OROL IntroductionThis project is designed to be used with my academic English 11 classes. The goal is to give them a glimpse of how the small towns in our area came into existence during the oil boom of the late 1800’s and to have them look to the future of these small towns. Locally and nationally there has been much talk of the Marcellus shale industry bringing new life to areas like ours who suffer from lack of industry and, thus, job opportunity. My hope is that they will make comparisons and predictions using the primary and secondary sources available to them within this project.

BOOMTOWNSThen and Now

English 11 Research Unit

Over the next several weeks we are going to explore the history of the oil industry in our area and its connections to national events both in the area’s beginnings and today.You will be working both individually and in a project group.To begin, you will need to work through the following slides at your own pace in order to complete them at the end of two weeks, at which time you will begin an original research project. (See slide 18)Items in orange are links you need to click on to view additional resources. Items in blue are handouts you will find in your packet.

Part OneOIL!

About 40 miles to our north is the home of the first oil well in the United States, Titusville, PA. Many of you traveled there in third grade, but to refresh your memory, click on the link to watch a brief video of the oil boom that later led to the creation of the towns you and I live in.

History in Our Backyard

Titusville, PAClick on the link to view an historical map of Titusville in its oil boom heyday. Use the SEA worksheet to record your thoughts and observations upon examining the map.

Now that we have looked at an overview of an oil boom town, let’s take a closer look. Use the NARA photo worksheet to analyze and respond to the four pictures below of what an oil boom town was like. (The last photo is of the Foxburg Opera House!) Be prepared to discuss your analysis with the class.

Celebrating with SongMany of the oil boom era were moved to compose songs expressing the joy they felt at the new found prosperity of the oil towns. In your project group, examine the song your group was assigned (A or B) below using the NARA song worksheet.

Song A Song B

Discussion BreakNow that you have had a chance to take a brief look at what life was like in our area during the oil boom, log into your Keystone Commons account and join in the discussion started by “Discussion Break Prompt #1”

Part TwoTrouble in BoomtownUnfortunately, the prosperity of the oil boomtowns was short-lived. Wells ran dry and the people who had arrived in droves left just as quickly. (Our own Parker, PA, the “smallest city in the U.S.A.,” once claimed over 20,000 residents!) In addition to the rapid rise and fall of populations was the introduction of big business to the oil scene in the form of the Standard Oil Company, attributed namely to one man-John D. Rockefeller.

Below are two editorial cartoons commenting on John D. Rockefeller and the Standard Oil Company. The one on the left is from 1904 and is titled “Next.” On the right is “The Trust Giant’s Point of View” from 1900. Using the NARA cartoon worksheet, analyze each cartoon and be prepared to participate in a Socratic Circle discussion related to both cartoons.

Discussion BreakWere you surprised to learn that big business had a corrupt element even in the early 20th century? Log into your Keystone Commons account and share your thoughts to the prompt at “Discussion Break Prompt #2.”

Part ThreeThe New Boom

Today the new kid in town, Marcellus shale, is once again bringing big companies with big promises to small towns across the U.S., including our own small towns. Many are hoping it will return the area to the economic prosperity of old. Others, however, are more skeptical and concerned about the negative environmental impact that they fear will accompany Marcellus shale drilling.

So where is this Marcellus Shale?Use an SEA worksheet to study the Middle Devonian map of Marcellus Shale deposits in PA and then read the Q&A document from the PA DCNR.

Controversy Abounds:Complete a K-W-L chart in which you reveal what you

already know about the conflicting viewpoints

surrounding the Marcellus shale prospects, what you still want to know and save the “L”

for later!

Now let’s look at and listen to some of some of what’s stirring the pot in the Marcellus shale debate. Read the NY Times article “Toxic Contamination From Natural Gas Wells,” then listen to the two audio recordings below, taking notes in your “L” column as you do so. Be prepared to discuss your thoughts with the class. “A Debate Over Who R

egulates Gas ‘Fracking’ in PA”Many communities are concerned about ‘fracking’ and how it will affect the environment in their towns. This discussion concerns our own lawmakers.

“Oil Boom Puts Strain on North Dakota Towns”Though this is about our far away neighbors to the west, the issues hit close to home.

Marcellus shale in our own backyardJust 8 miles to our east in Knox, PA, the Marcellus shale

drilling has already begun. Read the article from our very own Progress News from September 2010 about the progress at the Knox drilling site. Then watch the live video documentary from the drilling site, completing an NARA motion picture worksheet as you do so.

