Pittsburgh's Environmental History
Colors of Change
Pittsburgh Past to Present
Christin F. Callis
Fort Pitt Elementary School
As a transplant into Pittsburgh, I view the city much as a third grade child
would look at it. The city is big and hilly, many kinds of people
live here, and people tell stories about its past. Yet Pittsburgh’s history can be
abstract and appear to be far off and unrelated to current living. How did this city
become what it is today? Why do some of the buildings look black and dirty? What’s
the importance of the three rivers and the point? What happened and who worked in those
steel mills I used to see along the rivers? Pittsburgh leaves a legacy of environmental
issues and how they were solved. These questions and other issues will be addressed in a
semester study of Pittsburgh that encompasses a more concrete look at this "Gateway
To The West." Third grade students will study the history of the city of Pittsburgh
as a system, focusing on: the interdependence among people and the environment, and how
the environment affects the way people live and work. Given an awareness of the past,
students will develop projects that will allow them to become a catalyst for environmental
change in the future.
The Use and Abuse of Pittsburgh's Environment
by Amy B. Davies
This unit enhances the ninth grade civics curriculum. It provides an introduction to
environmental awareness using Pittsburgh as a case study. Students will study the founding
of Pittsburgh and the vast resources readily available to those who settled in
Pennsylvania. The unit examines these resources and their role in the economic development
of our region. Students will study the chronological development of various industries
along with their impact on our land, air and water. The economic growth of Pennsylvania
will be analyzed along with the environmental impact of this growth. The curriculum unit
also discusses Pittsburgh's renaissance and attempts to clean up the environment. Students
are introduced to wise environmental choices and the revitalization efforts encompassed by
our city. Throughout the unit, various civics skills are reinforced as students learn
about Pittsburgh's environmental history.
Pittsburgh Environmental History:
Nineteen Year Cycle
Jeremiah Dugan
Frick International Studies Academy
The
following unit description is designed as a supplemental unit for an eighth grade U.S.
History course. As a whole the unit strives
to develop higher level thinking and consensus building skills in the students as they
develop an understanding for the complex issues surrounding Pittsburgh's environmental
history and how they as an individual influence their world. The unit examines the production of iron and
steel, the impact of the those industries on the environment, working peoples' reaction to
those industries, the Pittsburgh Renaissance of the 1940's-1950's, and an applied learning
project that has students examine school waste and its environmental impact and then
create a plan to reduce it. Overall the unit
utilizes simulation and applied learning actives, while stressing literacy and
communication through oral and written forms that are essential in today's workplace.
Pittsburgh: Things That
Aren't There Anymore and Why They Are Gone.
By Virginia Hill
Ecology is often focused toward the rain forest, coral reefs, or some distant
wetland. This unit would offer students a meaningful glance at Pittsburgh's
environmental history and a vehicle to become a part of Pittsburgh's environmental future.
Students will begin their ecological study by examining the link between ecology
and natural history and then develop a definition of ecology (Biology 52). A primary focus
will be the use of Pittsburgh’s waterways and Pittsburgh’s water treatment
facilities and the various locations of the water pumping facilities, and why they were
moved to their present location on the Allegheny River. In this time frame, students will
also perform in class experiments on plants to look at various outcomes that are provided
in the text. Students will be examining the biotic components to Pittsburgh’s
environmental status and the non-living things as biotic components, examine life in the
Pittsburgh area after the closing of the steel mills, and create their own urban garden
space in order to spark a sense of ownership in beautifying their neighborhoods. Through
this Unit students may come to realize that land is an important resource that should
serve the needs of plants and animals as well as humans (Biology 53).
WE CAN CLEAN UP OUR ACTS
by Sally Martin
Allderdice High School
This unit is designed for a 10th grade chemistry class. By taking a
historical view of the smoke pollution in Pittsburgh and the long struggle to solve the
problem, students will be able to better understand the issues involved and the timing and
compromises which are necessary for the successful resolution of any problem. The students
will become citizens of Pittsburgh in the year 1900. They will represent different
constituent groups – mill workers, families of the workers, mill owners, society
women and politicians. In these roles they will develop an understanding of the problem
from different perspectives. As we trace the history of resolution they will identify each
group’s response or resistance to suggestions. The purpose is to inspire the students
that change can be effected if there is commitment and a willingness to share point of
views. In conclusion the students will examine a current environmental problem and
determine what role they might play in a local solution.
The Chemical Reaction; It's a Burgh Thing
By Linda Kay Neumann
This high school chemistry unit is designed to teach the traditional topic,
chemical reactions, through an integrated approach to the study of chemistry that is
longitudinal time, historical in content, and ethical in emphasis. The symbolic nature of
the chemical equation, the balancing of the equation, and the classification of reactions
as to type are taught with examples drawn from chemical reactions used throughout
Pittsburgh's history. This very same history is used to study the "effects" of
these reactions on the Pittsburgh environment and on the lifestyle of its people; with an
eye toward reflection upon the views of Nature that guided the decisions to use such
reactions or their resultant technologies, even when these had adverse effects on the area
and its population.
