George M. Guignino
OBJECTIVE:
This lesson could be used to begin the unit on the Farmington Canal. Students give very little thought to the importance of transportation today. By comparing today’s methods of transportation with those of the early 1800s students can develop an appreciation and an understanding of the need for an adequate system of transportation.
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1. Write the word TRANSPORTATION on the board and ask the class to define it. Decide on a class definition.
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2. Next have students make two columns on a piece of paper. They should label one column
Transportation
1820
and the other column
Transportation
1981
. Have the students make a list of the kinds of transportation available during the year 1820 and today. Make a master list on the board. Then ask the students to explain the major routes of transportation used by the various methods they have listed.
SAMPLE LIST:
Your list should look something like the one below.
TRANSPORTATION
1820
|
TRANSPORTATION
1981
|
walking
|
|
motorcycles
|
stagecoaches
|
use roads
|
bikes
|
wagons
|
|
walking
|
use
roads
|
horses/mules
|
|
cars
|
oxen
|
|
trucks
|
|
|
bus
|
steamboats
|
use water
|
sailing ships
|
|
trains
|
rafts
|
|
subways
|
use
railways
|
|
|
airplanes
|
|
|
helicopters
|
air
travel
|
|
|
boats/ships
|
use
water
|
note
: railroads should not be included in the 1820 list because they did not become important until after the 1830s.
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3. You could ask students to compare the roads of the 1820s with our roads today. See what kinds of impressions they have about early roads.
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4. Using the list have students attempt to describe the difficulties of traveling in the 1800s. Ask them to describe what traveling by horse and wagon must have been like.
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Types of
responses
:
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time consuming/slower than today difficult to move heavy materials affected by the seasons could not go great distances easily problem with night travel
|
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5. Have students write a short essay on what their life would be like without the family car.
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6. Have students discuss why transportation has an affect on the price of things that we buy.
(example: an increase in the price of gasoline affects
the price of items transported by truck.)