Discussion Break Now that you’ve gained some insight on the new “boom” in town, log into your Keystone Commons account and discuss with your classmates how you think it will affect our area under “Discussion Break Prompt #3.”

Final ProjectIn Part One you viewed a video called “History in Our Own Backyard.” As your final assessment for this project, your group will be making a video of your own. You may choose to do a historical video documenting the rise of one of the oil boom towns in our district OR you may take a modern approach and document the presence and impact of the Marcellus shale drilling companies in our area. (One will begin drilling in Foxburg soon, at Riverstone Farm!)

Project Requirements

Good Luck! **Have Fun!**Be Creative!**Wow Me with Your Videos!

ConclusionWhen this course began I was planning to do a project concerning the historical beginnings of golf in the small town of Foxburg, where I live and teach, and then expanding it to the larger picture of golf in the U.S. As you can see, I changed my direction quite drastically. I am pleased, however, with how this project turned out and have found it clearly better suited to the use of online primary sources. (The sources for the golf idea, though primary, were not readily available online.) I hope that the students will take away from this project an appreciation of how our area came to be and a better understanding of the direction some are predicting it will go. I also hope it will encourage them to become more knowledgeable about issues that will affect their community and, therefore, their own lives.

Bibliography:Slide 3 - YouTubehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPNZHDoAAok&feature=related

Slide 4 – Historic Map Workshttp://www.historicmapworks.com/Atlas/US/11171/Titusville+1896+Bird%27s+Eye+View/

Slide 5 – Drake Well Museumhttp://www.drakewell.org/shop/cat5/albums.html

Slide 5 – FamilyOldPhotos.comhttp://www3.familyoldphotos.com/photo/pennsylvania/4059/opera-house-foxburg-pa

Slide 6 – MIT Librarieshttp://libraries.mit.edu/music/sheetmusic/outsidemusic.html

Slide 9 – MSN Moneyhttp://money.ca.msn.com/investing/gallery.aspx?cp-documentid=24816188&page=8

Slide 9 – PBShttp://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/1900/filmmore/reference/primary/trustgiant.html

Slide 12 – PA DCNRhttp://spring12-orol-02.wikispaces.com/file/view/Marcellus+Shale+in+PA.pdf

Slide 12 – PA DCNRhttp://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/topogeo/econresource/oilandgas/marcellus/marcellus_faq/marcellus_shale/index.htm

Slide 14 – New York Timeshttp://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/02/27/us/natural-gas-map.html?ref=us

Slide 14 - Stanford Universityhttp://west.stanford.edu/publications/audio/rural-west-initiative-story-npr-oil-boom-puts-strain-north-dakota-towns

Slide 14 – NPRhttp://www.npr.org/player/v2/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=142948831&m=142935408

Slide 15 – The Progress Newshttp://myprogressnews.com/content/marcellus-shale-drilling-underway-knox-pa

Slide 15- The Progress Newshttp://myprogressnews.com/content/marcellus-shale-activity-increase-area

Photo Bibliography (for slides without activities associated with the photos)

Slide 5 – Library of Congresshttp://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2007678590/

Slide 8 – Drake Well Museumhttp://www.drakewell.org/shop/cat5/albums.html

Slide 11 – StartaBank.comhttp://www.startabank.com/history/

Slide 12 – The Progress Newshttp://myprogressnews.com/content/marcellus-shale-drilling-underway-knox-pa

Slide 14 – Blue Mountain Community Collegehttp://www.bluecc.edu/new-database-opposing-viewpoints-0

Slide 15 – Google Imageshttp://www.google.com/imgres?q=effects+of+fracking+on+groundwater&um=1&hl=en&safe=strict&biw=1338&bih=723&tbm=isch&tbnid=SCP1tS7OAXKTKM:&imgrefurl=http://www.water-contamination-from-shale.com/news/&docid=Zy09E5plBZnEwM&imgurl=http://www.water-contamination-from-shale.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/70/files/2010/11/Natural_Gas_Fracking1.jpg&w=500&h=407&ei=vjqYT9LxI4Te0QGo8O3TBg&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=397&vpy=266&dur=17&hovh=202&hovw=249&tx=156&ty=65&sig=105065418107609301521&page=1&tbnh=167&tbnw=203&start=0&ndsp=15&ved=1t:429,r:11,s:0,i:91

Slide 16 – ExploreClarion.comhttp://exploreclarion.com/2012/02/07/clarion-county-photo-of-the-day-pizza-shop/

Slide 17- Dennis Keyes Photographyhttp://denniskeyesphotography.com/galleries/landscapes_autoindex/landscapes_1/