tlp_11_bkennedy

=Barbara Kennedy's Teacher Lesson Page (Student Side)=

Kennedy's Primary Source page

Teacher Side


 * State Standards: 3.7 After reading a biography of a person from Massachusetts in one of the following categories, summarize the person's life and achievements. **


 * Grade Level: 3rd **

How did immigrants define becoming a successful American?
 * __ Essential Question __**


 * __ Guiding Question __**__ s __
 * What did it take for immigrants to become successful in America?
 * What was life like for an immigrant trying to become an American?
 * What does this tell us about the immigrant experience?
 * What cultural traditions did immigrants keep and let go of and why?
 * What did success look like for an immigrant in America?

Students will learn some of the challenges immigrants faced as they began a new life in America from 1880 - 1920, what it took to succeed, through the life of magician Harry Houdini. Using primary source documents such as photographs, newspaper articles, letters, audio clips, and posters students will see how difficult life began for Houdini (born Ehrich Weiss) and his family, and how he continually worked to succeed.
 * __ Summary __**

Using background information and newspaper articles about Houdini and contemporary magician David Copperfield, students will compare and brainstorm ideas as they create a to-do list of things that a person could do to be successful.
 * __ Objective __**
 * Students will decide what does success looks like.
 * Students will describe actions that led to success.
 * Students will make a list of things that makes a person successful.


 * __ Title __**
 * // Is There Magic to Success? //**

Imagine it's 1878 and you are four years old when your mother, four brothers and you leave the only home you've known and travel to a country where they don't even speak like you. Your father has a hard time keeping feeding your family for many years, so everyone has to find a job- including you! There are many years of struggle ahead as you continue to follow your dreams like many of the millions before you who came to America hoping for a better life. This was the beginning for young immigrant, Ehrich Weiss who later became extraordinary magician and master escape artist Harry Houdini.
 * __ Introduction __**

America was a destination for many looking for success and prosperity. But not everyone did. America was a place of many hardships and adjustments. What was life like for immigrants and what did it take to be successful? Were there cultural traditions you had to give up, things you had to change to fit in and get along? Using Houdini's life, we will look at the immigrant experience and how they defined success as an American.

You will pretend you are a historical scientist who will be given an opportunity to time travel. You will be part of a group that is researching the life of immigrant, magician and escape artist Harry Houdini. You will be looking at primary source documents that include: photographs, posters, books, newspaper articles and audio clips. What are these documents telling us? What do we think about this information and the picture it shows us of the person and the time he lived in? You will write a list of reasons you think makes a person successful. You will be doing journal writing as you record your ideas, thoughts and observations about these sources. As a final activity, you will help create a poster listing the keys to success for immigrants in America.
 * __ Task __**


 * Lesson Process **


 * __ Day 1 __**
 * What Does Success Look Like? **


 * Student will make inferences about what makes a person successful.
 * Students will investigate and describe the lives of two magicians, Houdini and David Copperfield.
 * Students will compare and contrast the magicians’ lives.

__ Teacher Introduction: __

You and your group have been chosen to be on a special team of history scientists that will be sent back in time in our just finished WBW (Way Back When) machine. Your mission will be to investigate the lives of immigrants who came to America from 1880 and 1920, through the life of magician and escape artist Harry Houdini.

Before you take your time machine adventure, you will need to know a little about Harry Houdini. Let’s first take a look at a video clip about Houdini created by The History Channel:

[|http://www.history.com/videos/houdini-unlocking-the-mystery#houdini-unlocking-the-mystery]

Many of the pictures, posters and film clips you saw in the video that told the story of Houdini’s life, were primary sources. You will begin your investigation using primary sources too, to help find your answers. We have talked about different types of resources we use every day to find answers before. What is a primary source? Let’s make a list of things it includes.

Now that we know what a primary source is, it’s time to learn about the life of Harry Houdini. I will put you into groups of history scientists and give you a collection of primary source.


 * What do they tell you about success?
 * What does it look like?
 * What do you have to do to be successful?
 * Does it mean you have to give up who you are?
 * What does a successful American look like?

1- The first source we will look at:
 * DRESSED UP PORTRAITS/CARDS **



These are pictures showing people how Houdini presented himself. What do his clothes say about his work? What do the pictures say about the person?


