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Growth of Florida's Railroads

Objective:

  1. The students will be able to explain how Florida's railroad system began.
  2. The students will be able to name those people responsible for building Florida's railroads.
  3. The students will be able to explain why the railroads were built in Florida.

Sunshine State Standards Benchmarks:

SS.A.1.2.1 - SS.A.6.2.2 - SS.A.6.2.3 - SS.B.1.2.4 - SS.B.2.2.4

Vocabulary:

finances expand acre investment
interstate entrepreneur luxurious  

Suggested Activities:

  1. Using a map of Florida, have the students draw and label the railroad systems created by Henry B. Plant, William Chipley, and Henry Flagler.
  2. Have the students research and identify the types of goods that were being shipped by Florida's railroads during this time period.
  3. Have the students calculate how much money Hamilton Disston spent purchasing the 4 million acres of land from Orlando to Lake Okeechobee.
  4. Have the students create a cause and effect tree using the information in the reading passage.
  5. Complete and review FCAT questions.

(Note: Actual FCAT practice passages are wrtten at the students' independent reading level. These Florida History selections are written at the students' instructional reading level. Therefore, students should not be asked to complete the questions until after receiving class instruction on the vocabulary and content of the passage. Students should also read the Florida History selection independently before answering the FCAT questions and be permited to return to the selection for rereading as they answer.)

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Exploring Florida: A Social Studies Resource for Students and Teachers
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College of Education, University of South Florida © 2002.