Gallery Walk: Redlining and the HOLC Maps
A station-based gallery walk for 9th graders that traces redlining through 1930s HOLC maps of Chicago and related primary sources, building historical analysis, evidence-based discussion, and written reasoning about how housing policy shaped segregation. It includes guiding questions at each station and works well as a 50-minute opening activity before a unit on systemic racism.
Teacher Guide & Tips
- Use this as an opening activity for your unit: have students rotate through stations in small groups, spending about 5 to 7 minutes per station, then debrief as a whole class for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Discussion question: Why might a bank's "risk" rating of a neighborhood have depended on who lived there rather than on the property itself?
- Scaffold for struggling readers: Provide a copy of the map legend and a simple graphic organizer that pairs each color with its rating and a plain-language definition before students begin the walk.
- Extension for advanced students: Ask them to compare a Chicago HOLC map with present-day home ownership or lending data and write a short argument about whether the effects of redlining persist.
- Estimated time: Roughly 50 minutes total, including the gallery walk and a brief reflection exit ticket.
Gallery Walk: Redlining and the HOLC Maps
A station-based gallery walk for 9th graders that traces redlining through 1930s HOLC maps of Chicago and related primary sources, building historical analysis, evidence-based discussion, and written reasoning about how housing policy shaped segregation. It includes guiding questions at each station and works well as a 50-minute opening activity before a unit on systemic racism.
Teacher Guide & Tips
- Use this as an opening activity for your unit: have students rotate through stations in small groups, spending about 5 to 7 minutes per station, then debrief as a whole class for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Discussion question: Why might a bank's "risk" rating of a neighborhood have depended on who lived there rather than on the property itself?
- Scaffold for struggling readers: Provide a copy of the map legend and a simple graphic organizer that pairs each color with its rating and a plain-language definition before students begin the walk.
- Extension for advanced students: Ask them to compare a Chicago HOLC map with present-day home ownership or lending data and write a short argument about whether the effects of redlining persist.
- Estimated time: Roughly 50 minutes total, including the gallery walk and a brief reflection exit ticket.