Resources for Teachers 
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Bascove. Stone and Steel: Paintings and Writings Celebrating the Bridges of New York City. (David R. Godine Publisher, 1998)
Dreamlike paintings of bridges accompany the writings of many authors, including F. Scott Fitzgerald, Edna St. Vincent Millay, and Audre Lorde.  Derrick, Peter. Tunneling to the Future: The Story of the Great Subway Expansion that Saved New York. (New York University Press, 2001)
Presents a detailed history of the Dual System of Rapid Transit, the 1913 plan to double the mileage of New York City’s subway lines (first opened in 1904) and triple their capacity, in an attempt to encourage people to move out of crowded lower Manhattan.
Diehl, Lorraine B. Subways: The Tracks that Built New York City. (Clarkson Potter, 2004)
This easy-to-read, informative history of New York City’s subway system, from its beginnings to the present, is supported by lots of images and fascinating tidbits.
Fischler, Stan with John Henderson. The Subway and the City: Celebrating a Century. (Frank Merriwell Incorporated, 2004)
This all-encompassing book traces the development of the subway and its effect on New York City by presenting factual information as well as personal accounts and reminiscences, accompanied by many photographs.
Garrison, Peggy, Victoria Hallerman, and David Quintavalle. You Are Here: New York City Streets in Poetry. (P & Q Press, 2006)
Many writers contributed to this collection of poems, which feature the streets and neighborhoods of New York City's five boroughs. Garrison, Peggy and David Quintavalle. Tokens: Contemporary Poetry of the Subway. (P & Q Press, 2003) Contemporary Poetry of the Subway. (P & Q Press, 2003) Published during the subway token's last year in use, this poetry anthology contains a variety of subway-inspired works. Homberger, Eric. The Historical Atlas of New York City: A Visual Celebration of 400 Years of New York City’s History. (Owl Books, 2005)
This interesting historical reference book is divided into periods and contains lots of maps, photos, and drawings. Hood, Clifton. 722 Miles: The Building of the Subways and How They Transformed New York. (The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1993, 2004)
A thoroughly researched account, this book is a good overview of the building and impact of the New York City subways, with particular focus on the planners, powerbrokers, and politicians who contributed to the monumental engineering feat.
Jackson, Donald C. Great American Bridges and Dams. (John Wiley & Sons, 1988)
This detailed reference documents over 300 bridges and dams across the country, providing facts, history, and information on the operations and technology of these structures. Jackson, Kenneth T. The Encyclopedia of New York City. (Yale University Press, 1995)
This fact-filled reference, containing more than 4300 alphabetical entries and hundreds of illustrations, covers all five boroughs.
New York Transit Museum, Andrew Garn (photographer). Subway Style: 100 Years of Architecture & Design in the New York City Subway. (Stewart, Tabori & Chang, 2004)
This beautifully illustrated design history traces the origins and development of subway cars and stations, including ceramic and metalwork detailing, ticket booths, signage, route maps and advertising. Contains nice images to use with students.
New York Transit Museum, Vivian Heller (Editor). The City Beneath Us: Building the New York Subways. (W.W. Norton & Company, 2004)
More than 175 photographs show the incredible construction techniques and details involved in creating the underground system New York City depends on, highlighting both the subway’s physical creation as well as the remarkable feats of human labor that went into it.
Range, Sr. Tom. New York City Subways. (Arcadia Publishing, 2002)
Lots of black-and-white pictures show city scenes containing surface transportation, elevated trains, and subways. Contains some good then-and-now images.
Snyder, Robert W. Transit Talk: New York’s Bus and Subway Workers Tell Their Stories. (Rutgers University Press, 1997)
More than 100 transit workers were interviewed to discover what goes on behind the scenes of public transportation, and their stories range from the first-hand account of the danger of working next to high-voltage power lines to workers delivering a baby in a subway car.
Stookey, Lee. Subway Ceramics: A History and Iconography. (Brattleboro, VT: L. Stookey, 1994)
Photographs and text provide information on several mosaic and bas relief signs and plaques in the New York City subway system.
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The following videos are all available for checkout through the New York Public Library.
Above & Below: MTA New York City Transit responds to 9/11. (MTA NYC Transit, 2002) Call # VC 974.7104 A
Footage from Transit News and other sources, dramatizations and interviews piece together the events of September 11, 2001, and document how MTA workers met the challenges in the aftermath and worked to rebuild the subway system.
New York: A Documentary Film. (PBS Video, 2001) Call # DVD 974.71 N
Chronicles the history of New York from its founding in 1624 as a Dutch trading post to its continuing preeminence in the culture and economy of the world.
New York Underground. (PBS Home Video, 1999) Call # VC 388.428 N
The story of how the New York electric subway system was built.
River of Steel. (Direct Cinema, Ltd., 1993) Call # VC 388.428 R
Incorporating archival footage and photographs as well as contemporary cinematography, this documentary chronicles the social and economic conditions which necessitated the massive subway construction project.
The 7 Train: An Immigrant Journey. (Third World Newsreel, 1999) Call # VC 305.8 S
Each day 500,000 people from 117 different countries ride the #7 subway train that runs from Flushing to Times Square, going through Queens, the most ethnically diverse region in the United States. This is a documentary of three immigrant groups that ride this train: Korean Americans, Otavalo Indians, and Pakistan Americans.
SubwayCity. (Filmakers Library, 1992) Call # VC 388.428 S
An exploration of the underground world and subculture that exists in the New York City subway system. The film focuses on those people who work in the subway, those who live there, and those who use the subway for transportation.
Subway: The Empire Beneath New York’s Streets. (A&E Home Video, 1994) Call # VC 388.428 S
Story of the largest subway system in the world and what makes it work. Includes a look underground at the technology, construction, and information on experimental cars.
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Corr, Christopher (illustrator). My Travel Journal: A World of Activities. (Mudpuppy Press, 2005)
Actually a spiral-bound travel journal for kids, this book contains lots of great activities to spark ideas for your transportation-themed study. Franco, Betsy. Thematic Poetry: Transportation: More than 30 Perfect Poems with Instant Activities to Enrich Your Lessons, Build Literacy, and Celebrate the Joy of Poetry. (Scholastic) Grades Pre-K – 2
Levy, Matthys, and Richard Panchyk. Engineering the City: How Infrastructure Works. (Chicago Review Press, 2000)
Complicated engineering principles are made simple in this book filled with explanations and experiments on topics including transportation, bridges, landfill, electricity, and pollution. Salvadori, Mario. The Art of Construction: Projects and Principles for Beginning Engineers and Architects. (Chicago Review Press, 1990)
Explains how buildings, stadiums, and bridges are built, and how to build models of such structures using simple materials. Transportation: The Best of The Mailbox Theme Series. (The Education Center, 2000) Grades Pre-K – K
Terrific Transportation. (Carson Dellosa) Grades Pre-K – K
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Public Transportation in New York City
Public Transportation Elsewhere
http://www.transtats.bts.gov/ (Bureau of Transportation Statistics)
http://chnm.gmu.edu/metro (Washington DC)
http://www.chicago-l.org/history (Chicago)
http://www.cablecarmuseum.org/ (San Francisco)
http://www.ltmuseum.co.uk/ (London)
Bridges & Tunnels
Lesson Plans and Teaching Ideas
Pre-K – 2
Grades 3 – 5
Grades 6 & Up
National Register of Historic Places [ back to top ]
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