This course provides opportunities for in-depth examination of events and concepts of the evolution of the community of Waltham.  Starting from its earliest beginning to Colonial, Federal, and subsequent time periods through modern day.  The transition from agrarian, to industrial, to technological, to bio-tech and modern-day industries.  Assignments from the readings, analysis of primary sources, and supplemental readings are required.

Unit

Timeframe

Big Ideas (Statements or Essential Questions)

Major Learning Experiences from Unit 

Colonial Waltham

1000-1781

September

4 weeks

Mythological History (Viking legends); Winthrop’s expedition and early settlement; Puritan place names; Waltham as a precinct of Watertown; history in the graveyard - exploring the Old Burying Ground; April 19th, 1775: What really happened in Waltham?; Waltham in the Revolution

Students will:

  • Explore myths and legends of Waltham

  • Trace the evolution of an early developing community

  • Examine primary source documents from Revolutionary MA.

Assessments include:

  • Source analysis activities

  • Online Grove Hill Cemetery Project

  • Unit exam

Waltham in the Early Republic

1780-1820

Architecture in Waltham

1700-1900

October -Early November


4 Weeks

Agrarian economy; Early industry; The Lymans and the Vale; The Gores and Gore Place

Historic Buildings - Identifying architectural styles (Early Period, Georgian, Federal, Greek Revival, Gothic, Italianate, Mansard; Queen Anne, Romanesque)

Students will:

  • Explore how Waltham became the summer homes of Boston elite

  • Introduction to 18th & 19th  architectural styles 

  • Create an architectural project on a historic Waltham building or home

Assessments include:

  • Source analysis activities

  • Architectural project

  • Unit exam

Waltham in the Industrial Revolution

1814-1930

November-

Early December


4 Weeks

Overview of the Industrial Revolution - Establishment of the Boston Mfg. Co. and Waltham Bleachery; Francis Cabot Lowell & the Boston Associates; Mill Girls; Impact on Waltham; Death of the N.E. Textile Industry

Students will:

  • Explore the birth of the American Industrial Rev.

  • Understand how the BMC became the standard for industrialization in the US

  • Examine the decline of the NE textile industry and how Waltham survived its decline 

Assessments include:

  • Source analysis activities

  • Unit exam

Charles River & Recreation

December


3 Weeks

Boat Houses, dance halls (Nutting's-on-the-Charles), beaches, river carnivals; Cornelia Warren and Cedar Hill; downtown theaters (the Embassy Theater)

Students will:

  • Explore the relationship with leisure activity and the Charles River

  • Understand how Waltham entertainment evolved in the late 1800s into the early 1900s

  • Examine the impact that Cornelia Warren had on Waltham’s legacy

Assessments include:

  • Source analysis activities

  • Unit exam

The Waltham Watch Company 1850-1954

January


4 Weeks

Founding of Waltham Watch; history of the company (1850-1954); working conditions; impact on Waltham; why the Watch Company closed

Students will:

  • Explore the origins of the WWC and its move to Waltham

  • Trace the history of the watch making in Waltham 

  • Determine the causes of the demise of the WWC

Assessments include:

  • Source analysis activities

  • Unit exam

  • Mid-term exam

Immigration in Waltham

February


3 Weeks

Old Immigrants; New Immigrants; Immigrants Since 1965; immigrant neighborhoods; employment opportunities; immigrant churches; discrimination; interpreting Waltham censuses; oral history

Students will:

  • Explore the history of immigrants groups to Waltham

  • Understand how Waltham evolved and was influenced by the immigrant groups

  • Examine the modern-day impact of immigration in Waltham

Assessments include:

  • Source analysis activities

  • Oral history project

  • Unit exam

Waltham's Neighborhoods

March


5 Weeks

How Waltham developed - mill neighborhoods, geographic neighborhoods, immigrant neighborhoods, 20th century developments; development of Moody Street shopping district; development of Main Street; decline of neighborhoods

Students will:

  • Explore how different Waltham neighborhoods received their names

  • Understand how Waltham’s neighborhoods have evolved over time

  • Examine if certain neighborhoods still have the same gravitas they once had

  • Decline of neighborhoods

Assessments include:

  • Source analysis activities

  • Google Earth Exploration of Waltham Neighborhoods

  • Unit exam

The Government of Waltham Stonehurst: The Robert Treat Paine Estate

April


5 Weeks

The Executive Branch (Mayor); the Legislative Branch (City Council); the School Committee; responsibilities of local government; the budget and sources of revenue; how to vote; running for office

Exterior architecture; interior architecture; history of the Paine family; lives of Paine family servants; Frederick Law Olmsted and the landscaping

Students will:

  • Explore how Waltham’s local gov’t evolved

  • Understand the current gov’t composition and its operation

  • Examine modern architecture in the 20th Century/Post-War development

Assessments include:

  • Source analysis activities

  • Unit exam

The Transportation Revolution: The Metz Automobile Company 


Modern Waltham

 

Final

May


4 Weeks

Overview of transportation in Waltham: Waltham Manufacturing Company (bicycles) and Metz Automobile Company; importance of transportation in Waltham’s development

20th Century architecture (bungalows, Dutch Colonials, Art Deco, colonials, ranches; split levels, Capes, contemporary); Rise of Rt. 128: America's Technological Highway; Successes, Problems, and Challenges

Students will:

  • Explore certain aspects of Waltham such as being a transportation “hub”

  • Understand how modern Waltham is staying ahead of the curve

  • Examine modern architecture in the 20th Century/Post-War development

Assessments include:

  • Source analysis activities

  • Unit exam

  • Final exam