THE CANADIAN ATLAS ONLINE www.canadiangeographic.ca/atlas SASKATCHEWAN – GRADES 6-8 Shipping Grain from Saskatchewan to the Atlantic Lesson Overview: In this lesson, students will learn about the significant role the St. Lawrence Seaway plays in transporting goods from western Canada to the east coast of North America and beyond. They will compare and contrast several of the environmental advantages to using shipping as compared to other modes of transportation, namely via truck and rail. Grade Level: Grades 6-8 (middle school) Time Required: Teachers should be able to conduct the lesson in one class. Curriculum Connection (Province/Territory and course): Saskatchewan Social Studies (Grade 6 – Maps and the Earth, Location and Atlases; Grade 8 – Causality, examining cause and effect). Link to the Canadian Atlas Online (CAOL): www.canadiangeographic.ca/atlas/ Additional Resources, Materials and Equipment Required: “From the Prairies to the Atlantic” student handout, one per student. Outline map of Canada, one per student. Student atlases (hard copy or online). Main Objective: The primary goal of this lesson is to examine the process in which goods are transported (in this case, grain) using a variety of transportation modes, trucks, rail and ships. The economic value of reducing fuel consumption is examined with the direct benefits to the environment. Learning Outcomes: By the end of the lesson, students will be able to: Identify the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway on a map and trace the route of a shipment of grain from a Saskatchewan farm to the port of Montreal. Compare and contrast the three modes of transportation noting both the economic and environmental advantages and limitations of each. Appreciate the costs involved in the transportation of goods and how this may affect the consumer. THE CANADIAN ATLAS ONLINE www.canadiangeographic.ca/atlas SASKATCHEWAN – GRADES 6-8 The Lesson: Development Introduction How will the lesson open? Teacher Activity Introduce the concept of the global economy by examining where common goods are manufactured. Have students work in small groups of 2 or 3 to make a list of 10 items they have with them (clothing, school supplies, electronic devices, etc) and identify where those were manufactured. Using an atlas, have students identify which item had to travel the furthest to reach the Canadian market. Ask the class to hypothesize how these items were shipped to Canada and then to a store in your town/city. Note: the vast majority of items that have been imported from overseas arrived in Canada in a container on board a ship. This is the most economical mode of transportation over vast distances. Depending on the location of your home community the item was then transported by rail and/or truck. Student Activity Students will form small groups as instructed by the teacher. On one sheet of paper they will list any 10 items and the country of origin. With the aid of an atlas (or map of the world) identify which item had to travel the farthest to reach their classroom. Have each group report this item and country of origin to the class. THE CANADIAN ATLAS ONLINE www.canadiangeographic.ca/atlas Lesson Development Detail point by point how the lesson will develop by student and teacher activity. SASKATCHEWAN – GRADES 6-8 Students are to be divided into new groupings of 2 or 3 (or remain in the same groups). Pass out the handout “From the Prairies to the East Coast”. Have a student read the introductory paragraph to the class. Go over the instructions for the activity. Ask for any questions. Monitor the progress of each group by circulating around the room. Provide assistance where necessary. Conclusion How will the lesson conclude? What final product or culminating activity is expected? Students are to do the activity following the instructions on the handout “From the Prairies to the East Coast”. (Though working together as a group, each student will be responsible to fill out his/her activity sheet). After completing all the questions, have each member of your group conclude which method of transportation is best for the economy and environment. Have each group identify which mode of transportation is best for the economy and environment. Ask and discuss the following as a class (option – discuss the four questions from the handout): 1. What is the main reason why it is cheaper to transport goods by ship than by any other mode of transportation? 2. Why is this beneficial to the environment? 3. Were any surprised that grain travels further by ship within Canada than by both rail and road combined? Assessment of Student Learning: Students will be assessed through their participation in classroom discussion, specifically in their small groups. Each student will be required to answer the questions at the bottom of the handout, which can be checked by the teacher to make sure the concepts were clearly understood. THE CANADIAN ATLAS ONLINE www.canadiangeographic.ca/atlas SASKATCHEWAN – GRADES 6-8 Further Reading and Additional Resources: Hwy H2O, The Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway System, published by The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation. Website: www.hwyh2o.com/ -this is an excellent resource explaining the advantages to using the Great Lakes and the