CONNECTIONS TO THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHY STANDARDS:
The geographically aware person knows…
Std. 1 - How to use maps and other geographic representations, tools, and technologies to acquire, process, and report information from a spatial perspective.
Std. 3 - How to analyze the spatial organization of people, places, and environments on Earth's surface.
Std. 12 - The processes, patterns, and functions of human settlement.
Std. 15 - How physical systems affect human systems.
Std. 17 - How to apply geography to interpret the past.

CONNECTIONS TO THE NEW YORK STATE STANDARDS FOR SOCIAL STUDIES:
Std. 1.1 - The study of New York State and United States history requires an analysis of the development of American culture, its diversity and multicultural context, and the ways people are unified by many values, practices, and traditions.
Std. 1.3 - Study about the major social, political, economic, cultural, and religious developments in New York State and United States history involves learning about the important roles and contri-butions of individuals and groups.
Std. 3.2 - Geography requires the development and application of the skills of asking and answering geographic questions; analyzing theories about geography; and acquiring, organizing, and analyzing geographic information.

OBJECTIVES: (to know, to do, and to be like)
1. Students will use primary sources to explain an historical event (i.e. justifying the construction of the Erie Canal.
2. Students will relate the physical geography of New York State to the success of the Erie Canal as an economic system.
3. They will describe some of the difficulties in the construction of the canal and how they were overcome.
4. Students will relate the growth of the Northeast, both economically and culturally,  to inexpensive travel on the Erie Canal.

MATERIALS:
Activity worksheet in pdf format,  excerpts from Genesee Messenger, satellite image from NASA's Visible Earth showing New York from space, map of the Erie Canal, ARGUS CD-ROM (for information about ordering CLICK HERE), reading selections on the construction and impact of the Erie Canal (The Erie Canal: the Ditch that Opened a Nation by Dan Murphy), and another short article from the New York Canal System.

PROCEDURES:
1. Review with students the differences between primary and secondary sources.
2. Have students read the article written by Jesse Hawley (a.k.a. "Hercules") in the Genesee Messenger. Answer questions about this primary source.
3. Discuss why many New Yorkers were opposed to building the Erie Canal, and how this opposition was overcome.
4. Have students look at the satellite image of New York from space. There are 12 physical features that they should identify using atlases for assistance.
5. See if they can trace the route of the canal from Albany to the western edge of the photo. Can they explain why the engineers chose this route?
6. Have students read the selection on the construction of the canal. Several problem spots are listed (Montezuma swamp, Lockport, crossing the Irondequoit Valley, etc.). They should be able to locate these trouble spots on  a canal map. On the chart on the worksheet, they identify what the problem was, and how it was overcome.
7. After the Erie Canal was opened, other states tried to compete. Use the ARGUS CD-ROM to show students why the Erie Canal was successful, while the Pennsylvania Canal was not. Emphasize the lack of a mountain barriers in New York as the primary reason.
8. Give the students the reading selections on the impact of the canal. On their worksheet, they should fill in the chart, giving both positive and negative examples (i.e. population growth, cheaper transportation of goods, spread of ideas, spread of disease and crime.)
9. Have the students look at the two Functional Distance maps in their packet. Have them define functional distance. They should be able to explain why it increased greatly once the Erie Canal was opened.
10. As a wrap-up activity, ask the students to give their theory on why the canal is not economically important in modern times, although it is still used for recreational purposes.

SUGGESTED STUDENT ASSESSMENT
1. The worksheet should be assessed for accuracy of information.
2. Suppose that Massachusetts wanted to build a canal connecting Boston to Albany. Ask students to describe what problems they would have in constructing such a waterway.
3. Have students look at a night photograph of New York. Can they explain why most of the people live along the "L" shape from Buffalo to Albany to New York City?

ADAPTATIONS AND EXTENSIONS:
1. The science lesson discusses the role of glaciers in modifying the landscape of the Northeast. Relate this to the practicality of building a canal in New York and nowhere else.
2. Have students visit the official Erie Canal website (http://www.canals.state.ny.us/ ). Have them find the elevations of all the locks on the canal. Then they can construct a profile of the canal.
3. Railroads, interstate highways, and air travel have all impacted the growth of the United States. Discuss their impact on the development of the West.
 

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