 * [[image:ps11_kennedy_houdini_handcuff_youngphoto.jpg width="303" height="480"]] || [[image:1626r.jpg width="285" height="384"]] || [[image:3g03277r.jpeg width="319" height="462"]] ||
 * [[image:3g03294r.jpeg width="496" height="620"]] || [[image:program1926.jpg]] ||

2- Now, we’ll compare Houdini’s life to a magician working today, David Copperfield. Let’s read a short article about him and think of some of the ways the two magicians are the same and the ways they are different. Have your group make a list of them. Put a star next to the ones that you think make a successful person. Using the program [|www.wordle.net] type the highlighted words and create a picture using those words. Share your design with the other groups and explain why you chose the words you did.

Harry Houdini Biography published in Houdini's Book of Magic and Party Pastimes (1927) <span style="background-color: #ffffdd; border-bottom-color: #9999aa; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: #9999aa; border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: #9999aa; border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: #9999aa; border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; display: block; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 30px; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 10px; width: 90%;">**David Copperfield - The Early Years - Wikipedia**

<span style="background-color: #ffffdd; border-bottom-color: #9999aa; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: #9999aa; border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: #9999aa; border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: #9999aa; border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; display: block; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 30px; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 10px; width: 90%;">Copperfield was born David Seth Kotkin in Metuchen, New Jersey, the son of Jewish parents, Rebecca, an insurance adjuster, and Hyman Kotkin, who owned and operated a men's haberdashery in Metuchen called Korby's. Copperfield's mother was born in Jerusalem, Israel, while his paternal grandparents were Jewish immigrants from USSR (present-day Ukraine). In 1974 Copperfield graduated from Metuchen High School.

<span style="background-color: #ffffdd; border-bottom-color: #9999aa; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: #9999aa; border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: #9999aa; border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: #9999aa; border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; display: block; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 30px; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 10px; width: 90%;">When Copperfield was 10, he began practicing magic as "Davino the Boy Magician" in his neighborhood, and at the age of 12, became the youngest person ever admitted to the Society of American Magicians. Shy and a loner, the young Copperfield saw magic as a way of fitting in and, later, as a way to get girls. As a teenager, Copperfield became fascinated with Broadway and frequently sneaked into shows, especially musicals featuring Stephen Sondheim or Bob Fosse. By age 16, he was teaching a course in magic at New York University. Have your group make a list of them. Put a star next to the ones that you think make a successful person.


 * __ Day __**__ **2** __
 * Inventing, Promoting and Skill **

Today we will look at a few of the ways Houdini worked at his profession. Now let’s look at some photos of three of Houdini’s signature tricks

> > >
 * ** 1918 "Jeannie" THE DISAPPEARING ELEPHANT—LOC photo **
 * ** CHINESE WATER TORTURE CELL—LOC photo **
 * ** MILK CAN ESCAPE—poster **

Houdini was always making new and exciting kinds of tricks and escapes for his shows. In the early 1900's the first movies in theaters was discovered and soon after movies became popular. Audiences wanted to go to the movies and not to see vaudeville acts any more. Houdini was always looking for another opportunity to keep himself out in the public eye and movies became another way. He even decided to star in movies for a short time. Houdini made five movies in all but decided that performing in front of an audience was a better way to keep his act popular. People knew that the the stunts in the movies could be faked and going to a live performance, where something may really go wrong, was really what they wanted. The movies did do one thing Houdini set out to do-- make him even more famous! Now more people knew who he was because they had seen the movies he was in!

Take a look at some pictures from one of his films, **//The Grim Game,//** which came out in 1919. These pictures were made from the movie and are from the Library of Congress. [|http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?varstg:1:./temp/~ammem_yVfd::]


 * The Grim Game, 1919: **
 * [[image:A3b13883r.jpeg width="505" height="398"]] || [[image:A3b13892r.jpeg width="470" height="400"]] ||
 * [[image:A3b13899r.jpeg width="504" height="422"]] || [[image:A3b13906r.jpeg width="484" height="408"]] ||


 * What do these acts tell us about the kind of magician he was?
 * Why do you think he tried so many different things in his career?
 * How did he figure out how to do these things?
 * Do you think he was afraid of anything?
 * Would being afraid help or hurt him as he tried to be successful?
 * What part of this does success look like?

Begin to make a list of the adjectives and phrases you can think of to describe all these ideas. Create this list on a large sheet of paper we will hang on the wall.

