Fourth Grade Discovers How Quakerism, William Penn and Philadelphia's City Planning all Tie Together

Fourth graders were introduced to the history of Quakerism and its founder George Fox during social studies class these past weeks. Students watched a PowerPoint lecture and took scaffolded notes all the while asking probing questions about the state of life and freedom in England during the 17th century.

The students are continuing their study of Philadelphia through the centuries, and to understand the origins of Philadelphia they are learning the background surrounding religious freedom and William Penn’s own journey of religious conversion to Quakerism as a young man. His religious ideas, as well as his sense of city planning, helped create early Philadelphia. Students also viewed a movie about William Penn and the planning of his city.

After looking at five different historical maps dating from 1683, 1762, 1807, 1838 and 1857 the students learned how the city was laid out and expanded over two centuries. They looked at population growth and discovered when and why the city grew the way it did over time. Students created their own maps demonstrating the city's expansion through time.