Lesson plan based on Model Boat
Use timelines to research, compare, and illustrate the impact and influence of the Nile and Chicago rivers on the development of ancient Egypt and the city of Chicago.
Skills and Focus: Hands-on, Cultural Comparisons, Geography, Writing
Subject Area: Social Science
Thematic Connection: Geography, Comparing Cultures
Grade Level: Middle School
Time Needed: 90 minutes
Objective
• Explain ways in which geographic factors influenced the development of ancient Egypt and the city of Chicago.
Instructional Materials Needed
Story: Boats in Ancient Egypt
18 x 24-inch poster board (one for each student pair)
Online resources:
• Information about the Chicago River (Friends of the Chicago River):
http://www.chicagoriver.org/cr/
• Images of Chicago from Chicago Historical Society:
http://www.chicagohistory.org/index2.html
• Other Chicago historical links to images:
http://www.suba.com/~scottn/explore/links/links2.htm
Print Resource:
• Mayer, Harold and Richard Wade. Chicago: Growth of a Metropolis. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1969.
Activity
Step 1: Divide students into two-person groups. Each group will use the above resources to:
• research the impact of the Nile on the development of ancient Egypt.
• research the impact of the Chicago River on the development of Chicago.
• compare the two rivers and their respective importance to each region.
• document key events in the development of each region that occurred specifically as a result of the existence of each respective river.
Step 2: Ask each group to use the poster board to create two timelines documenting each region’s development and progress thanks to their life-giving rivers. To illustrate each timeline, have students use images from Cleopatra and from the online resources about Chicago. Display the timelines in the class.
Goals
This activity meets Illinois State Goal 16: Understand and analyze events, trends, individuals, and movements shaping the history of Illinois, the United States, and other nations.
This activity meets Illinois State Goal 17: Demonstrate a knowledge of world geography, as well as an understanding of the effects of geography on society, with an emphasis on the United States.
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