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Third Grade Lesson:
Ann Arbor Growth & Immigration
- State Student Outcome(s)
- Understand narratives about major eras of American and world history; reconstruct the part by comparing interpretations written by others from a variety of perspectives and creating narratives from evidence; describe, compare, and explain the locations and characteristics of places, culture, and settlements; describe, compare, and explain the locations and characteristics of economic activities, trade, political activities, migration, information flow, and the interrelationship among them.
- Curriculum Link
- Part 3, Lessons 3, 5, 7, and 8, A History of Ann Arbor
- Key Terms
- immigration, transportation, railroad, steamboat, Native-Americans
- Key Tools/Documents
- Timeline, website, classroom U.S. map, Narrative-A Trip from Utica, New York to Ingham County, Michigan in 1838, Letter-Frederick Schmidt’s native encounter
- Guiding Questions
- What were the earliest ethnic groups to settle in Ann Arbor and Michigan? What were some of the challenges they faced migrating to Michigan? What were some of their early experiences living here?
- Activities
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- Focus students on area of timeline (1830s-40s) to be covered in today’s lesson. As a quick review, students should describe some of the factors (“aces”) that brought early settlers to Ann Arbor. Introduce idea of studying some of the challenges people faced migrating to and settling in Michigan. (5-7)
- In small groups students read Narrative-A Trip from Utica, New York, to Ingham County, Michigan in 1838. As an added challenge, students can use maps to track Silas Beebe’s journey from Utica to Ingham County. Students should think about and write responses to two questions: (12-15)
- What modes/types of transport did Silas Beebe use to get from New York to Michigan?
- What were some of the challenges or difficulties he faced traveling to Michigan?
- In large group students should describe migration challenges for early Michigan settlers including: weather, quality and comfort of modes of transport, long travel hours, etc. Students should identify and note the speed and convenience of different modes of transport including: stagecoach, railroad, and steamboat. (As evidence, students can calculate that Beebe’s first trip by stagecoach took over a month, his second trip by steamboat took two weeks). (7-10)
- In large group explain to students how the full expansion of the railroad and greater use of steamships rapidly increased the number of migrating settlers, both American and immigrant. Discuss briefly some of the earliest immigrant groups to settle in Ann Arbor (German, Irish) including their reasons for and experiences settling here, including interactions with other ethnic groups. (5-7)
- In small groups students read Letter-Frederick Schmidt’s native encounter. Students should think about and write responses to two questions: (10)
- Describe the appearance of the “Indians” in Schmidt’s letter: what they looked like and wore.
- According to the letter, were all the “Indians” the same? How did they look or seem different from each other?
- Supplemental Activities
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- Students brainstorm list of factors or reasons people today might move to Ann Arbor and create an advertisement (with text and visual illustrations) for a current newspaper.
- Students design a poster that would have encouraged people living in the eastern United States in the early 1800s to migrate to and settle in Michigan.
- Students create a map or drawing of a frontier home with a log cabin, a yard, fields in which crops are grown, a nearby water supply, and any other features they think should be included.
- Student Activity
- Students create a drawing to accompany Schmidt’s letter. Drawing should include: “Indians” as described in letter, Schmidt, the Detroit River, canoes, etc.
- Challenge
- Invite students to interview grandparents or family members or community members to find out where previous generations lived, when and why they first settled in Ann Arbor or Michigan.
