Drexel-SDP GK-12 ACTIVITY
Subject areas: physical science, life science (Landforms, Environments)
Unit title: Exploring Engineering with SimCity 4
Activity title: Carving Canals! (Activity 1 of 3)
Grade level: 6
Time required: two 60 minute lessons
Keywords: canal, Civil engineering, mapping, cartography, terrain
Educational standards:
3.1.7B, 3.1.7D, 3.2.7B, 3.3.7D, 3.5.7A, 3.6.7B, 3.8.7C, 4.6…A, 4.7.7A, 4.7.7B
Concept/Vocabulary
Students will use simulation software to construct a canal landform, and will consider its impact on
the environment. Students should be familiar with the basic vocabulary used in this activity from
their FOSS kit materials and from class discussion. They will likely need to do online research to
investigate the meanings of the advanced vocabulary.
Basic:
•
•
•
•
•
Civil engineering
canal
canyon
terrain
elevation
Advanced:
• simulation
• isometric projection
• terraforming
• isthmus
Objectives
Students will…
• use SimCity 4 software to explore and develop landform and environment concepts.
• describe scale as a form of ratio and apply it to a life situation
• construct a canal across a piece of simulated terrain.
• consider the various influences and consequences of canal building (i.e. from ecological or
economical perspectives).
Materials
These activities require SimCity 4 software, published by Electronic Arts/Aspyr. This software
requires a fairly new machine to run well. The following system requirements should be thought of
as bare minimums.
The Deluxe Edition PC version can be found on Amazon.com for $14.99 (as of 06/05/07).
System Requirements:
• Windows XP/Me/2000/98 (Windows 95/NT not supported)
• 500 MHz processor (1 GHz or higher recommended)
• 128 MB RAM (256 MB or more recommended)
• 1 GB free hard disk space, plus space for saved games and Windows swap file
• 16 MB video card (32 MB recommended)
• 8x CD or DVD drive
The Deluxe Edition Mac version can be found on Amazon.com for $49.99 (as of 06/05/07).
System Requirements:
• Mac OS X 10.2.8 or later
• PowerPC G4 processor 700 MHz or higher, any G5 processor, any Intel processor
• 256 MB RAM or more
• 2.0 GB free hard disk space
• 32 MB video memory or more
• DVD drive
** for newer Mac machines with Intel processors, download the “Universal Update” found on the
Aspyr website: http://www.aspyr.com/product/info/23 **
INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES
This activity serves as the foundation and introduction to the SimCity 4 interface. Students will
learn the fundamentals of interacting with and manipulating the simulated terrain. By following the
step-by-step instructions in small teams, the students will practice the software skills needed for later
SimCity 4 activities.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR TEACHERS
Activity 1: CARVING CANALS
• After launching the game, the students will encounter the Region View. This is a map of a large
area of land/water, divided into smaller square-shaped areas. These squares may be developed
into individual towns and cities.
• For this activity, it is best if students can find a piece of land that has water on at least two sides.
They will be carving a canal from one shore to the other. This is meant as an introduction to
terraforming, the artificial alteration of the natural environment.
In the Region View, students
can select a square to develop
into a city.
After selecting the desired piece
of land and clicking it, students
should press the Play This City
button to begin.
• When the selected parcel of land has loaded, the students will be presented with a zoomed-in
isometric projection view of their future city. They should practice using the Zoom In and Zoom
Out commands, located in the lower left corner of the screen, to change the magnification level.
They may also wish to use the Rotate Clockwise and Rotate Counterclockwise commands to
change the orientation of the land plot.
Students should practice
zooming in and out, using the +
and – buttons. These
commands are very important
in the next step!
• At this point, they can freely experiment with the Terraform tools (Make Mountains, Gouge
Valleys, Level Terrain, Seed Forests, and Create Fauna) and the Terrain Effects tools
(Erode, Smooth, Raise Terrain Level, and Lower Terrain Level). These tools are found by
clicking the tree and cloud icons at the left of the screen. We will be making use of the Terraform
tools first.
