Standards met by the 1850 Pioneer Farm Hired Hands Program
Philosophy regarding standards and benchmarks
Living History Farms offers a 500-acre classroom without walls. The staff are committed to
programs that bring learning to life, and firmly believe that students of all ages learn best when
they are actively engaged in their learning. We believe that we are partners with parents and
teachers in educating youth.
All programs are backed by standards in multiple areas, and tie to the Iowa Core Curriculum.
We strive to provide programming that is age-appropriate, relevant, and thought-provoking.
Students are encouraged to explore with their mind, as well as their senses, as they participate in
the activities, crafts, chores, and games that are part of the program.
On the pages that follow, you will find the specific standards that relate to this program. No one
program can cover fully every aspect of the standards included in the Iowa Core. Rather, this
program will provide a unique environment to reinforce, enhance, enrich, and complement the
learning that occurs in the classroom.
This program includes portions aimed at each and every part of the curriculum. The history of
Iowa, families, and agriculture is front and center. Interwoven with these are connections to
science, technology, engineering, and math. And through actively participating and working
together, students have the opportunity to develop those 21st century skills that will help them to
succeed in the future.
If you have any questions about this program and the standards it meets, please contact us via email at [email protected].
About the 1850 Pioneer Farm
In 1850, California became the 31st state in the U.S. Zachary Taylor is the president, until he
dies in office, and his vice-president, Millard Fillmore, becomes president. Ansel Briggs is the governor
of Iowa. Iowa became a state in 1846, and with a population in 1850 of 192,214. Most lived on farms.
Life on a farm in Iowa in the year 1850 is different from life on a farm today. The capitol of
Iowa is Iowa City. Settlers from the eastern United States and Europe are pouring into Iowa. These
families are brought here by the rich soil and fertile prairies, land that these farmers could use to raise
livestock and grow crops.
Farmers use draft animals, such as oxen, instead of tractors, for assisting with the field work.
Oxen were cheaper to keep since they did not require any grain in their diet. However, oxen were slower
and less agile than horses. After the farmer had become established, he would “trade up” to horses.
While the oxen can do the heavy field work, much of the rest of the field work is done by human hands.
Crops include corn, wheat, potatoes and a garden that is over an acre in size; besides oxen, other livestock
(animals) on the farm includes a milk cow, pigs, chickens and sheep. The barn is used as a place to keep
tools, supplies and equipment.
The first house built by these pioneers was often a log cabin with one or two rooms. A cabin
could be raised quickly as a temporary shelter. After a family had established the farm, they would build
a more permanent home. The house at the 1850 Farm is representative of a more permanent home, being
constructed out of hewn logs. It has no indoor bathroom, no hot and cold running water, and no
electricity. A fireplace provides some heat and light, and a place to cook. One room on the main floor is
the kitchen, living room, dining room and parents’ bedroom. The loft upstairs is used as a place for
storage and as the children’s bedroom.
Life on the farm revolves around the yearly cycle of farm work. Most of the time is spent in
doing the chores and jobs necessary to keep the farm and the family running. The pioneer family cooked
in cast iron cookware over an open hearth fireplace. Other domestic work included preserving and
preparing food, making soap, laundry, quilting, knitting, spinning wool into yarn, and tending the large
garden. The garden provided fresh vegetables and variety to meals.
Chores around the farm would include feeding and watering the animals and plowing, cultivating
and harvesting crops. Children were given chores depending on their age and skills. Boys often worked
in and around the cabin helping their mother and older sisters, while girls often helped outside if boys
were too young.
The pioneer family in 1850 wanted land to farm, water for themselves and their animals, and
timberland for building houses and fences, and for firewood. The 1850 Pioneer Farm at Living History
Farms has all three. A typical farm in Iowa in 1850 might have up to 40 acres under cultivation, with
more land for timber, water, and pasture.
All of the buildings at the 1850 Pioneer Farm were built on location at Living History Farms, and
in some cases, have been re-built as the log structures have deteriorated! These structures- the cabin,
barn, chicken coop, smokehouse, etc.- all have been painstakingly researched to present an accurate idea
of what a new farmstead in 1850 in Iowa would have looked like.
