Lesson Plan - A Booming Industry - Oil in Texas (Gr 7)

Download the PDF: Lesson Plan: A Booming Industry - Oil in Texas (Social Studies, Grade 7)

Contents 1 Objective 2 Process 2.1 Prior Knowledge 2.2 Hook 2.3 Lesson 2.4 Independent Practice 2.5 Closing 3 Links to Films 4 Accompanying Worksheets 5 Resources 6 TEKS 6.1 Social Studies Grade 7

Objective

Using prior knowledge and archival footage, students will demonstrate understanding of the nature, both positive and negative, of the developing oil industry in Texas. Students will also evaluate the significance of the new technology compared to previous technologies, such as the railroad, and how it impacted and changed the lives and landscapes of Texas.

Process

Prior Knowledge

1. Students should have a working knowledge of late 19th century Texas history, including the early economy of Texas and resulting changes brought about by the introduction of the railroad.

2. Students should be aware of the importance of oil in the present economy.

Hook

1. Divide your classroom board in half.

2. Ask the students to brainstorm the changes that occurred in Texas industry and society as a result of the arrival of the railroad.

3. As they brainstorm, write their answers on the left side of the board.

4. Then ask students to brainstorm the changes that occurred in Texas industry and society as a result of the discovery of oil at Spindletop (and the resulting oil boom).

5. As they brainstorm, write their answers on the right side of the board.

6. After they have finished sharing ideas, have them work with a partner to find three similarities and differences of the impacts of the railroad and the oil industry in Texas.

7. Have three or four pairs of students volunteer to share the similarities and differences they found.

8. Discuss: Ask the students why they think the similarities and differences they discussed existed. Which similarities or differences did they think were most important? What impact did all of the changes they discussed have on Texas?

-or-

1. Rather than having students brainstorm as a class, partner the students and give them a large sheet of paper.

2. Have the student work with their partner to complete numbers 2 and 4 from above on their own paper. If you would like this to be detailed, you may want to let them use their notes and books.

3. Once they have listed the impact, have them circle the similarities in one color and the differences in another.

4. Have three or four pairs of students volunteer to share the similarities and differences they found.

5. Discuss: Ask the students why they think the similarities and differences they discussed existed. Which similarities or differences did they think were most important? What impact did all of the changes they discussed have on Texas?

Lesson

1. While you are informing students that they will be watching four archival films, have them divide a sheet of paper in half and put “Positive” on the left and “Negative” on the right. Instruct students that as they watch the film, they should write down things they hear or images they see that represent the positives and negatives of the oil industry. 2. Watch the film, Riches Loom for Village Folk in Texas Oil Rush 3. After viewing the film, ask students to share their positives and negatives and discuss any interesting points they bring up. If they had difficulty ask the following questions: a. Where were the oil rigs located in the city? i. Very close to the homes and just outside of town ii. In the middle of everything b. What effect do you think this had on the townspeople? i. Brought in money and industry ii. The smells/noise/dirt so close to their homes

Featured Video Get the Flash Player to see this player.

4. Watch the film, Ray Jelinek Collection, no. 11 - Oil Drilling Operation

5. After viewing the film, ask students to share their positives and negatives and discuss any interesting points they bring up. If they had difficulty ask the following questions:

a. What do you think it was like for those working in the oil fields?

b. Did you see anything that made you think it might be dangerous?

i. Billowing steam from the ground could burn workers

ii. The machinery had little to no safety devices

iii. Workers were working inches from large machinery that could easily break and injure them

iv. Looks like really hard work in the heat

v. Hard hats indicate potential danger

vi. Smoking right around the well – oil ignites easily

6. Watch the films, Explosion Starts Oil Fire and Flames Bar Rescue at Blazing Gusher Where 8 Met Death

7. After viewing the films, ask students to share their positives and negatives and discuss any interesting points they bring up. If they had difficulty ask the following questions:

a. What oil field dangers did these videos show?

i. Explosion

ii. Death of workers

iii. Rampant fire

iv. Difficulty of fighting fire

b. What impact do you think these oil well disasters had on the environment?

i. Trees burned down

ii. Farmland could be destroyed

iii. Often burned for extensive periods because oil gushers “fed” the flames

iv. Oil “spills”

v. Oil from the explosion getting into the towns and getting on people, in houses, etc.

8. Ask students the following wrap-up questions:

a. In your opinion, was the discovery of oil in Texas a good thing or a bad thing and why?

b. Would you have wanted to work in an oil field? Why or why not?

c. What similarities do you see in the videos to Texas today?

d. What effect do you think the oil industry has on the environment today?

Independent Practice

(to be completed over the course of several class periods)

Students will further evaluate the impact of the oil industry on Texas, through creation of a “road map” of the most significant oil-related events during the period of 1901 to 1945 and a narrative explaining the resulting impact of events they chose.

1. Divide students into partners.

2. Have students use their books, class notes, library books, TAMI video footage, and the activities and discussions above to create a list of the most significant oil-related events in Texas during the period of 1901 to 1945. (The list can include effects of the oil industry, important people, and technological inventions in addition to actual events. Students should also be instructed to include both positive and negative events.) The list should have roughly 20 events when complete.

3. Provide each group with a large sheet of butcher block paper, construction paper, scissors, map pencils/markers, and glue.