The Terraform and Terrain Effects tools are
accessed with these buttons. Using the
Terraform commands, students can recreate
many different types of familiar landforms, such
as canyons, plateaus, hills, mountains, planes,
riverbeds, and more. By using the Zoom
In/Zoom Out commands, they can control how
large an area is affected by the Terraform
“paintbrush.”
Activity 1 Skills Practice
• First, we want to populate our land with
some animals. Select the Terraform
(tree) tool, then click the Create Fauna
button and select one of the types of
animals. Using the tool like a paintbrush,
spread some animals over the map. You
may need to use the Zoom In button to
see the animals running around.
• Using the skills learned at this point,
student should be able to carve out a
riverbed across their land. Instruct them
to again select the Terraform (tree) tool
button, then choose the Gouge Valleys
button, and finally select the Canyon
option. If we make the canyon deep
enough, it will be below “sea level” and
will fill with water.
• The size of the Canyon paintbrush will
depend on the level of magnification
currently in use. Have the students
adjust the map magnification using the
Zoom In/Zoom Out commands until
they can carve out a river of the desired
width. With the Canyon tool selected,
students will need to click and hold on
the map until the canyon depth has gone
down enough to find water. Instruct the students to cut their landmass into two pieces by creating
a river through it.
In the image above, the size of
the Canyon tool brush would
produce a river wider than we
might desire.
Using the Zoom In control, we can
make the map features larger relative
to the Canyon brush, resulting in a
narrower riverbed.
• If we adjust the magnification
with the Zoom Out command to observe the entire area, we see that we have cut the original
landmass in two pieces with the river.
• The following page may be printed out and distributed to students for assessment purposes. In
the Discussion portion of the exercise, students will talk with their groups about the potential
benefits and downfalls of their new canals.
• When discussing the benefits of the canals, students should recognize that they have created a
shortcut for ships passing through. The ships can transport their cargo faster, and the owner of
the canal can charge a fee to vessels as they pass through.
• Students should also realize the potential negative
consequences of the canal’s construction. They have been
prompted to think about the effect on the local ecosystem.
Animals’ migration routes might be disrupted, and their
habitats might be diminished. They might be cut off from a
food source on the other side of the channel, upsetting the
food chain. Pollution from the construction of the channel
and subsequent traffic and development around it might put
stress on the local ecosystems.
•
Students can also do some research outside of class on the construction of the Panama Canal. In
doing so, they should attain a better understanding of the role of civil engineering in this type of
project, along with the influence and effect of natural, economic, social and political factors.
Assessment: A handout with assessment questions is attached on the following page.
Owner: Drexel University GK-12 program, Engineering as a Contextual Vehicle for Science and
Mathematics Education, supported in part by National Science Foundation Award No. DGE-0538476
Author: Matthew D. Cathell
Copyright: Copyright 2007 by Matthew D. Cathell
• Name ______________________________________________ Date _____________
CARVING CANALS!
DISCUSSION
We have just created our first human-made river (or channel)
across the land. This is an example of the kind of work a civil
engineer might do.
Just think – ships will be able to pass through our channel
instead of sailing all the way around the tip of the land. How is
this an advantage to the ships? How might it be an advantage to
us (the diggers and owners of the channel)?
But wait! What about the animals that used to
roam free across the unbroken forests and plains?
Now they have a river in their way! I think I just
saw some elephants go splashing down into our
new river. I hope they make it across!
How might our channel affect the plants and
animals that inhabit our land? What might be the
consequences of cutting the land in two?
FURTHER INVESTIGATION
We could think of this human-constructed river as a canal. The construction of the Panama
Canal across the Isthmus of Panama was one of the great civil engineering feats of its time, and
is an amazing accomplishment even today. Do some research into the construction of the Panama
Canal, and pay special attention to the methods used to carve out the land and the challenges of the
process.
Answer the following questions in your science notebook:
1. Where is Panama, and what in the world does “isthmus” mean?
2. When was the canal started, and how long did it take to finish?
3. How exactly was the canal dug? What were the hardships involved? How many people
were involved?
4. Write three pros and three cons about the Panama Canal. You might find some in your
reading, or you might think of them on your own.