West Viginia Next Generation Standards and the Ceramics and Glass Class

The classes we are offered in Cabell County are outstanding. The topics covered, technology provided and depth of instruction are outstanding. All that said, if it doesn't benefit the students of Cabell County it is worthwhile. As a social studies teacher, I see history, geography and economics in the Glass and Ceramics project. From Dean Six discussion of the reasons West Virginia and primarily for my students the Teays Valley were ideal for glass production, to the economic and practical reasons why it has largely died in West Virgina (and the United States). Any time I can make it relevant to their state and their region in particular, we are hitting the 3 R's (Relevance, Relationships, and Rigor) that are at the core of what we do in Cabell County.

The 10th grade NGO's (Next Generation Standards)
SS.10.H.CL5.1  analyze the developments in business and industry including the emergence of new industries and the rise of corporations through monopolies and mergers.
SS.10.E.5   critique the cause and effect relationship between the labor movement, industrialization and urbanization in the United States.
SS.10.G.7  analyze the impact of the environment, including the location of natural resources, on immigration and settlement patterns throughout U. S. history.
SS.10.G.8 analyze the ways in which physical and cultural geography have influenced significant historic events and movements.

This is a timely and relevant topic was we are studying the technological innovations during the later half of the 19th Century and the men who built America. Part of that would be the industrialists that built the class and ceramics factories in West Virginia and how they built their empires. When I speak of glass, I am speaking of the Owens', Kerr's, Ball's and other large scale manufactures of glass and ceramics. There were also many small manufacturers and artisans that contributed to West Virginia's legacy of glass and ceramics productions.Their story is that of our students and our state.

Questions to answer:
1. Why did the glass and ceramics industry choose West Virginia to produce their products?
2. What factors contributed to the demise of glass manufacturing in West Virginia and the United States as a whole?
3. How are glass and ceramics used by you and your family today?
4. What are potential future uses for glass and ceramics?