Alabama Social Studies SS24.AS.23
The Standard
Describe the impact of World War I and World War II on industrialization and urbanization in Alabama.
2024 Alabama Course of Study: Social Studies
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students trace how World War I steel orders increased work in Birmingham and how World War II shipbuilding expanded work in Mobile. They connect those jobs to people moving into cities and needing housing.
What Mastery Looks Like
- Given a map and population figures, students locate both cities and explain what drew workers to each one. They use population growth as evidence that the cities changed.
Common Misconceptions
- Some students think Alabama's wartime work was mostly farming. Others assume Birmingham and Mobile grew for the same reason, missing the difference between steel production and shipbuilding. They may also overlook the housing needs of new workers.
How to Assess It
- Exit ticket: World War I brought more steel orders to Birmingham, and World War II brought more ship orders to Mobile. For each city, name one change at work and one change in the city.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give pairs a blank Alabama map and cards labeled Birmingham steel, Mobile shipyards, and rural workers; have them draw arrows showing where workers moved.
Ask students to write: Why would wartime steel jobs draw people to Birmingham and shipbuilding jobs draw people to Mobile?
Have students arrange cards reading steel orders, mill hiring, rural migration, and crowded housing into a cause-and-effect chain.
On a current map of Mobile, mark its waterfront shipyards and nearby neighborhoods; discuss why workers would need roads and housing.
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Printable SS24.AS.23 Worksheet
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Related Standards
- SS24.4.16a
Describe how industry, trade, farming, and the rise of Populism changed Alabama after the Civil War and shaped its economy and communities in the late 1800s.
- SS24.AS.12b
Describe the mobilization of Alabama industries and people on the home front during World War I and World War II.
- SS24.5.11b
Describe the decline of farming and the growth of urban areas in Alabama after World War II.
- SS24.4.12
Explain how the growth of the United States from 1812 to 1860 changed economic and social life in Alabama.
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