Unit 15: Old Routes New Trails

Explore the Changing Face of Transportation on Old Route 66

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.

Watch video via YouTube(link is external)  |  Transcript

Possible Research Topics

  • Route 66
  • National Highway System
  • John Carr
  • Neon Signs
  • North Atlantic Trade Organization
  • Urbanization
  • The American Dream of the "Open Road"
  • "The Mother Road"
  • Cultural Icon
  • State vs. county and interstate
  • Osage Indian Trail
  • Route 66 State Park
  • Times Beach, Missouri
  • Art Deco
  • Meramec Caverns
  • Lester Dill
  • Painted barn" advertisements
  • Jesse James
  • German Autobahn

Resources

Bibliography

  • Route 66: The Mother Road
    Wallis, Michael
    St. Martins Press
    New York, N.Y.
    1990
  • Route 66 Remembered
    Witzel, Michael Karl
    Motorbooks International
    Osceola, Wi.
    1996
  • Tales From the Coral Court: Photos and Stories from a Lost Route 66 Landmark
    Graham, Shellee
    Virginia Publishing
    St. Louis, Mo.
    2000