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: Secondary School
Time Needed: 90 minutes
Objectives
• Explain ways in which geographic factors influenced the development of ancient Egypt and the city of Chicago.
• Document and explain ways in which the Chicago River and the city of Chicago have been changed by natural and human factors.
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.
• Document environmental issues pertinent to the Chicago 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.
Step 3: Have students do research in the library or online on primary source accounts of the importance of each river to its respective time and place. Students should keep in mind that Egyptian accounts may come in visual as well as textual form. Students should then share their findings with the class. Have students look for accounts of changes in the Chicago River today (new river walls, etc.).
Goals
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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