Now we will look at photos from an escape in Boston:


 * HARVARD BRIDGE JUMP 5/1/1908 Boston Globe **


 * [[image:3a27316r.jpeg width="514" height="455"]] ||  ||
 * [[image:3a27313r.jpeg width="520" height="443"]] || [[image:3a27317r.jpeg width="513" height="439"]] ||

We can also see how some of Houdini's escapes were written about in the newspaper. Let's take a look at two of these stories:

How would you feel if you had seen these things?

Did these escapes before a show help Houdini get more people interested in his theater act?

You will now time travel to the Harvard Bridge in Boston, back in May of 1908 where Houdini jumped into the Charles River. As a historical scientist, record your observations in a journal format using words and pictures to describe the event. What were your feelings while he was in the water? What was the mood of the crowd? **Boston Globe articles** April 30, 1908 May 1, 1908

Share your journal observations with your fellow scientists in the class.


 * __ Day 3 __**
 * Using Science to Explain **

POSTER FROM THE BPL RARE BOOK COLECTION


 * LOC PHOTO- 1925-- HOUDINI SHOWS HOW MEDIUMS WORK AT THE HIPPODROME IN NEW YORK

First, we need to explain the word Medium. A medium is a person who claims they can give and receive messages from people who have died. Houdini spent much of his later career trying to tell people how he believed what they claimed to do was a fake. He felt it was wrong to trick people in this way. Here are some pictures and newspaper articles showing how he felt about what mediums were doing.


 * Pictures: **


 * Showing children how mediums worked --1925 **


 * LOC Photo from the Boston Herald newspaper. Holding $10,000 in bonds as a guarantee he could prove a Boston medium was a fraud. **


 * LOC Photo--1925--Showed how messages were put on a blackboard. **




 * LOC photo of himself and Lincoln to go with an article he wrote about photo trickery between 1920 -1930. **

Why was this important for Houdini to show people? We will share our thoughts together as a group.

Houdini was an author as well as a magician and escape artist. One book published after his death was a book for children showing how to do magic tricks. In the front cover, the book had information about Houdini that was not true. Why do you think he would want that to happen? Was it important to change his identity to become an American success? What does it mean to be a success in America for an immigrant?

Why was this important for Houdini to show people? We will share our thoughts together as a group.

When Houdini died unexpectedly on Oct. 31, 1926. OBIT FROM BOSTON GLOBE and APPLETON WI (hometown) PAPER (Appleton Post-Crescent, full page.) (Boston Daily Globe, full page)

Read these two obituaries (announcements ) about the death of Houdini.

What things did the story mention about Houdini’s life that you thought were important? After reading these stories, would you think Houdini had a successful life?

//The Keys to Success//
 * Poster Activity **

On our final day, we will divide the group into our historical scientist teams that have just come back from their time travel experience. WBZ reporter Jon Keller will interview your team for tonight's broadcast. He will want to know what helped an immigrant become successful in America during the time Harry Houdini lived. As part of the interview, create a poster showing what you have learned about this and be able to explain it to the class.

==== Harry Houdini came to the US as a child with his family and little else. He spent his life always taking risks, and working hard. He was more than a just a showman when he helped people understand things with science. ====


 * Assessment: **


 * || // STUDENTS WILL BE ABLE TO… // || // STRONG //

// 5 // || // GOOD //

// 4 // || // ADEQUATE //

// 3 // || // INADEQUATE //

// 2 // || // WEIGHTING // || Teacher Resources: 1. Video biography - http://www.biography.com/people/harry-houdini-40056
 * Define how immigrants defined success in America in the early 1900s || Define success with at least four examples and included 1-2 more || Define success with four examples || Defines success with 3-2 examples || Defines success with 1-2 examples ||  ||
 * Compare and contrast modern day ideas of success against those from the early 1900s || List 4 examples of modern day success and include at least 1-2 more. Contrast and compare a list of at least 4 examples of success in the 1900's with the modern day list. || List four examples of success for modern times and contrast with four examples of success in early 1900's. || Lists 3-2 examples of success for the early 1900's || Lists 1-2 examples of success for the early 1900's ||  ||
 * Explain the how magic could be used for positive and negative purposes || List at least two reasons why magic can be used for good purposes. List three examples of how magic can be used for bad purposes. Include 1-2 additional reasons. || List two reasons why magic can be used for good. List three examples how magic can be used for bad reasons. || Lists 1-2 reasons why magic can be used for good and 1-2 reasons why it can be used for bad reason. || Lists 1-0 reason why magic can be used for good and 1-0 reasons for bad. ||  ||

2.