The D & H Canal
Suggested Teaching Instructions
Title: The D & H Canal
Overview:
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The Delaware and Hudson Canal was the first venture of the Delaware and Hudson Canal Company, which would later build the Delaware and Hudson Railway.
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Between 1828 and 1899, the canal's barges carried anthracite coal from the mines of Northeastern Pennsylvania to the Hudson River and thence to market in New York City.
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The D & H canal is one of the engineering marvels of the Industrial Revolution that transformed commerce and trade in the United States.
Goal:
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Students will evaluate the role of the D & H Canal in establishing interstate commerce, as well as being a springboard for other advances in technology and transportation.
Objectives:
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Students will examine the market revolution, including technological developments, the development of transportation networks, the growth of domestic industries, the increased demands for free and enslaved labor,
(New York State Framework 11.3a Standards: 1, 3, 4, 5; Themes: TCC, GEO, GOV, ECO, TECH)the changing role of women, and the rise of political democracy
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Students will examine how new technologies and economic models created rapid industrial growth and transformed the United States.
(New York State Framework 11.5a Standards: 1, 3, 4, 5; Themes: TCC, GEO, SOC, CIV, TECH)
Investigative (Compelling) Question:
In what ways were the major developments in transportation revolutionary between 1800 and 1860?
Time Required
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This lesson is designed for two 45 minute class periods
Recommended Grade Range
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This lesson is designed for eighth grade students
Subject: Social Studies
Standards: This lesson is designed to meet New York State Standard 1:
History of the United States and New York
Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of major ideas, eras, themes, developments, and turning points in the history of the United States and New York.
Credits: Kimberly Cleary
Suffern High School
Social Studies Department Chairperson
PREPARATION
Materials Used:
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Teacher will have access to a smart board to project images on Google Slides during presentation
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Students will have hard copy/or digital copy of Handouts with readings
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Students will have assessment rubrics
PROCEDURE
Day 1 45 minute class period
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Teacher will open the lesson with a short Google Slides presentation on the era of canal building in US History (10 minutes)
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Students will then be shown two paintings
George Harvey’s Pittsford on the Erie Canal – A Sultry Calm, 1837 https://mag.rochester.edu/seeingAmerica/pdfs/6.pdf
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1IF2JPAghtYhU3HR9H6MmNTFHYmusoeBm1hwIcfCvDD4/edit
And On the towpath by E.L. Henry
https://www.canalmuseum.org/the-snubbing-post/in-her-words
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Investigate: Students will then be in small groups of 3. Each Groups will be asked to respond to the prompts on the worksheet
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Students will then work together to fill out the chart Students will share their discoveries with the whole class (30 minutes)
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1IF2JPAghtYhU3HR9H6MmNTFHYmusoeBm1hwIcfCvDD4/edit
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Exit Ticket (5 minutes)
Day 2 45 minutes
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Teachers will facilitate discussion reviewing what life was like during the time of canal building and translation to how it affected different groups(10 minutes)
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Investigate: Students will then be in small groups of 3. They will work together using the S.P.Y. Method on the three documents provided:
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https://docs.google.com/document/d/1MalW3DYFRXe8PAY0IdyhLmO7deGsgHr-ZM_MiFnCO5c/edit
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Exit Ticket (5minutes)