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Jane Addams

Jane Addams – Peacemaker/Reformer

Sharon Bossert

Dwight Common School

Summer 2005

Slums, slums, probably in some American city." Undated. American Landscape and Architectural Design, 1850-1920, Frances Loeb Library, Graduate School of Design, HarvardUniversity.

The object of this lesson is to introduce Jane Addams, social reformer, peacemaker, and Illinoisan to fourth grade students. It will be accomplished through learning about Jane Addam’s background and her awareness of a need for social change.

Overview/State Standards/Resources/Procedures/Evaluation

Overview Back to Navigation Bar
Objectives / Students will be able to:
  • Communicate ideas in informativewritten form
  • Describe how people depend on and interact with each other
  • Tell about significant people
  • Tell how people change society

Recommended time frame / 3-5 days
Grade level / 4th
Curriculum fit / Language Arts
Resources /
  • Photo of Slum inChicago
  • Photo Analysis Sheet

IllinoisState Learning Standards Back to Navigation Bar
Language Arts:
GOAL 3: Write to communicate for a variety of purposes.
  • 3.C. Communicate ideas in writing and accomplish a variety of purposes:
(I can write for many purposes and different audiences in narrative, informative, and persuasive forms.)
Social Science:
GOAL 12: Understand the fundamental concepts, principles and interconnections of the life, physical and earth/space sciences.
  • 12.B.Know and apply concepts that describe how living things interact with each other and with their environment.
(I can describe how organisms live and depend on each other in their environments.)
GOAL 16: Understand events, trends, individuals and movements shaping the history of Illinois, the United States and other nations.
  • 16.B. Understand the development of significant political events:(I can tell about important political events and people.)
GOAL 18: Understand social systems, with an emphasis on the United States.
  • 18.C. Understand how social systems form and develop over time:(I can tell how people make choices to change society.)

Procedures Back to Navigation Bar
Activity One:
  • Distribute a pictureof a former slum area of Chicago.
  • Use the photo analysis sheet to analyze the photo.
  • Discuss impressions of the people and building pictured.
  • Introduce the following vocabulary:
  • Slum
  • Reformer
  • Activist
  • Peacemaker
  • Students will research the life of Jane Addams and her actions in Chicago.
  • Students will research other activist or peacemakers.
  • Students will learn more about Jane Addams, other activist, and peacemakers at the Library of Congress web site.

Activity Two:
  • After exploring the LOC web site, students will write informative paragraphs to compare and contrast Jane Addams to with three other reformers.
  • The students will complete their project by compiling a booklet with their comparison paragraphs.
  • Students will need to include thoughts on how they might be an agent for change.
  • Students will need to write and/or draw ideas. Written thoughts need to be five to seven sentences in complete paragraph form.
  • If students choose to draw ideas, they need two to three pictures with captions.
Activity Three:
  • In groups, students will present a presentation on Jane Addams and her contributions to Illinois and society.

Evaluation Back to Navigation Bar
Rubric

An Adventure of the American Mind

IllinoisStateUniversity