The Last Great American Canal

Curriculum Project

Participant Name: Joan Meehan

Unit/Lesson Title - Canals Across the Curriculum (Day 3 –Math – Money on the Canal)

Intended Grade - Level K/1 Approximate length - 40 minutes

Applicable Standards

16.A.1a Explain the difference between past, present and future times, place themselves in time.

7.A.1c Identify and describe the relative values and relationships among coins and solve addition and subtraction problems using currency.

10.B1c Analyze data, draw conclusions and communicate the results.

Goals/Objectives

· Students will develop an understanding of canal life from the perspective of canal participants.

· Students will be able to identify penny, nickel, dime and quarter.

· Students will be able to correctly give specific amount of coin to equal purchases.

Procedures

· Review/discuss previous canal lessons (vocabulary, how canals worked, canal boats, jobs and people of the canal)

· Discuss how “play-acting” or “re-enactment” can help us understand concepts.

· Introduce and model (through dialogue, props) lesson Money on the Canal: Today we will “become” some of the people we have heard about on the canal. You will each choose a character and we will re-enact the passage of a canal boat and its passengers, along with members of a canal town.

· Students will choose a piece of paper from a basket. This will name their character and job description:

o Captain – holds rope (other end held by canal boy) must pay toll to lock-tender and canal boy; is able to make purchases from town vendors.

o Canal boy – holds rope (other end held by Captain-explain that because we will not be using mules/horses, the Canal boy will simply lead the boat) will receive payment from Captain and is able to make purchase from town vendors.

o Passengers (Provide names for as many passengers as you need – one passenger will pick up and pay for mending done by the town’s seamstress/tailor at the lock – designate this on their paper)Passengers will follow the Captain (as boat “moves” down the canal); must pay Captain and is able to make purchases from town vendors.

o Lock tender – will receive toll from Captain and is able to make purchases from town vendors.

o Potato vendor – will meet boat at the lock and sell goods; is able to make purchases from other vendors

o Tailor – will meet boat at the lock and collect money from designated passenger for mending; is able to make purchases from other vendors.

o Egg vendor – will meet boat at the lock and sell goods; is able to make purchases from other vendors.

o (Additional vendors can be added as needed)

· Provide characters with appropriate props (listed in Resources)

· After review of each student’s character and job take the students into hallway where you have established a “canal”, including a lock tender’s house, a tow path, and the “water” of the canal.

· Lock-tender and vendors will position themselves at the end of the hallway at the lock-tender’s house.

· Captain will collect fees as passengers enter his “boat”.

· When all passengers are “aboard”, canal boy will pick up rope (handing the Captain the other end) and begin leading the “horse” down the tow-path; the Captain will follow, along with the passengers until they reach the locks

· The passengers will disembark the boat and make purchases from the vendors; the Captain will pay the toll to the lock tender and pay the canal boy; the Captain, canal boy and lock-tender will make purchases from the vendors.

· (Prices for items/services can vary, depending on the level of students’ skills).

· Return to classroom and discuss roles and money exchanges. (What if you were the Captain rather than a passenger/ a passenger rather than a vendor, etc – would you have more money at the end of the passage? What if you could exchange places with someone from the time – what job would you like?)

Materials

o 3” by 6” signs –looped with yarn and labeled with each character (Captain, Canal boy, Lock-tender, Passenger (by name) Potato vendor, Egg vendor, Seamstress/tailor.(to be worn around students’ neck-designating their role).

o Basket containing papers describing characters and jobs

o Coin containers and plastic coins labeled for each character (depending on the amounts of items/services)

o Rope

o Chart stand/chart paper labeled: I & M Canal

(this is Lock-tender’s house) Lock #8

Toll (amount)

o Vendor supplies

-burlap sack filled with potatoes labeled: Potatoes: 2 cents each

-long sleeve shirt (repaired by tailor/seamstress)

labeled: Bill for mending: 15 cents

-basket filled with plastic eggs labeled: Eggs: 3 cents each

o Optional –period clothing (hats, shawls,etc)

Resources

Prairie Tides: The Building of the Illinois & Michigan Canal (portions only)

The Erie Canal Illustrated by Peter Spier

Assessment(s)

	0	1	2
Coin knowledge	Unable to identify any coins	Able to identify at least two coins	Able to identify penny, nickel, dime and quarter
Coin usage	Unable to determine coins needed for any item/service	Able to determine some coins needed for item/service	Able to consistently determine coins needed for all interactions.
Knowledge of character/jobs	Unsure of character; did not provide item/service	Knew role of character but unable to provide item/service (or) Provided item/service but unsure of character role.	Provided item/service in role of character.