A rapidly growing city built of wood. A summer-long heat wave. An exhausted and misdirected team of firefighters. Racial, social, and economic tensions bubbling just below the surface—all Chicago needed was a spark. Our past exhibition City on Fire: Chicago 1871 was divided into four parts: pre-fire Chicago in the “Wooden City,” the three days of the fire in the “Burning City,” the immediate aftermath in the “Smoldering City,” and the recovery and rebuilding efforts in the “Rebuilt City.” This video series is designed to duplicate the four sections of the exhibition by examining key content with embedded activities for the classroom.
Each video has an English and Spanish version, narrated and captioned. All student handouts are bilingual, either side by side translation or split into separate single language worksheets.
The O’Leary home and cow, located at 137 De Koven Street, Chicago, c. 1871. CHM, ICHi-063141; Joseph Battersby, photographer
Running Time: 7 mins 45 secs (English); 8 mins 39 secs (Spanish)
The “Wooden City” introduces Chicago at the time of the fire, noting the factors that enabled the fire to spread rapidly through the city and the social tensions that later influenced recovery efforts. Activities can be used independently of each other, enabling educators to customize their classroom experiences.
Educator Learning Guide: This comprehensive guide provides an overview of the exhibition and the Wooden City section, tips on using the video, learning standard alignments, pre- and post-viewing activities, video activity directions, and student handouts. There are three suggested activities that accompany the video: Will it Burn? (no student handout necessary)?, Life in Chicago, and Meet the O’Learys. This download contains student worksheets.
Activities can also be downloaded individually:
Life in Chicago
Life in Chicago Graphic Organizer: Use photographs to compare and contrast pre-fire homes in Chicago. This is the student worksheet only.
Wooden City Image Packet: This download has larger versions of the images used in the Life in Chicago activity and a map highlighting the locations of the homes and businesses featured in the video.
Historical Heads Activity: Use this worksheet along with the Meet the O’Learys biography to make inferences about the O’Learys’ thoughts and understandings. This is the student worksheet only.
CITY ON FIRE: BURNING CITY
Lithograph by Currier and Ives titled Chicago in Flames. Scene from the Chicago Fire of 1871. CHM, ICHi-023436
Running Time: 9 mins 57 secs (English); 10 mins 07 secs (Spanish)
The “Burning City” explores firefighting in 1871, the spread of the fire throughout the city, and how one Chicago couple, the Hudlins helped their neighbors. Activities can be used independently of each other, enabling educators to customize their classroom experiences.
Educator Learning Guide: This comprehensive guide provides an overview of the exhibition and the Burning City section, tips on using the video, learning standard alignments, pre- and post-viewing activities, video activity directions and student handouts. There are three suggested activities that accompany the video: Fire Pumper: Firefighting in 1871, Mapping the Fire, and Meet the Hudlins. This download contains student worksheets.
Activities can also be downloaded individually:
Fire Pumper: Firefighting in 1871
Firefighter Steps and Motions: Watch a demonstration of using a model of an 1871 fire pumper, then students imagine they are firefighters and act out the same steps. This is the student worksheet only.
Mapping the Fire
Mapping the Fire: Students analyze the path and impact of the fire through a series of three maps. This is the student worksheet only. The maps are shown in the video and are available to print out in the image packet.
Historical Heads Activity: Use this worksheet along with the Meet the Hudlins biography to make inferences about the Hudlins’ thoughts and understandings. This is the student worksheet only.
Image Packet
Burning City Image Packet: This download has larger versions of the images featured in the video including a diagram of an 1871 fire pumper, and the three maps of the path of the fire.
CITY ON FIRE: THE SMOLDERING CITY
“Memories of the Chicago Fire of 1871” by Julia Lemos, 1912. CHM, ICHi-062293
Running Time: 6 mins 18 secs (English); 7 mins 17 secs (Spanish)
The “Smoldering City” introduces what happened in the immediate aftermath of the fire and the ways people remembered the Great Chicago Fire through collecting and saving objects, taking photographs, and creating paintings. Activities can be used independently of each other, enabling educators to customize their classroom experiences.
Educator Learning Guide:This comprehensive guide provides an overview of the exhibition and the Smoldering City section, tips on using the video, learning standard alignments, pre- and post-viewing activities, video activity directions and student handouts. There are three suggested activities that accompany the video: What is it?, Understanding the Fire Through Art, and Meet Julia Lemos. This download contains student worksheets.
Activities can also be downloaded individually:
What Is It?
What Is It?: Students analyze four mystery melted artifacts from the Museum’s collection. The narrator walks students through looking at each, then gives the answers onscreen. This is the student worksheet only.
Understanding the Fire Through Art
Understanding the Fire Through Art: Students examine and interpret images from the cyclorama of the Great Chicago Fire. This is the student worksheet only. Images from the cyclorama are shown in the video and are available to print out in the image packet.
Historical Heads Activity: Use this worksheet along with the Meet Julia Lemos biography to make inferences about her thoughts and understandings. This is the student worksheet only.
Image Packet
Smoldering City Image Packet: This download has larger versions of the images featured in the video, including the artifacts from What Is It?, a section of the cyclorama, and the painting Julia Lemos created depicting the fire.
CITY ON FIRE: REBUILT CITY
Ladies distributing clothing to the victims of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. CHM, ICHi-002894
Running Time: 10 mins 42 secs (English); 11 mins 10 secs (Spanish)
The “Rebuilt City” encourages students to analyze drawings of post-Fire life, introduces how people navigated the post-Fire aid system through a questionnaire activity, returns to the story of Mrs. O’Leary, and examines fire safety today. Activities can be used independently of each other, enabling educators to customize their classroom experiences.
Educator Learning Guide: This comprehensive guide provides an overview of the exhibition and the Rebuilt City section, tips on using the video, learning standard alignments, pre- and post-viewing activities, video activity directions and student handouts. There are four suggested activities that accompany the video: Tent City, What Now?, Meet Joel Bigelow, and Fire Safety Today. This download contains teacher answer keys and student worksheets.
Historical Heads Activity: Use this worksheet along with the Meet Joel Bigelow biography to make inferences about his thoughts and understandings. This is the student worksheet only.
Fire Safety Today
Fire Safety Today: Identify the fire safety features within this kitchen. This is the student worksheet only, available in Spanish and English.
Image Packet
Rebuilt City Image Packet: This download has larger versions of the images featured in the video including the image from the “Tent City” section, the map Joel Bigelow created of the burned area, and the Fire Safety Wall with and without answers.
