Traveling Trunk, Primary Sources, Student Activities, Teacher Reference Materials
- Grade Level:
- Middle School: Sixth Grade through Eighth Grade
- Subject:
- Social Studies
The Legacy of Springfield Armory: How one Site Changed the Nation examines the history and legacy of Springfield Armory. The Armory was a leader in the development of interchangeability, technological innovations of firearms, mechanization, and specialization in precision manufacturing, and the production of small arms.This trunk includes lessons that explore the history of the Armory, a map maker activity examining primary sources to determine why Springfield was selected as a site for the Armory, lessons on various technological developments that occurred at the Armory including the Blanchard Lathe, noteworthy individuals at the Armory including in John Garland, a critical thinking writing prompt on identifying the significance of a historical site, and more!
Reach out to us to to schedule a time for the traveling trunk to arrive to your classroom!
Lesson Summaries
The History of Springfield Armory
This lesson, or series of mini lessons, has the students examining the history of Springfield Armory through a primary source reading and mapping application, a video, analysis of photos from the Armory Archives, examining the different jobs found at the Armory, analyzing production numbers in relation to events in history, and learning about the National Park Service.
Workers at Springfield Armory
In these mini lesson students will be examining the roles that women took on during World War II by analyzing various primary resources including newspaper articles and photographs. Students will also look at propaganda posters and think about how they encouraged women to join the workforce. Students will draw a conclusion about why women went to work during World War II and explain whether they would have joined the work force during the war.
Invention and Innovation at Springfield Amory
These activities will engage the students in innovation and inventions that occurred at Springfield Armory. Students will learn about Thomas Blanchard and John Garand (two key inventors at Springfield Armory), examine patents and design their own (and build it too!), and learn about the assembly line and mass production. With a comprehension reading, primary source analysis, and hands on STEAM activities students will learn about the lasting impact of technological evolution at Springfield Armory.
Standards Addressed
For National Standards we are using the C-3 Framework, or the College, Career, & Civic Life Standards (History). These standards are general and have students aiming to achieve objectives by group grade levels. This trunk is bound to address some of your state standards as well, and if you need help identifying the standards that it addresses, please reach out to us.
The following C3 Framework Standards are addressed in this trunk:
By the End of Grade 5 Standards
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D1.His.1.3-5: Create and use a chronological sequence of related events to compare developments that happened at the same time.
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D2.His.9.3-5: Summarize how different kinds of historical sources are used to explain events in the past.
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De.His.12.3-5: Generate questions about multiple historical sources and their relationships to particular historical events and developments
By the End of Grade 8 Standards
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D1.His.1.6-8Analyze connections among events and developments in broader historical context
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D2.His.10.6-8: Detect possible limitations in the historical record based on evidence collected from different kinds of historical sources.
Materials
Download The History of Springfield Armory
Last updated: October 11, 2024