Seaway. http://www.greatlakes-seaway.com/en/navigating/map/index.html Interactive map of the Great Lakes / St. Lawrence Seaway showing the location of current ships, names and locations of the locks and of both Canadian and American ports. It also displays details of each ship within the system. Tommy Trent's ABC's of the Seaway, published by The St. Lawrence Seaway Authority, 1988. For copies, call 613-932-5170. An excellent booklet that explains many details about the Seaway and the ships that travel on it. Seaway Locks: A 600-Foot Climb in 16 Steps http://graphics2.jsonline.com/graphics/news/img/nov05/LOCKS01.pdf -- this graphic displays the route from Montreal to Lake Superior describing the lock mechanisms to rise from sea-level to the level of Lake Superior. (Note: the units are imperial thus students will need to convert to metric). Link to Canadian National Geography Standards: Essential Element #1: The World in Spatial Terms Distribution of major human and physical features at country and global scales Map types (e.g. topographic, navigational, thematic) Major cities of the province, Canada and the world Essential Element #2: Places and Regions Physical and human characteristics of places and regions in Canada and the world Factors that influence people’s perception of places and regions Concepts of formal, functional and perceptual regions Essential Element #3: Physical Systems River systems of Canada and the world Essential Element #4: Human systems Cities as providers of goods and services Essential Element #5: Environment and Society Limits and opportunities of the physical environment for human activities Geographic Skill #1: Asking Geographic Questions Identify geographic issues, define geographic problems, and pose geographic questions Plan how to answer geographic questions Geographic Skill #2: Acquiring Geographic Skills Use maps to collect and/or compile geographic information. Geographic Skill #3: Organizing Geographic Information Prepare various forms of maps as a means of organizing geographic information. Integrate various types of materials to organize geographic information. THE CANADIAN ATLAS ONLINE www.canadiangeographic.ca/atlas SASKATCHEWAN – GRADES 6-8 Geographic Skill #4: Analyzing Geographic Information Interpret information obtained from maps, aerial photographs, satellite-produced images and geographic information systems Use statistics and other quantitative techniques to evaluate geographic information Interpret and synthesize information obtained from a variety of sources – graphs, charts, tables, diagrams, texts, photographs, documents and interviews. Geographic Skill #5: Answering Geographic Questions Make generalizations and assess their validity THE CANADIAN ATLAS ONLINE www.canadiangeographic.ca/atlas SASKATCHEWAN – GRADES 6-8 Handout: From the Prairies to the East Coast Background: Many of the items we encounter everyday were made in countries on the other side of the globe, thousands of kilometres away. How do these goods travel such long distances and which forms of transportation were used to get them from where they are made to our home community? How much does it cost us as consumers to pay for transporting these items? What effect do these forms of transportation have on the environment? The activity that you will be doing today examines parts of these questions. Your team will be responsible for getting a shipment of 10 tons of grain from a farm in Saskatchewan to a grain elevator in the port of Montreal. The farm is located 10 km from Davidson, SK where the grain is to be delivered by truck. It will then be shipped by train to Thunder Bay, ON, where it will be loaded on board a ship bound for Montreal, QC. By filling out the table below you will not only find out which method of transportation is most economical (the cheapest way to ship your grain) but which is best for the environment. Directions: 1. Locate Davidson, SK on a map using an atlas or the internet. 2. Using a map, trace the route from Davidson to Regina to Thunder Bay (by rail) and from Thunder Bay to Montreal, QC (by ship). 3. Answer the questions at the bottom of the page. From/To Distance Mode of Transportation Total Fuel Consumption per 10 tonnes* Litres of fuel per 100km (litres/100km)* Farm to Davidson, SK 10km Truck 5 litres 50 litres/100km Davidson to Regina, SK 100km Train 15 litres 15 litres/100km Regina, SK to Thunder Bay, ON 1286km Train Thunder Bay, ON to Montreal, QC 1062 nautical miles = 1967km Ship 192.9 litres 98.4 litres 15 litres/100km 5 litres/100km *These amounts are approximate as numerous factors can affect the actual fuel consumption (such as road and weather conditions). Generally, on a single litre of fuel, one tonne of freight can travel 240 km by ship. By train, the distance drops to less than 100 km and by truck, to less than 30 km. THE CANADIAN ATLAS ONLINE www.canadiangeographic.ca/atlas SASKATCHEWAN – GRADES 6-8 Questions: 1. From the above chart: a. Which mode of transportation consumes the least amount of fuel? b. List at least three possible reasons to explain why this is the case. 2. In what ways would shipping be helpful to the environment? Are there any other advantages? 3. What other materials can be conveniently transported by ship? 4. When would it be better to transport items by truck? By train?