Program Title: 1850 Pioneer Farm Hired Hands
Essential question:
What was life like for a new farm family in Iowa?
Five Crucial Concepts:
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
The impact of geography on daily life
Technology on the farm and in the home
How economic needs and wants affect decision making
How do we know about the past?
Students will work cooperatively to accomplish tasks and projects.
Connections to the Iowa Core Iowa Core: Social Studies
Grade 2:
1.
2.
3.
This program will help students to understand:
(Economics) The universal economic concept of wants and needs.
a. Understand difference between needs & wants.
b. Understand that people make choices because they cannot have everything they want.
c. Understand the difference between producer and consumer, and that people are both.
(Geography) How human and geographic characteristics create culture and define regions.
a. Understand physical characteristics of places (e.g. rural, urban, suburban, forest, desert, etc.)
(History)
a. People construct knowledge of the past from multiple sources
i. Understand that primary sources, such as artifacts, photographs, and documents, are used
to learn about the past.
ii. Understand timelines.
b. Economic needs and wants affect individual and group decisions.
i. Understand development of technological innovations and their economic effects.
ii. Understand changes in transportation and their effects.
c. Cause and effect relationships and other historical thinking skills in order to interpret events.
Grades 3 – 5:
1.
2.
3.
This program will help students to understand:
(Economics) The role of scarcity and economic trade-offs, and how economic conditions impact
people’s lives
a. Understand that goods and services are scarce because there is not enough to satisfy every
individual’s wants.
b. Understand that consumers buy less when prices go up, and more when prices go down.
(Geography) How human factors and the distribution of resources affect the development of society
and the movement of populations.
a. Understand causes and effects of human migration.
b. Understand the relationship between population growth and resource use.
(History)
a. Historical patterns, periods of time, and the relationship between these events.
i. Understand differences in life today compared to life in the past.
ii. Understand cause and effect of events within a time period.
b. Economic needs and wants affect individual and group decisions.
i. Understand factors that shaped the economic system in the U. S.
c.
d.
e.
Grades 6 – 8:
1.
2.
3.
The effects of geographic factors on historical events.
i. Understand varying landforms and geographic features and their importance in the
development of communities.
ii. Understand seasons, climate and weather effect social and economic development.
The role of innovation on the development and interaction of societies.
i. Understand the influence of scientific and technological decisions on societies.
Cause and effect relationships and other historical thinking skills in order to interpret events.
i. Understand how to view the past in terms of the norms & values of the time
This program will help students to understand
(Economics) How universal economic concepts present themselves
a. Understand how the laws of supply and demand affect price and consumer’s response to
price.
b. Understand how the change in price of one good or service can affect the price of other goods
or services
(Geography) How physical processes and human actions modify the environment and how the
environment affects humans.
a. Understand the environmental consequences of both the unintended and intended outcomes of
major technological changes in human history.
b. Understand technology influences the human capacity to modify the physical environment.
(History)
a. Historical patterns and periods of time, and the relationship between these elements.
i. Understand chronology, causality, change, and complexity.
b. The effect of economic needs and wants affect individual and group decisions.
i. Understand reform, revolution, and social change in the economy.
c. The role of innovation on the development of and interaction of societies.
i. Understand technology has influenced the course of history through revolutions in
agriculture, manufacturing, transportation, and so on.
Grades 9 – 12: This program will help students to understand:
1.
2.
3.
(Economics) The impact of advancing technology on the global economy.
(Geography) How human factors and the distribution of resources affect the development of society
and the movement of populations.
a. Understand migrations are shaped by push and pull factors
b. Understand the impact of human migration on physical and human systems.
