Hoosier History Lesson Plan Hoosier History Lesson Plan
Exploring Indiana's Frontier Past and Digital Future
Grade 3 Social Studies
Learning Objectives
1 Compare and contrast 19th-century frontier life with modern-day Franklin Township.
2 Identify and describe at least two local community landmarks (e.g., Wanamaker sites).
3 Design a time capsule entry representing technology and daily life evolution.
Standards (IN)
SS 3.1.4
Describe the origins of the local community.
SS 3.1.2
Explain local history and landmarks.
1
The Hook (10 mins)
Compare a 19th-century schoolhouse photo with a modern Franklin Township school. Discuss changes in materials and tools.
2
Frontier Foundations (20 mins)
Use Frontier to Future Slides to discuss settlers (Hoosiers). Focus on:
Daily chores (water buckets vs. faucets).
Transportation (Michigan Road trails vs. asphalt).
3
Landmark Legends (15 mins)
Guided Reading: Franklin Township Tales . Locate historic sites in Wanamaker and Acton on a map.
4
Time Capsule Activity (15 mins)
Complete the Time Capsule Detective Worksheet . Students select artifacts representing both eras.
Teacher Resources
Materials
Frontier to Future Slides
Franklin Township Tales
Time Capsule Worksheet
Support
ELL: Use picture cards for frontier vocabulary (quill, slate).
Challenge: Predict one technology for the year 2126.
Frontier to Future Slides Indiana Local History
Frontier to Future
Journey through time in Franklin Township
Essential Question
"How has daily life in Franklin Township changed over the last 150 years?"
Home Sweet Home
1800s: Log Cabins
One room, fireplace for cooking and heat, no running water.
2020s: Modern Houses
Multiple rooms, electricity, air conditioning, and internet!
Think & Share
If you lived in 1840, what would be the hardest chore to do every single day?
The Tools of Learning
Then
Slate boards & chalk
Feather quill pens
One teacher for all grades
Walked miles to school
Now
Chromebooks & iPads
Interactive Smart Boards
Specialized teachers
Yellow school buses
Your Mission
Design a Time Capsule for the year 2126!
Save 1 Historical Item
Save 1 Modern Item (Today)
Franklin Township Tales Reading Franklin Township Tales
Comparing Two Centuries of Indiana Life
Meeting Silas: 1840
Imagine waking up in a house built entirely of logs. The air smells like woodsmoke from the fireplace where your breakfast is cooking. This was life for Silas, a boy living in the Indiana frontier in 1840. In what we now call Franklin Township, there were no paved roads—only dirt paths and trails through deep forests.
Silas didn't have a grocery store. His family grew their own corn and raised pigs. If they needed flour, they traveled to a local mill. To get water, Silas carried heavy wooden buckets from a nearby stream or a deep well. There were no light switches; when the sun went down, Silas used candles made from animal fat to see his books.
180 YEARS LATER
Meeting Samantha: Today
Samantha lives in the exact same spot where Silas once stood, but her world looks very different. She wakes up in a home with central heating and bright LED lights. For breakfast, her parents grab milk from a refrigerator and cereal from a supermarket in Wanamaker.
Samantha goes to school on a big yellow bus that travels on smooth asphalt roads. Instead of carrying buckets of water, she simply turns a faucet to brush her teeth. When she wants to talk to her grandmother, she sends a video call on her tablet in seconds.
Landmarks to Look For
Franklin Township is full of "history clues." Have you ever seen the old brick buildings in Wanamaker or the historic cemeteries in Acton? These landmarks are like windows into the past. They remind us of the people like Silas who helped build our community from the ground up.
Vocabulary Corner
Frontier: The edge of a settled area where pioneers lived.
Landmark: An object or feature of a town that has a special history.
Time Capsule Detective Worksheet Hoosier Name:
Date:
Time Capsule Detective
1 Comparing the Generations
Think about school, homes, and tools. Write things that are different in the circles and things that are the same in the middle.
1840s Life
Both
Life Today
2 Local Landmark Spotter
Pick one building or place in Franklin Township that is very old. Why do we keep this place standing today?
Landmark Name:
Why it matters:
3 The Digital Time Capsule
Draw a tool we use today:
Explain your choice:
Hoosier History
Franklin Township