• Developer:

Franice Sewell, Park Ranger, Clara Barton NHS

Kevin Patti, Park Ranger, Clara Barton NHS
Dana Dierkes, Supervisory Park Ranger, Clara Barton NHS


• Grade Level: Middle School
• Number of Sessions in the Lesson Unit Plan: Three
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• Park Name: Clara Barton National Historic Site
  
• Description: Students learn how Clara Barton [1821-1912] broke boundaries as a woman, pioneer, and innovator during American Red Cross relief efforts. Students learn how Clara Barton prepared for disasters and developed emergency kits and how she used the latest technology in her Red Cross work.
  
  Lesson One, Breaking Boundaries: Students examine how Clara Barton broke boundaries, was a role model, as well as her contributions to the nation and the world.
  • Activity 1, Angel of the Battlefield Students role play news reporters and write eyewitness articles on the Civil War, and create illustrated and annotated comic strips about Clara Barton’s Civil War battlefield work.
  • Activity 2, Clara Barton and Her Work Student write memoranda about helping someone and create a self-portrait.
  • Activity 3, How to be Prepared? Students create a poster on “Helping Others Prepare for Emergencies.” 
  
  Lesson Two, Johnstown Flood of 1889 and Emergency Kits:
  
  • Activity 1, Students examine the impact and devastation of the Johnstown Flood, PA of 1889.
  • Activity 2, Students explore emergency preparedness needs and develop an emergency kit.
  
  Lesson Three, Technology:
  Students compare and contrast the technology of Clara Barton’s time to technology used today.
  
  
  

• Essential Question:
  • How did Clara Barton break boundaries and what were her contributions to the world? What is needed to survive and recover from a disaster? How did Clara Barton use technology?
    
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Lesson One, Breaking Boundaries
National Center for History in the Schools from UCLA http://nchs.ucla.edu/standards/standardsk-4-3-4.html

Topic 3: History of the United States: Democratic Principles and Values and the People from Many Cultures Who Contributed to Its Cultural, Economic, and Political Heritage  

Standard 4C: Student understands historic figures who have exemplified values and principles of American democracy. 

K-4 Identify historical figures who believed in the fundamental democratic values such as justice, truth, equality, the rights of the individual, and responsibility for the common good, and explain their significance in their historical context and today. [Assess the importance of the individual in history]

K-4 Describe how historical figures in the U. S. and other parts of the world have advanced the rights of individuals and promoted the common good, and identify character traits such as persistence, problem solving, moral responsibility, and respect for others that made them successful. [Assess the importance of the individual in history]

Lesson Two, Johnstown Flood of 1889 and Emergency Kits
NSS-USH.K-4.1 Living and working together in families and communities, now and long ago.
+Understands family life now and in the past, and family life in various places long ago
+Understands the history of the local community and how communities in North America varied long ago.

• Understands the people, events, problems, and ideas that were significant in creating the history of their state
  

• What is the Relationship of the United States to Other Nations and to World Affairs?
• How is the world divided into nations?
• How do nations interact with one another?

Lesson One, Breaking Boundaries
Bedridden: confined to bed because of illness, injury, etc.
Demoted: reduced to a lower grade, rank, class, or position identification
Memorandum:; written record , document or terms of agreement
Missing Soldiers Office: Government office established after the Civil War to locate and identify missing soldiers
International Red Cross: Established 1864, a neutral and independent organization whose mission is to protect the lives and dignity of victims of war and internal violence, and to provide assistance. It directs and coordinates international relief activities in situations of conflict. It promotes and strengthens humanitarian law and universal humanitarian principles.
Phrenologist: psychological theory or analytical method based on the belief that certain mental faculties and character traits are indicated by the configurations of the skull
Solicit: seek for (something) by entreaty, earnest or respectful request
Treaty: agreement under international law among countries and nations
Treaty of Geneva: consists of four treaties and three additional protocolsthat set the standards in international law for humanitarian treatment of the victims of war
U.S. Patent Office: The United States Patent and Trademark Office is an agency in the United States Department of Commerce that issues patents to inventors and businesses for their inventions and trademark registration for product and intellectual property.

Lesson Two, Johnstown Flood and Emergency Kits
Dam: barrier (built of earth, masonry, etc.) to obstruct the flow of water, e.g., Hoover Dam
Relief Effort: effort to help others in need who may have been affected by a fire, flood, hurricane, disease, war, etc.
Disaster: occurrence causing widespread destruction, which may include injuries or deaths

Lesson Three, Technology
Technology: use of science to solve practical problems through the creation of new methods or devices
Graphophone: phonograph for recording and reproducing sounds on wax cylinders
Letterpress: equipment that uses ink, paper, and pressure to create a copy of a typewritten letter
Sitz bath: bathtub in which one bathes in a sitting position

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Activity #1 - Students analyze the Civil War News card; write news articles as reporters based on their eyewitness observations of Clara Barton’s Civil War battlefield work; create illustrated comic strips about Barton’s work during the Civil War with captions using attached blank newspaper sheet and comic strip.

