Student Activity Guide
How can the South Dakota State Railroad Museum help in your classroom?
Here at the Museum we offer FREE guided tours for
Public School and Home-Schooled groups. Each child will
receive an activity book that will grow with them as it contains
4 different grade levels; Kindergarten, 4th, 7th and 11th grade.
Public School and Home-Schooled groups. Each child will
receive an activity book that will grow with them as it contains
4 different grade levels; Kindergarten, 4th, 7th and 11th grade.
A letter from the Museum Curator: Rick Mills
Americans have always had a fascination for railroads — there is simply nothing else like them in size and scope. Railroads and our nation grew up together and in ways both good and bad, this dynamic combination changed this continent, its people, and its history forever. The study of this relationship remains important to us in modern times.
By the time Dakota Territory was divided into North and South Dakota in 1889, the railroad and commerce on the High Plains were intertwined. Agriculture depended on the railroads for shipping, as did mining and timbering in the Black Hills. Settlements were established based on the placement of the lines. South Dakota was realized, in large part, thanks to the men, women, investment, and machines of the railroad. The encroachment of the railroad and resulting white settlement into treaty lands impacted the indigenous Native Americans in ways that are still being felt today. The goal of the South Dakota State Railroad Museum’s The Railroads of South Dakota Activity Guide project is to provide stand-alone educational lesson plans at four critical grade levels. Resources are also provided in the back of this guide for additional research and appreciation of railroading’s dynamic role in our his- tory, its relevance in our lives today, and railroading’s continuing role as we move into the future. Through the valued efforts and input of a panel of educators and rail authorities; the generosity and vision of both the Elmen Foundation and the South Dakota Community Foundation, plus the Museum’s staff and Board of Directors, this guide’s curriculum concentrates on age-appropriate topics and activities dealing with railroad construction, historic places, dates of development, communications, and significant aspects of the South Dakota rail experience. We welcome your ideas and comments on this edition, and for future versions of The Railroads of South Dakota Activity Guide. Rick Mills, Museum Director, and the Board of Directors, South Dakota State Railroad Museum Activity Guide Structure and Application
The purpose of The Railroads of South Dakota Activity Guide is to familiarize its users with relevant people, dates, and events of South Dakota railroad history, to help in a better understanding of railroading’s significance for today, and to provide additional resources for further research and enjoyment, either at the museum, in a classroom or in independent learning situations.
The study and understanding of historical events and themes remains an important subject in modern times. This guide offers insights into American and South Dakota history including the settling of the West; Manifest Destiny; contact and conflicts between Native Americans and white settlers; experiences of rail workers, and the technical, mechanical, and engineering challenges of building and operating railroads across Dakota’s varied landscapes. The curriculum contained in The Railroads of South Dakota Activity Guide focuses on age-appropriate topics and activities in Science, Writing, Social Studies, and Statistics/Probability for Kindergarten, Fourth, Seventh, and Eleventh grade levels. Additional grade level curricula are being planned for future editions of the guide. This guide book is based on information, methods, and resources gathered from a panel of certified educators, historians, and museum professionals. The lessons and projects included incorporate recognized levels of content, rigor, and developmental appropriateness. The suggested assignments are in accordance with the Common Core Standards adopted by the South Dakota Board of Education on November 29, 2010. The TimeRail chronological concept was developed by the Board of Directors of the South Dakota State Railroad Museum, which reserves all rights for its use in its entirety. 
|
The SDSRM Activity Guide
Study our state railroad history
Kids Book & Story Cards
The PDF story book "All Aboard for the Black Hills” is the companion book to The Railroads of South Dakota Activity Guide for children in grades K through 4. “All Aboard” has been created to provide an additional resource for educators and parents with which to familiarize elementary students with train travel in the early days of Dakota and American rail history.
The “All Aboard” story cards (based on the book) provide additional activities for students in a classroom, while visiting the Museum, or in independent learning situations. The images can be printed for such uses.
South Dakota Rail Map
Online Educational Aids
| ||||||||||||
Still not sure if a school trip is right for your students? Look what our last group of kids had to say...
|
|
|
|
|
|
A Huge thank you to all contributors! This project would not have been possible without you.
|
Lark Bennett, Advisor
Educator, Hill City School District, Hill City, SD Black Hills State College Jerilyn Hodder, Layout and Design University of Maryland Mary Laurence, Ed. D., Curriculum Designer/Writer Assistant Professor, Black Hills State University, Spearfish, SD Doctor of Education, Curriculum and Instruction, University of South Dakota Brad Keizer, Advisor Youth Program Advisor/SDSU Extension Service, Custer, SD Murray State University, Murray, KY |
Reid Riner, Advisor
Director, Minnilusa Historical Association/The Journey Museum, Rapid City, SD University of South Dakota, Arizona State University Deb Hesnard-Smith, Advisor Educator, Custer School District Black Hills State College; Masters in Curriculum, St. Scholastica College, Duluth, MN Amber Tjeerdsma, Graphic/Web Designer Rapid City, SD Larry Vickers, Advisor Educator, Retired Northern State College, Aberdeen, SD |
Peggy Wahl, Advisor
Educator/International Student Coordinator, Sioux Falls Christian Schools University of Northern Colorado David Wolff, Ph.D., Advisor Dean of the College of Liberal Arts, Black Hills State University, Spearfish, SD •Ph.D., Arizona State University Sponsored in part by:
|