The afternoon included activities on the Haymarket event with Katherine San Fratello.  We participated in an activity where students (us) filled in an empty brain with icons that represent the thoughts of our characters from a Haymarket story.  This could be done with almost any event evolving different points of view on a subject.  Before visiting the museum she ran us through an exercise that required us to use our background knowledge as well as our imagination.  We examined artifacts; listed a description, analyzed its characteristics and stated what we thought it was used for.  Our group had a flat iron heater – we thought it was a toaster (we tried).  This would be a fun hands on activity to use with students.  The museum had a variety of items; trains (how did they get these to the second floor?), newspaper articles, furniture, clothing, and even a Blues club.  It had a childrens’ section with hands-on activities.