Welcome to
Teaching Cleveland

Welcome to the Cleveland Bicentennial Project, Teaching Cleveland. We hope that you will find these lessons and resource materials helpful in making the history of Cleveland come alive for you.

Cleveland’s history is usually taught as a chronicle of great men and great deeds. The life of the ordinary person often is neglected and unseen. This collection of lessons uses documentary sources to teach “a slice of life” approach to Cleveland history. The lessons give a picture of what life was like in Cleveland every fifty years, beginning in 1796. Don’t look for Tom L. Johnson, the Battle of the Bridges or Millionaire’s Row. You won’t find them. Do look for the types of housing people lived in and the food they ate, how they entertained themselves and others, what kinds of jobs they had, and what they learned in school. These are not “worksheet” lessons, The student is expected to be an “active,” not “passive,” learner. The lessons ask students to participate in cooperative group learning activities, to analyze primary sources using critical thinking skills, and to develop and improve their research and writing skills.

Teaching Cleveland awaits the use of every student in Greater Cleveland so that they may better understand and appreciate the growth and development of their city.