The unit can be used in its entirety, or any part of it can be used as enrichment
material. Though designed for the chemistry classroom, it is relevant to earth science,
environmental science, and also general science. It crosses the curriculum into the social
sciences and philosophy, emphasizing ethics, the values which govern decision making.
The
Health Implications of Environmental Pollution
by Helen M. Norfleet
Pittsburgh Middle Gifted Center
The curriculum unit, The Health Implications of Environmental Pollution
" is an interdisciplinary, research based, technology driven unit aimed at
increasing students’ knowledge level and awareness of how the environment affects
their health. Activities are designed for middle school students, but could be modified
for elementary or high school students. The unit is divided into three parts. Parts one
and two focus on environmental problems and how they affect human health, and part three
is devoted to the role of environmental organizations and stewardship. The environmental
issues discussed include air pollution, and depletion of the ozone layer. Each of the
parts mentioned will include from three to six lessons.
Citizenship in Action
by Carol Pettit
Taylor-Alderdice High School
The curriculum unit, Citizenship in Action, was written for teachers in
a ninth grade civics class but may be used at any grade level. The unit uses a hands-on
approach to civics education to get students involved in their government. The unit
emphasizes developing an action plan to help solve environmental issues in their local
communities. By emphasizing that the citizen is the most important person in the country
today, with control over government through voting and the ability to influence others,
students will understand and appreciate their roles as citizens in a democracy and know
that they must work hard to preserve and protect this citizenship. By placing students in
actual problem solving situations it is hoped that they will begin to develop the skills
and interests necessary to become active citizens in the future.
The Greenhouse
Effect, Global Warming, and Pittsburgh
By F. Michael Real
This unit is designed for 11th grade Earth and Space Science students and
for high school Environmental Science students. The course material covers the climatic
history of the earth followed by the history of the concept of global warming. Material is
then presented on explaining what the greenhouse gases are and how they enter the
environment. Lastly the possible consequences of global warming are explored using some of
the models developed by the UN.
Activities used to compliment the lecture portion of this unit include designing a
geologic time line, plotting the average temperature of Pittsburgh in July for the past
100 years, and interviewing adults on what they remember the summers and winters as being
like when they were young.
A Poetic Tour of Pittsburgh’s Environment
By Renee C. Tolliver
David B. Oliver High School
This eight-week unit is designed for a ninth grade gifted English class. However, it
can easily be adapted to any grade and ability level. The primary objective of this unit
is to provide students with the tools and skills necessary to create concrete
representations of abstract ideas and emotions.. The abstract ideas in this case will
revolve around the environment while the concrete representations will take the forms of
film, photographs, and poetry about the environment. As a result of the energy and
enthusiasm that is engendered by a project that allows an active and creative approach to
learning, students will understand the empowerment these forms of expression offer.
Students will examine what they know about the environment in general and then investigate
local environmental factors and issues. Armed with some knowledge of the ecology of their
neighborhoods, students will identify environmental topics for further research. All
aspects of this unit should remain as personal to the students as possible. Therefore,
they will videotape pertinent locations in their own neighborhoods that speak to
environmental concerns. To help guide their investigations and expand their resources,
students will interview family members and friends about interesting facts and details
from Pittsburgh history. After the videotaping experience, students will select specific
scenes or subjects to photograph. Becoming aware of the built and natural environment
around them should provide students with the ingredients to create inspired environmental
poetry. The culminating activity of this unit will be a presentation of the environmental
video to a selected audience of students, staff and parents. The grand premiere will take
place in a classroom that has been converted to a gallery where the students’
photographs and poetry have been mounted.
SMOKY CITY
By Linda Tuite
From the smoke and soot of the steel mills, coke ovens and iron works emerged the
elegant city of Pittsburgh that we know today. However, we take for granted the culture
and progress of this place without realizing the struggle of the people who worked,
sweated, lived and died here. It is what these immigrants, mainly the Slavs and the
African Americans, encountered during the last part of the nineteen hundreds and first
twenty years of the twentieth century that will define and shape the direction of this
unit. Many of the students will learn their roots, and possibly be able to identify and
empathize with these people before the end of this lesson. Perhaps, too, the reading of
the development of the steel era and our polluted city may create an appreciation of the
backs of those individuals upon whom our city came to be carried and delivered.
The Environmental Crisis of Pine Meadows
By Robert J. Vogel
Rogers CAPA Middle School
This unit is a combination of environmental science and social studies for
educators who teach sixth or seventh graders. The students will create a fictional town
with each student becoming a citizen of the town and adopting a personnel file that
creates an occupation, salary, marriage status, age and family. Using the fictional
characters as a background, the students will learn about various environmental problems
that have occurred in their town and what solutions would be needed to solve these
problems.
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