Time and Technology Wait For No One From the Age of Romance ... To The Refinement of the Reaper Or When Work Is Done, It's Time For Fun!

An Integrated, Interdisciplinary, Thematic Middle School Unit Exploring Time and Technology in the United States During the 1800s This middle school, interdisciplinary, integrated, thematic unit is designed to help students explore the effects of time management and life style changes due to technology and social advances during the 1800s in the United States. Several inventions and the concept of manufacturing took on an important role in shaping the American economy and culture during this era. Sharp economic and cultural differences began to divide the North and the South. The way goods were made and how crops were being harvested changed forever the way people lived and how they spent their time. This unit will identify for students the cause and effect relationships between time and technology for two eras: 1) the Industrial Revolution during the 1800s and 2) our present day Technological Revolution. Students will also begin to question the advantages along with the disdvantages of new technologies. Ultimately, with a clear understanding of how a past generation faced similar dilemmas, students should be able to join in future debates on the moral, ethical, and time management issues of new technologies.