(History)
a. The effect of economic needs and wants affect individual and group decisions.
i. Understand the historical relationship between economic growth, higher production
levels, new technologies and standards of living.
b. The effects of geographic factors on historical events.
i. Understand ways that historical events have been influenced by, and have
influenced, human geographic factors.
c. Understand the role of innovation on the development of and interaction of societies.
i. Understand significant changes caused by technology, industrialization,
urbanization, and population growth, and the effects of these changes.
ii. Understand the historical impact of the interaction and interdependence of
technology, science, and society.
d. Use historical thinking skills in order to interpret events and issues.
i. Understand using a variety of sources, weighing evidence, checking credibility
ii. Use critical historical inquiry to reconstruct and reinterpret the past.
iii. Understand multiple viewpoints, and how and why events may be interpreted
differently depending on perspective.
Iowa Core: Science
Grades 2:
1.
This program will help students to understand and apply knowledge of:
a. (Life Science) The basic needs of plants & animals, & how they interact with each other.
b. (Physical Science) The characteristics of liquids and solids.
2. (Science as inquiry) The student will be able to:
a. Ask questions about objects, events, and organisms.
b. Use tools to gather data and to extend the senses
Grades 3 – 5:
1.
This program will help students to understand and apply knowledge of:
a. (Life Science) Living organisms & their environment
b. (Physical Science) States of matter and changes in states of matter (solids, liquids, gasses)
2. (Science and Inquiry) The student will be able to:
a. Use appropriate tools and techniques to gather, process, and analyze data
b. Use evidence to develop reasonable explanations.
Grades 6 – 8:
1.
This program will help students to understand and apply knowledge of:
a. (Life Science) Organisms, changes in environmental conditions, and survival of individuals and
species
b. (Physical Science) Forms of energy and energy transfer (energy is associated with heat, and heat
moves in predictable ways)
2. (Science as Inquiry)
a. Use evidence to develop descriptions, explanations, predictions, and models.
b. Think critically and logically to make the relationship between evidence and explanation.
Grades 9 – 12:
1.
2.
This program will help students to understand and apply knowledge of:
a. (Life Sciences) The interdependence of organisms (ecosystems and human modification of
ecosystems)
b. (Physical Science)
i. Chemical reactions (which occur all around us, such as in cooking and photosynthesis,
and these reactions either consume or release heat)
ii. Motions and forces (Newton’s law of physics)
(Science as Inquiry)
a. Think critically and logically to make the relationship between evidence and explanation.
b. Recognize and analyze alternative explanations and alternatives.
Iowa Core: Mathematics:
Second grade:
Numbers and operations in Base 10
o Use place value understanding and properties to add and subtract
• Mathematical practices
o Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them
o Reason abstractly and quantitatively
o Attend to precision
Third grade:
•
Numbers and operations in Base 10
o Use place value understanding and properties to perform multi-digit arithmetic
• Numbers and Operations- fractions
o Develop understanding of fractions as numbers
• Mathematical practices- same as 2nd grade but ADD)
o Use appropriate tools strategically
Fourth grade:
•
Numbers and operations in Base 10
o Use place value understanding and properties to perform multi-digit operations
• Mathematical practices- same as 3rd grade but ADD:
o Look for and make use of structure
Fifth grade:
•
Numbers and operations in Base 10
o Perform operations with multi-digit whole numbers and with decimals to hundredths
• Mathematical practices- same as 4th grade
Sixth grade:
•
•
Mathematical practices
Iowa Core: 21st Century Skills
Employability Skills
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•
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Communicate and work appropriately with others to complete tasks.
Recognize different roles / responsibilities, and open to change.
Develop / practice / demonstrate integrity and ethical behavior.
Work productively and are accountable for their own actions.
McREL (Mid-continent Research for Research and Learning) U.S. History Standards:
Grades K - 4
Level I: Grades 1-2
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Topic 1: Understands families working together now and long ago.
o Standard 1, Benchmark 2: Understands family life now and in the past.
o Standard 2, Benchmark 5: Understands life in a pioneer farm community (e.g. the Old Northwest,
prairies, etc.)
