Introduction Kindergarten Grades One and Two Grades Three and Four Online Games and Activities Culminating Experience Train Glossary National Standards		Introduction Enduring idea: Trains inspire our imaginations because they have transformed our communities and our way of life. Trains changed our world like no other modern invention. They unified the country and helped to create towns and cities. Trains found their way into our music, literature and art. They created jobs, new ways of thinking and communicating and a whole new way of life. Although things have changed since the Golden Age of railroading, trains still capture our imaginations. Trains may even play an important role in our future. What's Ahead? Lesson One Trainspiration! Students experience American stories, legends and songs inspired by trains and railroad life. Lesson Two Trains and Your Town Students learn how a special engine, The Reuben Wells, put Indianapolis and Madison, Ind., on the map and examine the ways that trains have transformed Indiana communities. Lesson Three Engines of Change Students explore the connections between trains and the visual arts and examine the ways trains have changed. They also consider the changes trains may bring and undergo in the future. Getting Started: Family Connections - Before beginning the unit, let families know the class will be studying trains. Family members may want to discuss train experiences at home. Classroom Environment - Create a rich environment by setting up a learning center with train models, pictures and artifacts. Play CDs or tapes of train music as students do routine activities, such as lining up for lunch, to set the mood. Literature Connection - Designate an area as the Reading Roundhouse with picture books and stories on trains and a place to display students' own writing. To begin the unit, read a story such as Train Song to present the topic of trains. Ask students what they know about trains and what they want to know. Train of Thought Journal - Introduce the idea of keeping a journal to record the things that students are learning and the topics they want to know more about. Students will use their journals to reflect upon each learning experience and focus on inquiry topics and questions. The journal will help guide an ongoing inquiry process that culminates in students' own train projects at the end of the unit. What will students learn? Indiana's Academic Standards Unit experiences help students achieve standards in: Language Arts Social Studies Music Visual Arts Unit lessons integrate Language Arts, Social Studies, Music and Visual Arts. Each learning experience is designed to address specific academic standards for Kindergarten, Grades One and Two and Grades Three and Four. The unit promotes the development of skills in research and inquiry and the use of information technology, data organization and communication skills. It encourages students to think of the connections across disciplines and time periods, from the past to the present and future. What will students be able to do? Unit Objectives: Increase their vocabulary, word recognition, reading and writing skills. Identify different types of trains and train cars and explain how they are used. Sing traditional songs about trains and railroad workers and consider the role these songs play in everyday life. Examine the importance of train transportation to Indiana communities. Explore the connection between trains, railroads and the visual arts. Create train-related art works. Speculate about the future of train travel in their community. Plan a classroom inquiry project on a train topic. Museum Links Create a powerful learning experience for students by developing a relationship with a museum. Museums serve as field sites where real objects and realistic environments motivate students to investigate a topic in depth. The Children's Museum of Indianapolis and the Indiana Transportation Museum provide children with hands-on train experiences. See the Museum Links section of the following lessons for suggested museum resources. Most of the print and audio selections listed in the Resources section of each lesson in this unit are available through the infoZone, a branch of the Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library located at The Children's Museum.