Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Listed below are possible research or discussion topics, online lesson plans, resources and other materials.  As you look through this list please consider that this series can work for grades 4-12, with an emphasis on 7th grade. Also consider that the series will be used with different purposes for different grade levels. This is by no means a complete list of resources, and we cannot guarantee the life span and quality of the web site addresses.

Possible Research Topics

• St. Louis
• Kansas City
• Wainwright Building
• The World's First Sky Scraper
• Louis Sullivan
• Architecture
• St. Louis Arch
• James Eads
• Railroad effects on commerce
• Mississippi River 
  
• Kansas City Stockyards
• L.V. Morse
• James Joy
• City Market, Kansas City
• Economic Supply and Demand
• J.C. Nichols
• George Kessler
• Kansas City Country Club Plaza
• Park and Boulevard System
  

Bibliography

• JC Nichols and the Shaping of Kansas City
  Worley, William
  University of Missouri Press
  Columbia, Mo.
  1993
• A Legacy of Design: A Historical Survey of the Kansas City, Missouri, Parks and Boulevards System, 1893-1940
  Lee, Janice; Boutros, David; White, Charlotte R.; Wolfenbarger, Deon; editors
  Kansas City Center for Design Education and Research in cooperation with the Western Historical Manuscripts Collection 
  Kansas City, Mo.
  1995
• St. Louis Lost: Uncovering the City’s Lost Architectural Treasures
  Bartley, Mary
  Virginia Publishing
  St. Louis, Mo.
  1998

• What About Kansas City: A Historical Handbook
  DeAngelo, Dory
  Two Lane Press
  Kansas City, Mo.
  1995

• The Eads Bridge
  Scott, Quinta
  University of Missouri Press
  Columbia, Mo.
  1979

Lesson Plans

• SuccessLink: A Look through the Window at Missouri Cities

• SuccessLink: Core of the Corps
• SuccessLink: Courthouse Merchants of St. Louis
• SuccessLink: Whose City is it?
• SuccessLink: Kansas City Grafitti

Resources

• St. Louis History
  This is a brief history of St. Louis with photos and graphics.
• Scot's Time Portal to Old St. Louis 
• Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps, Kansas City, Missouri, 1895-1957

This website offers up an interesting surrogate. These digital Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps of Kansas City are provided as a public service by the Kansas City Public Library, and they consist of over 1,200 individual pages. The site includes a historical essay on the maps, a tutorial for guidance, and resources for students and teachers.

• Rivers, Rails and Trails: Kansas City before UMKC

The University of Missouri-Kansas City has created this rather novel online exhibit that explores the world of Kansas City before the creation of this educational institution. The interactive map portion of the site features the map, complete with postcards that illustrate various aspects of the city's development during the early 20th century. Visitors can click on a postcard of the city's beautiful Paseo Boulevard, the stock yards, and Swope Park. Along the way, users will learn about local history, urban transportation, and the "City Beautiful" movement.

Photo Gallery