Last updated: June 10, 2022
Lesson Plan
Traveling the National Road: Unit 6 Decline and Rebirth of the National Road
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- Grade Level:
- Upper Elementary: Third Grade through Fifth Grade
- Subject:
- Social Studies
- Lesson Duration:
- 60 Minutes
- Common Core Standards:
- 3.L.5, 3.RI.1, 3.RI.3, 3.RL.4, 3.W.2
- Thinking Skills:
- Remembering: Recalling or recognizing information ideas, and principles. Understanding: Understand the main idea of material heard, viewed, or read. Interpret or summarize the ideas in own words. Applying: Apply an abstract idea in a concrete situation to solve a problem or relate it to a prior experience.
Essential Question
Was the National Road important to the development of the United States?
Guiding Questions: What form of transportation caused the decline of the National Road? What two forms of transportation caused the rebirth of the National Road? How did the new transportation affect the road?
Objective
Student Objectives: After completing the lesson students will be able to:
• List three ways travel has changed after 1853 when the National Road declined
• List two ways travel on the National Road changed
• List three common sites associated with travel and transportation in the late 1800s and early 1900s
Background
Decline and Rebirth of the National Road is unit 6 of a complete teacher’s guide for 3rd grade students, entitled “Traveling the National Road.”
This unit covers how the railroad ended travel on the road and how, later, the safety bicycle and the car gave a rebirth to the National Road. It includes two pages of background information for the teacher and all the instructions for teaching the lesson. The student reading, entitled “Traffic Leaves the National Road and Comes Back,” introduces to students to end of the road with the coming of the railroad and then traffic returning with cars and bicycles. The first student activity “A Poem and a Riddle About the National Road” has the students interpret a poem about the coming of the railroad and solve a riddle. The second student activity “Picture Matching on the National Road” has the students learn about early cars and bicycle be matching the picture to its description.
Preparation
- Read the teacher background information, essential question and the guiding questions.
- Make copies of the student reading and student activities for the class.
Materials
Download Unit 6 Decline and Rebirth of the National Road
Lesson Hook/Preview
The National Road declined when trains came to the area. It became neglected and was in very poor shape. Within a few decades cars and bicycles were invented. People demanded better roads. The National Road was fixed up for these new forms of transportation.
Procedure
- Introduce the essential and guiding questions.
- Read the lesson hook to the class.
- Have the students complete the reading and activity sheets.
- Discuss with the students.
Vocabulary
Safety bicycle – a one-speed bicycle that looks like modern bicycles
Assessment Materials
Answers to the questions are included in the downloaded lesson plan.
Supports for Struggling Learners
The teacher can read the materials to the students and discuss the thought questions as a class. The teacher can do the activities as a class.
Enrichment Activities
Have the students make and illustrate a timeline of the National Road. There is a link to the elements of a timeline.
Have the students write a song or poem about the National Road.
Ask the students if any of them have old photographs showing cars and truck.
Additional Resources
Students can take a virtual field trip by watch the 25-minute Virtual Field Trip: The Mount Washington Tavern.
Related Lessons or Education Materials
The "Traveling the National Road" teacher's guide is broken into ten units and is targeted for 3rd grade students. Each unit can be completed independently.
Check out the links to the other lesson plans:
Unit 1: Overview of the National Road
Unit 2: Construction of the National Road
Unit 3: Travelers and Transportation on the National Road
Unit 4: Accommodation on the National Road
Unit 5: Workers Along the National Road
Unit 6: Decline and Rebirth of the National Road
Unit 7: Biography Cards
Unit 8: Occupation Cards
Unit 9: Historic Site Cards
Unit 10: Artifact Activities
Other resource include:
Appendix with timeline, vocabulary and bibliography
Poster of the National Road
Poster of the Toll Rates Along the National Road
Introduction to the teacher guide and table of contents