History of Coal in the United States ~ Lesson Plans ~ American Coal Foundation

Overview:
Students examine a timeline of coal mining in the United States and research how the policies of coal-dependent companies have changed over the past fifty years, affecting the economy of our country.

Objectives:
Students will:

familiarize themselves with key dates in the history of coal mining in the United States,
research coal-dependent companies in the United States, and
assess the effects that the coal industry has had on the economy of the United States, both directly and indirectly.

National Standards:
National Council for Social Studies Standards (NCSS)

Time, Continuity, and Change
Production, Distribution, and Consumption

Time Needed:
Two class periods with time in between for research

Materials:

Transparencies of "Timeline of Coal in the United States"
Internet access
Overhead projector

Discussion Questions:
When was coal discovered in the United States?
How was it first used?
What do you know about how coal was first mined?
What changes in the mining and use of coal have occurred in the past century?
Why is coal important to the United States?

Procedure:

Review the sequence of events listed on the Timeline of Coal in the United States, highlighting the various discoveries, inventions, and uses of coal over time. Explain to students that coal has been and continues to be important to the economy of the United States. Whether used to bake pottery, power steam engines, provide electricity, or produce steel, coal is an essential resource for our country.
In this lesson, students will research three large corporations that have been or still are dependent upon coal in order to thrive, track how each company's dependence upon coal has changed over the past fifty years, and consider how the use of coal has affected the economy of the United States.
Ask students if they know what types of companies are dependent upon coal. Tell them that electric companies are the major consumers of coal, accounting for 80 percent of its use. Large industrial and manufacturing companies use coal for heating and powering plants. Historically, steel companies have been large consumers of coal, using coke (a substance made by heating coal to very high temperatures) to produce steel. Railroad companies that deliver coal are also dependent upon its production in order to sustain their business.
Divide the class into three large groups. (Students can work in smaller teams of two or three students within a larger group to conduct their research.) Assign one group to research an electric company, another group to research a railroad company, and the last group to research a steel company. Each research team should answer the following questions:
1. When was the company founded?
2. How many people does it currently employ?
3. Approximately, how many people does the company provide services for?
4. How does it use coal?
5. Over the past fifty years, how has the company changed? Does it employ more or less people? Does it rely more or less upon coal?
Provide students with the following companies and links to begin their research:
After groups have completed their research, allow representatives from each group to present their findings to the class. Record the number of people employed by each company, as well as the number of people served by each company, on the blackboard or overhead projector. Add up the total employees and customers. Explain to the class that these companies are representatives of each industry, and that there are several more coal-dependent companies in the United States, employing and serving thousands of people. Ask students what they think would happen if the United States stopped mining coal. What would the chain of events be with regard to employment and services? How would this affect our economy?

Assessment:
Have students prepare an editorial about the role that coal has played and continues to play in the economy of the United States. Encourage students to focus on one particular industry and the role that coal plays in its production and growth. Students may choose to suggest alternatives to coal in order to sustain the industry, or they may support the increase in coal production to grow the industry, and, therefore, the economy.

Extension:

Students who are sensitive to the workers affected by coal production may be interested in researching more about the unions in these industries. Direct them to the following links to find out how the workers in these industries form a collective bargaining entity to support one another.
Purchase the Coal Today CD ROM and allow students to play interactive games that introduce coal, its use, and the importance of electricity to our lives.

Differentiation:
Students who have weaker writing skills may opt to make a videotape of themselves discussing the role of coal in the economy of the United States, rather than presenting a written report.

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