Lesson Plan - Winds of Change - The Galveston Hurricane of 1900 (Gr 4-8)
Objective
Through the use of primary sources, students will analyze the impact of hurricanes on the lives and livelihoods of the people and regions affected by them. Students will further compare the impacts of the Galveston 1900 Hurricane, Hurricane Katrina, and Hurricane Ike on the Texas coast, judging both immediate impact and long-term effect.
Process
Prior Knowledge
- 1. Students should have a working knowledge of Texas geography, including the Gulf Coast region.
- 2. Students should be aware of the devastating impact of natural disasters on communities, the economy.
Hook
- 1. Display a map of the Texas Gulf Coast that includes Cuba; identify the cities of Galveston and Havana on the map.
- 2. Ask the class to make a list of how information was communicated between two separate locations around 1900. Write the students' responses on the board.
- 3. Ask how someone in Havana might be able to warn someone in Galveston that a storm was coming around 1900. The answer is that there was no easy way to communicate this information effectively, and as a result, the Galveston Hurricane devastated Galveston Island in 1900.
- 4. Extension: Have students brainstorm one of the following:
- a. The benefits of modern technology, such as storm radar, which inform meteorologists that a major storm is coming several days before it arrives
- b. The problems associated with not having the technology to give people advance warning that a storm is coming
Lesson
- 1. Watch the film Galveston Hurricane of 1900 - Panorama of East Galveston on the Winds of Change Teach Texas category page or one of the other suggested films. This film illustrates the significant damage wrought by the hurricane that struck Galveston on September 8, 1900. Rather than react verbally, have students write down what images they see.
- 2. After viewing the film, ask students:
- a. How does this film look different from the images you see on your TV at home?
- i. Black and white, blurry images, jumpy images
- b. Why does this look different from the images we watch?
- i. This was filmed when moving images were first invented and had not been perfected.
- c. What similarities do you see between this footage and scenes that have resulted after Hurricane Katrina or Hurricane Ike?
- i. Have students refer to their paper to see what they wrote down.
- d. Thinker Question: Why are some buildings left standing during a hurricane while others are not?
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- e. Why do people continue to resettle and rebuild Galveston Island though hurricanes continue to ravage the area?
- i. Possible answers: ports, trade, transportation, culture, tourism.
- f. Though technology has changed, and more than 100 years have passed, what has not changed about the effect of natural disasters and hurricanes?
- g. Show students pictures from Hurricane Katrina (http://www.katrinadestruction.com/) so they have an additional frame of reference to those provided in the videos. Then ask them how long they think it takes to rebuild an area after a hurricane has struck land? What do you think the long term effects are on an area after a hurricane strikes?
Independent Practice
(to be completed over the course of several class periods)
- 1. Divide students into groups, and assign each group one of the following topics:
- a. Understanding the science of hurricanes: how do they happen?
- b. The shipping industry: 1900 and present day
- c. The evolution of communication: the telegraph, telephone, internet
- d. The history of meteorology
- e. Emergency response to hurricanes: 1900 and present day
- f. Recording Hurricanes: footage of destruction then and now. (Focus on Edison's process and how the news media covers hurricanes today.)
- 2. Have each group research their topic in regards to
- a. Basic background information about their topics (who, what, when, where, how)
- b. How the topic affected Galveston Island in 1900
- c. How their topic affects Galveston Island today
- d. Why do you think people continue to settle in Galveston, despite the risk of hurricanes? (or how does your topic affect the distribution of populations along the Gulf Coast)
- 3. Each group will present their findings (either through a 5-10 minute presentation or a poster), and will be evaluated on the following:
- a. Accuracy of information about topic
- b. Explanation of how their topic has shaped contemporary society
- c. Displaying differences between 1900 and present day
- d. Aesthetic value/engaging participation
- e. Explanation of why people continue to rebuild and settle on Galveston Island
Closing
Explain to students that though living in a hurricane zone is dangerous, much advancement in technology and the desirability of Galveston's geographic placement has made it possible to weather natural disasters.
Links to Films
Resources
TEKS
Social Studies Grade 4
8B - Describe and explain the location and distribution of various towns and cities in Texas, past and present
9A - Describe ways people have adapted to and modified their environment in Texas, past and present, such as timber clearing, agricultural production, wetlands drainage, energy production, and construction of dams
9C - Compare the positive and negative consequences of human modification of the environment in Texas, past and present, both governmental and private, such as economic development and the impact on habitats and wildlife as well as air and water quality
20B - Describe how scientific discoveries and innovations such as in aerospace, agriculture, energy, and technology have benefited individuals, businesses, and society in Texas
Social Studies Grade 5
8C - Analyze the reasons for the location of cities in the United States, including capital cities, and explain their distribution, past and present
9A - Describe how and why people have adapted to and modified their environment in the United States, past and present, such as the use of human resources to meet basic needs
9B - Analyze the positive and negative consequences of human modification of the environment in the United States, past and present
23A - Identify the accomplishments of notable individuals in the fields of science and technology, including Benjamin Franklin, Eli Whitney, John Deere, Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell, George Washington Carver, the Wright Brothers, and Neil Armstrong
Social Studies Grade 6
3C - Compare various world regions and countries using data from geographic tools, including maps, graphs, charts, databases, and models
4B - Identify and explain the geographic factors responsible for patterns of population in places and regions
6C - Analyze the effects of the interaction of physical processes and the environment on humans
20A - Give examples of scientific discoveries and technological innovations, including the roles of scientists and inventors, that have transcended the boundaries of societies and have shaped the world
Social Studies Grade 7
8B - Analyze and interpret geographic distributions and patterns in Texas during the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries
9C - Analyze the effects of physical and human factors such as climate, weather, landforms, irrigation, transportation, and communication on major events in Texas
20E - Analyze how scientific discoveries and technological innovations have resulted in an interdependence among Texas, the United States, and the world
Social Studies Grade 8
10C - Analyze the effects of physical and human geographic factors on major historical and contemporary events in the United States
28A - Compare the effects of scientific discoveries and technological innovations that have influenced daily life in different periods in U.S. history
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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.