Background Information: Civil War News Card
This Civil War News souvenir card is dated December 25, 1863, (Clara Barton’s 42nd birthday).  The front highlights Barton’s heroic actions on the battlefield and includes an illustration of a battle scene.  A Red Cross flag is in the background, although it wasn’t until 16 years after the Civil War that she founded the American Red Cross.

In 1965, Topps reproduced the Civil War News card series that contained 88 cards and 17 reproduction Confederate bills.  Each card has a color image with caption of a battle or historical event. The back of the card gray with a red-brown border; the card number is located in this border at the bottom corner on the right side.  The text is arranged in newspaper fashion.  A piece of facsimile Confederate currency was folded into every pack.  There was a one-cent and a five-cent pack.  The U. S. Civil War Centennial Celebration was still being commemorated in 1962 when Topps produced the Civil War card set.  It is known as Civil War News because of the "newspaper-like journal" columns on the reverse.  The cards were graphic, bloody, and sold well.

Activity: #2 - Students read the Clara Barton and Her Work Pampflet and develop short summaries of each category. Students write a two page article or memorandum describing how they helped someone, or an event that they observed. Students write their own journal entries, describe volunteer work and helping someone including, family, neighbors, pets, school, friends, or any community groups?  Students create their own cover portrait.

Background Information. Clara Barton and Her Work [Pamphlet, Pgs 1-8]:
Published in 1905, this pamphlet contains a 1902 photograph of Miss Barton and lists major dates and events in her life.  It highlights the Red Cross relief efforts world-wide and her work as president of the American Red Cross, stating, “How Miss Barton and her work are esteemed by those whom she has served” including the Johnstown Flood relief and the Sea Islands Hurricane relief.”
A photograph contains the following notes;  “Very truly yours Clara Barton” and caption, “From a photograph taken at St. Petersburg, Russia, July, 1902, showing the decoration conferred upon Miss Barton by the Miss Barton by the Czar and Empress Dowager,” and includes the following text, “Memorandum of some of the Leading Incidents in the Life of Clara Barton.”  

Activity #3 – Students do a "How to Read an Object" chart on the First Aid Kit and compare and contrast Ms. Barton's kit with emergency kits today. Students create a poster board with the theme “Helping Others Prepare for Emergencies.”  Students cut out pictures out of old catalogs, magazines, and newspapers or browse the Internet for photographs of supply items needed during an emergency. Students will attach their photographs to the poster board.

Background Information: First Aid Kit and Text Book
In 1903, Clara Barton published the following statement: “We are actively organizing a new branch of the Red Cross, to be known as ‘The First Aid Department’ of the American National Red Cross, which department will be largely educational and will concern itself in instructing the people everywhere throughout the United States in the best modern methods of first aid treatment, in all cases of accident and emergency.”  In April 1905, Clara Barton established the National First Aid Association of America and served as its honorary president for five years. The organization emphasized basic first aid instruction, emergency preparedness, and the development of first aid kits. Ambulance brigades were formed in conjunction with police and fire departments, as well as in industrial settings.

Lesson Two, Johnstown Flood and Emergency Kits

Activity #1 - Describe the Johnstown Flood and the devastation it caused. Distribute individual Johnstown Flood Resident Statements. Students analyze and read assigned statements aloud. In groups, students discuss the events, causes and impacts and draw contemporary parallels. They present their findings. Students analyze photographs of American Red Cross relief shelters built during the recovery effort.

Activity#2 - Discuss the needs people have after a disaster. Student groups discuss pros and cons of an emergency kit. They compare and contrast the historic emergency kit with that found today. Assign students to bring in an item from home that could be part of an emergency kit. Students write captions for each object, and group similar items. Go to www.ready.gov for information about emergency kits.

Lesson Three, Technology

Activity #1. Provide an overview of technology of Ms. Barton’s Victorian era, compare and contrast with today. Distribute Compare and Contrast the Technology: Past and Present to each student for individual completion. Student hand his/her paper to another student and correct the answers in groups or as a class.

Answers

Letterpress = photocopier, computer
Inkwell = pens, computer
Rolls of Missing Men = computer
Glasses = contacts or eye surgery or similar item today
Typewriter = computer
Graphophone = voice recorder, tape recorder, iPod/mP3 player, or audio recording software
Sitz Bath = bathtub
Book = audiobooks, electronic readers, or same item today

Activity 2. In teams of two, assign each team one historic item listed in activity 1. As homework, Student 1 researches how the historic item operated and prepares a description of how the technology works. Student 2 develops a comparison of this to its modern counterpart(s) [identified in Activity 1] and prepares an explanation of how the modern technology works. Students 1 and 2 co-present their research, findings and illustrations to the class. 

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Students write articles, captions and compare/contrast sheets and oral presentations.

Write and perform a skit on how to prepare for an emergency preparedness during school.

Organize and host a school-wide fundraiser for charity.  Consider an auction, carwash, bake sale, talent show as ways to raise money.  You'll need a letter from the charitable organization of choice.  Be sure to get a tax-deductible form to recognize donors for financial and in-kind gifts such as prizes.  A well-run fundraiser is an opportunity to financially support a good cause, raise public awareness, and develop young people’s leadership skills and a sense of community.