Classroom Activities

Below are several activities for you to use in your classroom.

ActivityDescription  Related Programs
Cotton, Cloth and ConflictStudents explore the meaning of slavery in a northern Textile City. 

Bale to Bolt

Workers on the Line

The Value of a DollarStudents compare mid-19th century prices with today's.

Farm to Factory,

Workers on the Line

Cotton TalesStudents "become" a boll of cotton and tell their life story.Bale to Bolt
Making the World BetterStudents consider Lucy Stone's desire to attend college.Voices of Change
The World of Barilla TaylorStudents examine Barilla's letter home and mill pay-day chart.

Bale to Bolt,

Workers on the Line

Literature Circle: LyddieA guide to student-led discussion of Katherine Paterson's LyddieAll Programs
Interpreting Historical Images A guide to learning from photos, drawings and other images.All Programs
Exploring the Immigrant ExperienceA guide to conducting an oral history interview.Yankees and Immigrants
Working MusicStudents examine songs that protest working conditions.Workers on the Line
Falling WaterStudents use math to calculate water power.Power to Production
Making a Water WheelStudents use plates and cups to make water wheels in the classroom.

Power to Production,

Change in the Making

Teaching Industrial History through Mathematics StudentsStudents use charts and graphs to compare the economic success of several mills.

Bale to Bolt,

Workers on the Line


Partnership

The Tsongas Industrial History Center is an education partnership between the University of Massachusetts Lowell School of Education and the National Park Service at Lowell National Historical Park.

  • UMass Lowell
  • National Park Service