The Greatest Lakes:
the Heart of the Continent
Great Lakes Hypermap

 

The lessons of this unit are built around a theme of life around the greatest inland seas in the world. The Great Lakes are the focal point of the North American continent. They are a center of industry, culture, and transportation in both the United States and Canada. The five lessons in this unit celebrate this great gift of the last ice age. 

Choose the lessons by clicking on the hyperlinks below or on the image above.

Table of Contents

1. Language Arts: "By the Shores of Gitchee Gumee": Analysis of Longfellow's epic poem about Native American people of the Lakes.

2. Social Studies: Freedom Trails North: A study of the Underground Railroad in the Great Lakes Country. Why there? 

3. Science: Can the Lakes Survive Us? A study of the ecology of the lakes and the problems they face in the 21st century.

4. Math: Who Uses the Lakes? Measuring the practicality of shipping goods on the Great Lakes. 

5. Music: "The Lake, It is Said, Never Gives up Her Dead": A lesson about the Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald and Gordon Lightfoot's classic song.



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