Topic 2: The history of the students’ own state and region
o Standard 3, Benchmark 2: Knows ways in which the early settlers adapted to, used and changed
the environment of the state
Topic 4: The history of peoples of many cultures around the world
o Standard 5, Benchmark 1: Understands what life was like for children and families “on the trail”
when they moved from one part of the U. S. to another.
o Standard 8, Benchmark 2: Knows the accomplishments of major scientists and inventors (e.g.
John Deere)
o Standard 8, Benchmark 6: Understands differences in methods of travel from different times in
human history, and the advantages and disadvantages of each
Level II: Grades 3-4
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•
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Topic 1: Understands families working together now and long ago.
o Standard 1, Benchmark 3: Understands the daily life of a farm family from long ago (e.g. work,
clothing, food and food production from the 19th century)
Topic 2: The history of the students’ own state and region
o Standard 3, Benchmark 5: Understands the reasons why immigrants came to their state or region,
what their lives were like, and their experiences of adjustment.
o Standard 3, Benchmark 9: Understands the influence of geography on the history of the region,
and the issues and approaches to problems (e.g. land use, environmental problems, etc.)
Topic 4: The history of peoples of many cultures around the world
o Standard 5, Benchmark 1: Understands the movements of large groups of people in the history of
the United States.
o Standard 5, Benchmark 4: Knows the reasons why various groups moved to different parts of the
U. S.
o Standard 8, Benchmark 4: Knows about technological inventions and developments that evolved
during the 19th century, and the influences of these changes on the lives of workers (e.g. steel
plow, railroad)
For grades 5 – 12, McREL lists these first by era, and then by grade level. This program falls
into Era 4: Expansion and Reform, 1801 – 1861.
•
Standard 9: Understands the United States’ territorial expansion between 1801 and 1861,
and how it affected relations with external powers and Native Americans.
Level II: Grades 5-6
o
o
Benchmark 1: Understands the factors that led to U. S. territorial expansion in the Western
Hemisphere
Benchmark 5: Understands the origins of Manifest destiny, and its impact on the expansion of the
United States
Level III: Grades 7-8
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o
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Benchmark 1: Understands the short – term and long – term impacts of the Louisiana Purchase
Benchmark 3: Understands the political and social impact of the idea of Manifest Destiny
Benchmark 5: Understand the significance of the Lewis and Clark expedition
Level IV: Grades 9-12
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Benchmark 1: Understand the impact of the Louisiana Purchase (e.g. influence on politics,
economic development, and concept of Manifest Destiny)
Benchmark 4: Understand the factors that contributed to the idea of Manifest Destiny
Standard 10: Understand how the industrial revolution, increased immigration, rapid
expansion of slavery, and the westward movement changed American lives and led to
regional tensions
Level II: Grades 5-6
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o
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Benchmark 2: Understands the major technological developments that influenced land and water
transportation, the economy, international markets, and the environment between 1801 and 1861
(e.g. the spinning jenny, steam locomotive, telegraph, canal system, railroad).
Benchmark 3: Understands social and economic elements of urban and rural life in the early to
mid-19th century (e.g. the impact of the factory system on gender roles, and on the daily lives of
men, women, and children; impact of canal and railroad technology)
Benchmark 6: Understand elements of early western migration (e.g. the “lure” of the West;
motivations of various settlers, routes taken by settlers)
Level III: Grades 7-8
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Benchmark 6: Understands characteristics of life on the western frontier in the 19th century (e.g.
interactions of diverse groups in the trans-Mississippi region; how Mormons established the
Church of Latter Day Saints and their communities)
Benchmark 7: Understands how major technological and economic developments influenced
various groups (farmers, business owners, workers)
Level IV: Grades 9-12
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Benchmark 1: Understands policies affecting regional and national interests during the early 19th
century (e.g. sale of cheap land price for the sale of western lands to residents of the North, South
& West)
Benchmark 2: Understands the characteristics of economic development during the 19th century
(e.g. patterns of economic development in different regions in the first half of the 19th century;
rise of the market economy; causes and results of economic depressions in 1819, 1837, and 1857)
Benchmark 5: Understands the impact of the Industrial Revolution during the early and later 19th
century