Logging in the Keweenaw - Lesson Plan

Copper TRACES Online Learning Module

Lesson Plan Outline

Lesson Goals

Essential Questions:

• How was lumber harvested in the Western Upper Peninsula of Michigan?
• What was the life of a lumberjack like?
• How did the logging industry impact the landscape? 

Enduring Understandings:

• Logging was a key industry in Upper Peninsula Michigan.
• Lumberjacks were employed through the year to accomplish various jobs.
• Lumber industry altered the landscape of the Upper Peninsula and created communities and infrastructure.

Objectives: 

By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:

• Describe the logging industry of the late 19th and 20th century of the Upper Peninsula. 
• Describe the impacts of the lumber industry on the economy, immigration and environment of Michigan. 
• Indetify the trees native to the north woods region important to the logging industry. 

Lesson Planning

Instructional Time

• 30 minutes to 1 hour

*Activities can be done at the instructor’s pace*Activities can be completed in one sitting or across multiple days

Recommended Materials:

• Computers

• Projector/screen

• Print outs of paper buildings

• Drawing and writing utensils

• Container for a time capsule

• Potential objects to add to a time capsule(optional)

*Note: Needed materials depend on activities chosen to complete

Preparation:

• Print sheets for students.

Learning Standards, Intelligences and Assessment

Learning Standards:

*Note: Standards depend on activities chosen to complete

Common Core Standards for English & Language Arts
SL.4.1 - Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 4 topics and texts, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.
SL 4.4 - Describe people, places, things, and events with relevant details, expressing ideas and feelings clearly.

Michigan K-12 Social Studies Standards
4 – H3.0.5 - Use visual data and informational text or primary accounts to compare a major Michigan economic activity today with that same activity or a related activity in the past.

Michigan K-12 Geography Standards

4 – G2.0.1 - Locate and describe human and physical characteristics of major U.S. regions and compare them to the Great Lakes region
4 – G4.0.3 - Describe some of the movements of resources, goods, people, and information to, from, or within the United States, and explain the reasons for the movements.
4 – G5.0.1 - Assess the positive and negative consequences of human activities on the physical environment of the United States and identify the causes of those activities. 

Visual Art Standards
ART.VA.I.4.3 - Analyze and reflect on the elements of art and design to communicate ideas.
ART.VA.I.4.4 - Prepare, present, and collaboratively evaluate personal artwork.

Intelligences 

People learn in a variety of different ways and understanding these ways can help meet the needs of learners and contribute to a successful learning environment. Howard Gardner, an American psychologist, developed the idea behind people having a variety of intelligences impacting how they learn. This is referred to a Garner’s Multiple Intelligences. The activities in this lesson will focus on various intelligences as noted in each activity.

Assessment

Students should be able to describe elements of the lumber industry in Michigan from woods to mills and the environment early loggers worked in. 

 

 

The Chassell Heritage Center in Chassell, MI

NPS Photo

Logging in the Keweenaw with the Chassell Historical Organization

Background

Keweenaw Logging History

 

Terms to Learn

• Bucker: The person whose job is to cut the tree trunk into logs.
• Crosscut Saw: A saw designed to cut across the grain of wood; what lumberjacks used in the 1800s and early 1900s to saw trees down.
• Cruiser: The person who estimates the amount of wood in a forest before it is cut.
• Cutover: Land that has been logged. This term is often used as “the cutover,” which refers to northern Wisconsin after it was heavily logged during the period from the 1850s to the 1920s.
• Feller: The person who used a crosscut saw to saw a tree down.
• Fitter: The person who cuts a notch on one side of the tree in preparation for cutting it down.
• Hay Man on the Hill: The person who spreads hay on icy slopes to make it safe for the sleighs to travel.
• Logging: The removal of trees from the forest for lumber.
• Lumber: Boards sawed from logs.
• Lumberjack: A term used for individuals who work in the woods during a logging process.
• Marker: The person who pounds the lumber company’s stamp into the end of each log.
• Notch: A V-shaped gap made in a tree that is going to be cut down.
• River Pig: The person who floats the logs down the river to the lumber mill.
• Scaler: The person who measures each log and estimates how much wood is there.
• Skidder: The person who drags the logs out of the forest and loads them onto sleighs.
• Sky Bird: The person who stands on top of the logs on the sleigh and arranges them into a pile.
• Sleigh: A horse-drawn vehicle with runners instead of wheels that was used to haul cargo.
• Swamper: The person who cuts the branches off the tree after it has been cut down.
• Teamster: The person who brings the loaded sleighs down to the river with horses or oxen.

 

Logging Vocabulary Words Puzzle

Activity Objective
The point of this activity is for the students to learn about the words associated with logging activities and their definitions. After they finish this activity, the students will have an in-depth understanding of the different processes and roles involved with logging.

Resources:

• Puzzle Worksheet
• Definitions
• Vocab Words page 1
• Vocab Words page 2

Instructions:

• Have students pair up and each pair will receive one or two of the vocab definitions. Ensure that all 14 definitions are handed out, there can be duplicates.

• Set up the 14 words with hints around the room. Have the pairs of students go around the room to try to determine the correct word for their definition(s).

• Once they figure out their word(s), have them write down the words in the blank space on their puzzle worksheet.

• Then have the students exchange definitions with another group and repeat the process.

• The goal is to have every group “research” all 14 words. This may take a little bit of time. If time is limited, have the students completed two or three rounds and then bring the class together to share the words they learned and help the rest of the class fill out their puzzle sheet.

• Once all 14 words have been found, students can work with their pairs to complete the puzzle.

 

These are four common deciduous trees in the U.P. They all have different characteristics. Use the central space to draw a leaf you found. Label the different parts of your leaf.

NPS

Activity: Tree I.D.

Introduction: Identifying trees is important for lumberjacks. Knowing the trees also tells us about the type of forest, the soil, wildlife and other trees nearby.
Deciduous or hardwood trees were several species of trees that were logged in the Upper Peninsula.
Deciduous Tree Leaf I.D. Worksheet

1. Have students collect leaves from outside.
2. Use the worksheet to discuss the different parts of leaves.
3. Students will then draw their leaf and label its parts.
4. Students can use a tree i.d. website or reference book to identify their tree.

Leaf Vocabulary:
Margin - the outline of a leaf. The margin can be smooth, serrated like a saw blade or toothed.
Lobe - the "fingers of a leaf. Lobes are three sided and have a space between lobes.
Sinus - the space in between lobes
Stalk - Also called a petiole, this connects the leaf to the twig. The stalk can sometimes twist to make sure the leaf gets sunlight.
Leaf base - This is the part of the leaf that connects to the stalk. The base can be even or uneven.

 

Additional Student Learning Opportunities

Field Trip – Visit Chassell Heritage Center
Learn more at: Chassell Historical Organization