Teacher Resources
Virtual Museum Tour and Activities
- Paul Litchfield: An American Industrialist In Arizona
- Aviation and Aerospace in the Southwest Valley
- The Camps: The Communities that Built the Southwest Valley
- Cotton in the Southwest Valley
Paul Litchfield: An American Industrialist in Arizona
Learning Objectives (3rd Grade)
• Students will be able to discuss the life of Paul W. Litchfield, an influential industrialist of the early to mid-20th century.
• Students will identify key information from a video about Paul Litchfield.
• Students will apply what they learned about Paul Litchfield and his influence in Arizona through an extension activity.
Rationale
This lesson will introduce students to industrialist, Paul Litchfield and his impact on the development of Arizona. They will watch a video to learn about Paul Litchfield’s influence in in Arizona, the relationship between the cotton industry and tire production in the early 20th century, and how the Southwest region of the Salt River Valley typifies the agricultural history of a large part of Arizona. The lesson will conclude with a choice of extension activities to allow students to demonstrate their understanding of Paul Litchfield’s impact.
Aviation and Aerospace in the Southwest Valley
This module is under construction Please check back later.
Aviation and Aerospace in the Southwest Valley
Learning Objectives (Grade 3)
• Students will learn how aviation, and aerospace impacted Arizona during WWII.
• Students will identify major reasons why airbases, and the aerospace industry developed in the
Southwest Valley and Arizona.
Rationale
The mid-century marked a time of economic transition in Arizona. While the 5 Cs of copper,
cattle, cotton, citrus, and climate continued to be economic pillars, WWII would bring more
aviation and aerospace to Arizona. The growth of aerospace manufacturing and production
continued in the following decades, becoming an important part of the state’s economy.
Airfields established in Arizona during WWII were important in training pilots for combat.
The Camps: The Communities that built the southwest valley
The Camps: The Communities that Built the Southwest Valley
Lesson Objectives (Grade 3)
• Students will learn what creates a community.
• Students will learn how some farm worker communities developed in Arizona.
• Students will learn how farm worker communities impacted Arizona.
• Students will use map skills to show how communities change over time
Playing marbles in the camps
Cotton in the southwest valley
Cotton in the Southwest Valley
Lesson Objectives (Grade 3)
• Students will learn how growing cotton impacted Arizona.
• Students will identify major reasons why cotton growing developed in the Southwest Valley and
Arizona.
Rationale
Cotton is one of the five Cs of Arizona. Although cotton has been grown in Arizona since
prehistoric times, national and world events played a key role in making cotton a major pillar of
the Arizona economy in the 20th century. This lesson explores some of the factors that made
cotton an important Arizona crop and by example, how this sector of agriculture jumpstarted
development in the Southwest Valley.