4. Students will then create a “Road Map” as a visual demonstration of the events that occurred in Texas during and after 1901. Instruct them to draw a road winding from one corner of the page to the opposite corner.

5. The Road should start with a list of “Road Conditions” – what Texas was like prior to the discovery of oil; the first sign should be the discovery of oil at Spindletop. Then, along the road, they will draw road signs to show the significant events in the order they happened. Each road sign should represent one event.

a. Suggestions:

i. Have students create a key.

ii. Suggest that they develop a consistent pattern to visually display the events. For example: Green for positive events, Yellow for events that display changes, and Red for negative events.

6. Once the students have created their map and made the signs, they should add “scenery” along the road to demonstrate both their chosen events and the changes the discovery of oil brought to Texas.

a. Suggestions:

i. Oil Derricks

ii. Railroads running parallel to road

iii. An oil gusher

iv. A mansion to display the riches of oil

v. A hospital where the injured from an oil well explosion were taken

7. When they have completed the “Road Map,” have the students write a paragraph analyzing the impact of the events they chose on Texas.

8. After the groups finish their Road Map and paragraph, have them briefly share their creation with the class.

9. Students should be evaluated on the following:

a. Accuracy of Information

b. Spectrum of Information

i. Does the map represent the entire period, 1901-1945?

ii. Does the map include both positive and negative events?

c. Quality of Analysis in Paragraph

d. Aesthetic Value/Relevance of Pictures on Road Map

i. Neatness and Legibility

e. Creation of Understandable Key for Road Map

Closing

1. Ask the students to brainstorm the importance of oil from Texas – suggest to them that this includes both the uses of oil (products made from oil) and the importance of oil to Texas and the larger world around us.

2. As they brainstorm, write their answers on the board. After they have finished sharing ideas, have them work with a partner to decide what they think are the three most significant answers in the brainstormed list.

3. Discuss: Have three or four pairs of students volunteer to share the three they think are most important and why.

4. Exit Ticket: Before the end of class, have each student complete a Recap-20 statement about the significance of oil in Texas.

Links to Films

• Ray Jelinek Collection, no. 11 - Oil Drilling Operation
• Riches Loom for Village Folk in Texas Oil Rush, 46 seconds
• Explosion Starts Oil Fire, 40 seconds
• Flames Bar Rescue at Blazing Gusher Where 8 Met Death, 38 seconds

Accompanying Worksheets

• Re-cap 20 Worksheet

Resources

• Spindletop – Gladys City Boomtown Museum, http://www.spindletop.org/
• Texas Almanac, Oil
• Products made from Oil:
  • http://www.eldr.com/files/images/oil2.gif
  • http://www.anwr.org/features/oiluses.htm
• Bredeson, Carmen. The Spindletop Gusher: The Story of the Texas Oil Boom. Houston: Bright Sky Press, 2010
• Dasef, Marva. Tales of a Texas Boy. Texas Boy Publications, 2007
  • Story of what it was like to grow up in Texas during the Great Depression – includes first-hand accounts of people buying shares in oil wells, working at an oil well, etc.
  • Based on the life of the author’s father
• Farndon, John. Oil (DK Eyewitness Books). New York: DK Children, 2007
• Cox, Mike. Historic Photos of Texas Oil. Nashville: Turner Publication Company, 2009
• Olien, Roger M. and Diana Davids Olien. Oil in Texas: The Gusher Age, 1895-1945. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2002
• Burrough, Bryan. The Big Rich: The Rise and Fall of the Great Texas Oil Fortunes. New York: Penguin Press, 2009

TEKS

Social Studies Grade 7

6A - Identify significant individuals, events, and issues from Reconstruction through the beginning of the 20th century, including the factors leading to the expansion of the Texas frontier, the effects of westward expansion on American Indians, the buffalo soldiers, and Quanah Parker

6B - Identify significant individuals, events, and issues from Reconstruction through the beginning of the 20th century, including the development of the cattle industry from its Spanish beginnings and the myths and realities of the cowboy way of life

6D - Explain the political, economic, and social impact of the agricultural industry and the development of West Texas resulting from the close of the frontier

7B - Define and trace the impact of "boom-and-bust" cycles of leading Texas industries throughout the 20th and early 21st centuries such as farming, oil and gas production, cotton, ranching, real estate, banking, and computer technology

13A - Analyze the impact of national and international markets and events on the production of goods and services in Texas such as agriculture, oil and gas, and computer technology

13C - Analyze the impact of significant industries in Texas such as oil and gas, aerospace, medical, and computer technologies on local, national, and international markets.

20B - Identify Texas leaders in science and technology such as Walter Cunningham, Michael DeBakey, Denton Cooley, Benjy Brooks, Michael Dell, and Howard Hughes, Sr.

20C - Analyze the effects of various scientific discoveries and technological innovations on the development of Texas such as advancements in the agricultural, energy, medical, computer, and aerospace industries

---

Have you used the TAMI Video Library in your classroom? Email education@texasarchive.org with your ideas, comments and feedback. Join TAMI’s education mailing list and receive updates of new film postings, activities, and lesson plans.

Teach Texas is made possible by the Texas Moving Image Archive Program, a partnership between the Texas Archive of the Moving Image and the Office of the Governor’s Texas Film Commission and is supported in part by a grant from the Texas Commission on the Arts.