Orphan Train Studies

                                                                                                           Art
Have students create photo collages or other illustrations using computer graphics to represent the experiences of orphan train
riders. Choose an orphan train rider and create a drawing, painting, or diorama that illustrates the changes he or she experienced
when “placed-out”.

                                                                                                           Drama
Write and perform a play about an orphan train rider’s experiences. You might want your play to depict the train ride itself. Most
children who boarded orphan trains had never ridden on trains before. What would it have been like for them? Or, your play could
depict the selection process where children were examined by prospective parents. Sometimes agents had children recite poems
or sing. Find out what the selection process was like for riders, and then act it out! Be creative-there is a lot of drama in the stories
of orphan train riders. With careful research, this could turn into a History Day project!

                                                                                                           Reading
After reading a book or article of the orphan trains, test students’ comprehension with a version of the game “20 Questions”. Write
the names of the people featured in the reading on individual slips of paper. Divide the class into two teams. A member of one
team draws a name and “becomes” that person. Members of the other team ask questions that can be answered “yes” or “no” to
discover the identity. Give teams one point for each question asked and five points for an incorrect guess. At the end of each game
(set a time limit or decide how many turns each team will have), the team with the lowest score wins.

                                                                                                    Social Studies
The orphan train era began prior to the Civil War and ended on the eve of the Great Depression, yet this mass migration of children
is rarely mentioned in student textbooks. Have students create a time line from the mid-1800s to the mid-1900s showing what was
going on in the nation during the years that orphan trains carried children throughout the nation. Some of the events that could be
included on a time line: westward migration on the Oregon Trail, the Pony Express, presidential elections, Civil War battles, the
sinking of the Titanic, World War I, Charles Lindbergh’s transatlantic flight, the enactment of laws governing adoptions and
regulating child labor, etc. Challenge students to add events from local, county, state, national, and world history to the time line
every day. This could be an ongoing project! It will help students see how the pieces of history fit together.

                                                                                          Local History/Writing
Have your class write letters to the editors of area newspapers. In the letters, explain that you are studying orphan trains and ask for
those who rode orphan trains or who are descendants of riders to contact you. If possible, schedule times for riders and
descendants to visit your class. Have students prepare lists of questions to ask the visitors, and capture the interviews on video or
audio tape. If some of those who respond to your inquiry are unable to visit the classroom, ask them to respond in writing to
questions you send in the mail. Be sure to include a postage-paid, pre-addressed envelope for their reply. From these interviews,
create a documentary or publish your own orphan train magazine.