Olivia Foor Bridget Shrode CI 401: Lesson Plan 3

Name: The Captains of Industry: How Early Big Businesses Influenced Businesses Today Class/Subject: 8th Grade Social Studies Date: 12/12/2012 Student Objectives/Outcomes: Content Standards: Materials/Resources/Technology: Video Smartboard Class Textbook Teachers Goals: Lesson Plan 1 (45 minutes total) Introduction (2 minutes) In introducing this topic, we want to get the students thinking about businesses today. We will ask them to, Name 5 companies that make computers (HP, Lenovo, Apple, Samsung, Dell, etc), Name 5 companies that make cars (BMW, Chrysler, Ford, Dodge, GMC, etc), Name 5 companies that make TVs (Samsung, LG, Vizio, Emerson, Sony). The point of this exercise is to make them realize that companies are not allowed to have monopolies on products any longer because of the big businesses and their owners in the 1900s that we are about to learn about. Basic Concepts (10 minutes) We will use a video to introduce both John D. Rockefeller and Andrew Carnegie to the class. This video gives some background on these men as well as the huge corporations they started. All of this information is supplemented in their textbook but we wanted to give them a different way to receive the information. Digging Deeper (5 minutes) After watching the video, we want to ask students to dig deeper into the material by asking them questions about the topic. Why would it be bad for one company to control all production of a product? o That company can then charge as much as they want to the consumers because there is no competition for consumers to choose. o The company can also pay the workers very poor wages because there is no competition and because they are such a large employer; the workers get paid low wages while the owner of the company becomes extremely wealthy. o Also encourages ruthless business practices that run other small businesses out of work. Solutions (p. 283-284 in textbook) (10 minutes)

The Sherman Antitrust Act was passed in 1890 as a federal regulation on big businesses. It stated that monopolies and trusts on companies were illegal. However, it was not clear if companies were allowed to consolidate and it was left up to the courts to decide. o This was about the only time in American history where the courts favored big businesses. o United States v. E.C. Knight Company, 1895 This was a court case which the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the company and that it was not violating the Sherman Antitrust Act. The Sherman Antitrust Act had a huge impact on businesses, even though it was hard to regulate and enforce initially. o It made businesses more conscious of their public image and as a result businesses began to focus more on corporate image and public relations. A Step Farther (7 minutes) Do you think that the Sherman Antitrust Act was necessary or not? Why? Would you like it if there was only one computer, car or TV company? o Answers to these two questions may vary depending on the student; we just want them to think about the benefits and consequences a monopoly has on other businesses, consumers, and the economy. If there was only one computer, car, or TV company, who would that benefit most? You as the consumer? The business owner? The employees? o Monopolies benefit the business owner the most. The consumer and employees are not usually high stakeholders in the business practices or benefits. How different would our world look if monopolies were allowed to continue and the Sherman Antitrust Act was not passed? o This is just to get them thinking critically about how the world may have changed based on this one act. Checks for understanding Students will have about 10 minutes at the end of class to start a worksheet (attached, p. 31) that reviews the information that we just went over in class. If not done by the end of class, it will be homework to be turned in the next day. The worksheet asks the students to complete who, what, when, where, why, and how questions about Rockefeller and Carnegie. This is a good way to review the information and answer any questions the students may have about the information we just went over in the lesson. Closure Early big businesses had a large impact on how businesses today are allowed to conduct their business. The Sherman Antitrust Act broke up monopolies so that there could be fair competition between companies which would benefit the consumer. The world would look much different today if monopolies were allowed to exist in America. Self-Assessment