Iowa Past to Present Teacher's Guide: Chapter 14: New Inventions Bring Change

Iowa Past to Present

Introduction

Within the past century, new inventions have made a huge difference in the lives of Iowa families. Telephones and automobiles completely changed communication and transportation. Modern families visit friends hundreds of miles away more easily than Iowa pioneers could travel to a nearby town. Electricity changed many ways Iowans do things at home and at work. Electric lights made homes cleaner and brighter when they replaced the old lamps that burned kerosene. Electric appliances that we hardly notice today, like vacuum cleaners and washing machines, do away with the incredible drudgery of housework in earlier days.

Explore the resources on this page to find out more about ideas in the chapter:

  • Iowa Past to Present Teacher Guide: Chapter 14
  • Pathways: Find related articles and make connections with other ideas in Iowa history.
  • Artifacts: View related images, videos and more.
  • Side Trails: Explore more on this topic on other websites.

Suggested Classroom Resources and Lesson Plans

  • The Rise of Technology (1870 - 1896), Explorations in Iowa History Project, University of Northern Iowa
  • Iowa Pathways Quest and Challenges
    The Iowa Pathways Quest and Challenges are a collection of tasks that support students as they make and interpret connections among the people, places, events, and ideas of Iowa. Worksheets that model the thinking and research process are provided, as well as rubrics to aid you and your students.

Iowa Past to Present Chapter Listing

This online teachers guide was developed as a companion to the textbook Iowa Past to Present: The People and the Prairie (Revised 3rd Ed.); written by Dorothy Schwieder, Thomas Morain, and Lynn Nielsen; published by University of Iowa Press. Select a chapter from the list below to find related content and classroom resources.

Pathways

Choose a Pathway link above to find related articles and make connections with other ideas in Iowa history.

Media Artifacts

Find related images, videos and more in the Artifacts list above. The Side Trails listing below contains links to other websites related to the topic.

Web Sites