Teaching Pennsylvania History: Part 5: Major Events

Temper this section of Pennsylvania history with Bible study time about our security in Christ, God’s provision for his people, and disaster readiness (staying close to God, his word, and his people).

Activities Students Can Do About Each Event: read more

• Create a timeline.
• Look for the place on a map.
• Fill in the chart pictured as they study the event.
• Make a list of people involved in the event.
• Draw cartoons of the sequence of the event.

Battle of Gettysburg 1863

Additional Activities:

• Visit the Visitor Center at Gettysburg Battlefield.
• Visit the battlefield and write down some of the names of the monuments. Develop a method to organize them.
• Read articles on the National Park Service website:  http://www.nps.gov/gett/index.htm
• Create a page of facts about each day of fighting.
• Do a research paper on one of the key figures and the part they played in the battle: Winfield Scott Hancock, George Edward Pickett, Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, Robert E. Lee, George G. Meade, etc.
• Read “The Gettysburg Address.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gettysburg_Address
• Construct a model of one of the areas of fighting and show the opposing sides with tiny flags. 

Molly Maguires 1860s-1870s

Additional Activities:

• Read several articles about the Molly Maguires.  http://explorepahistory.com/hmarker.php?markerId=1-A-3B9, http://ehistory.osu.edu/exhibitions/gildedage/content/mollymaguires The Overthrow of the Molly Maguires by Cleveland Moffett 1894, http://www.historynet.com/molly-macguires-in-pennsylvania-coal-regions.htm
• Answer these quesitons about what happened: Who were the Molly Maguires?/ What industry was involved?/What were some of the issues involved?/In what counties did the incidents take place?/What types of crimes were committed?/Who stopped the Molly Maguires?/How did he find out who was involved?
• Discuss who the opposing sides were and the different viewpoint of each.

Johnstown Flood 1889

Additional Activities:

• Read a factual account of the Johnstown Flood: (Look for these books or similar ones in local library) Children: The Story of the Johnstown Flood by R. Conrad Stein, Teens: Johnstown Flood by David McCullough, Reluctant Readers: The Johnstown Flood and Other Stories by Patrick M. Reynolds (cartoon version)
• Read a fiction book based on the Johnstown Flood: Children: The Day It Rained Forever by Virginia T. Gross, Teens: Julie by Catherine Marshall
• Compare the details of the fiction account with the factual account.

Three-Mile Island Incident 1979

Additional Activities:

• Learn about nuclear energy: Read about it on the web: http://pplsusquehanna.wpengine.com/how-it-works/
• Visit the PPL Susquehanna Riverlands and Energy Information Center, 634 Salem Boulevard, Berwick, PA 18603. Open 8:30 to 4:30 weekdays. 
• Read a summary of what happened: http://www.history.com/topics/three-mile-island

Good Resource about Pennsylvania Major Events: It Happened in Pennsylvania by Fran Capo and Scott Bruce, The Globe Pequot Press, 2005

Gettysburg Battlefield Model
by Matt Sieber