Participant Name(s): Deborah Bleibtreu

The Last Great Canal

Curriculum Project

Unit/Lesson Title  Past and Present Transportation - canals

Intended Grade Level First

Approximate length 3 days

Applicable Standards

Topic & Core Standard: NJCCCS 6.1

·        Explain the concepts of long ago and far away.

·        Apply terms related to time including past, present, and future.

·        Retell events or stories with accuracy and appropriate sequencing.

Goals/Objectives

 

Low Level: The students will be able to….

·            Recall various modes of present day modes of transportation.

·            Recall various modes of past modes of transportation.

 

High Level: The students will be able to….

·            Compare present day modes of transportation to their past counterparts.

·            Identify their differences and similarities.

·            Identify past modes of transportation (canals) and why they are no longer in use.

 

Procedures

 

             I.      Beginning

1.      Motivate Interest

a.       Read story Cars and Trucks and Things That Go. Discuss the words “transportation”. What does it mean? What are some different forms of transportation?

b.      Read story The Erie Canal Pirates.

o        Have you ever heard of the Erie Canal before?

o        What kind of canal is this and is it still used today?

o        What was Captain Flynn’s goal for his crew and their cargo?

o        Why would pirates pick on a lowly ship filled with mail when they usually didn’t know how to read?

o        How did Captain Flynn finally overcome the dastardly Bill McGrew and his pirate crew?

c.        Sing the song The Erie Canal Pirates.

o        Tune can be found at http://www.americanmelody.com/music.htm

 

 

b.      Middle

1.      Factual Knowledge

Read book Amazing Impossible Erie Canal by Cheryl Harness. The book explains that team members are proud of each other, that each one is part of a whole, that teamwork makes the job easier and gets it done.

 

2.      Visualization

Create an Erie Canal barge

·         Challenge children to make barges out of craft sticks, glue, tape, string to see if they will really float.

·         After they have constructed their barges, tie string to the front of them and pull through a shallow container of water.

·         Do they still float? Are they swamped with water?   

 

3.      Lower/Higher Order Questions (Bloom’s Taxonomy)

Recall: What materials did you use to create your barge of your canal barge?

Describe: How did you design and craft your barge?

Apply: If your barge did not float or leaked, what could you do to correct it?

Compare: How did you barge compare to others made in the class?

Predict: What may have happened had you not tested (and repaired) your barge prior to it being used on the canal?

Judge: How did it make you feel to create a working barge? Explain why.

c.       End

1.      Practice Skills/Learning Centers:

Art Center: Make a poster with depicting a part of the story The Erie Canal Pirates or Amazing Impossible Erie Canal. NJCCCS 1.2D1

Writing Center: Complete a Venn Diagram comparing and contrasting your barge to those that were actually used in the past.. NJCCCS 6.1A4, 3.5A5

Listening Center: Listen to The Erie Canal Pirates or Erie Canal: Canoeing America's Great Waterway. Identify you favorite part of the story. NJCCCS 3.4A3

Library Center: Reread The Erie Canal Pirates or Erie Canal: Canoeing America's Great Waterway. NJCCCS 3.1D2

Computer Center: Using KidPix, re-create your favorite part of The Erie Canal Pirates or Erie Canal: Canoeing America's Great Waterway, or the barge making project. Explain why. NJCCCS 3.2A10

Math Center:

Low: Illustrate a completed number sentence (addition) by using characters from The Erie Canal Pirates. NJCCCS 4.1A1, A3

High: Draw, then write, a number story (addition or subtraction) in relation to either The Erie Canal Pirates or Erie Canal: Canoeing America's Great Waterway our barge making project. NJCCCS 4.1A1, A3

 

Materials: (handouts, worksheets, equipment, etc.)

          II.       Materials Used:

A.     For motivating interest:

·         Cars and Trucks and Things That Go by Richard Scarry

·         The Erie Canal Pirates by Eric A. Kimmel

·         Website http://www.americanmelody.com/music.htm

B.     For expert information:

·  Amazing Impossible Erie Canal  by Cheryl Harness

·  Erie Canal: Canoeing America's Great Waterway by Peter Lourie

·  Canal boat making project

C.     For Centers:

·         Art: Crayons, construction paper

·         Writing: Venn Diagram graphic organizer (www.enchantedlearning.com)

·         Listening: Tapes/Books The Erie Canal Pirates

·         Library: Copies of books The Erie Canal Pirates, Erie Canal: Canoeing America's Great Waterway, and Amazing Impossible Erie Canal

·         Computer: KidPix installed on all computers

·        Math: pre-made number sentence, construction paper 

 

Resources (traditional & electronic)

Children’s Literature:

·  Fictional:

a.       Scarry, Richard 1998. Cars and Trucks and Things That Go. Golden Books

b.      Kimmel, Eric A. 2002. The Erie Canal Pirates. Holiday House

·  Nonfictional:

a.       Harness, Cheryl 1999. Amazing Impossible Erie Canal. Aladdin Picture Books.

b.      Lourie, Peter 1996. Erie Canal: Canoeing America's Great Waterway. Boyds Mills Press.

 

Websites:

http://www.canals.state.ny.us/cculture/classroom/

Assessment(s)

Performance Task: Observation. While children are working on creating and modifying their canal barges, teacher will observe what they are creating/modifying and ask them to explain their reasons.

 

Sample of observation form (for Performance Task)

 

Child’s name: Rachel     Observer’s Name: D. Bleibtreu                       Date: 11/1/05

 

Task: While children are working on creating and modifying their canal barges, teacher will observe what they are creating/ modifying and ask them to explain their reasons.

 

Notes: I observed Rachel attempting to float her barge in the classroom water table. It was not floating. I approached her and prompted her to discover what the cause of the malfunction might be. After attempting to float the barge on several sides, Rachel came to the conclusion that the bottom of her barge had many gaps between the craft sticks. She then returned to her desk, added more sticks, and returning to the water table, successfully floated her barge.