The Panama Canal

http://edweb.sdsu.edu/triton/Units/put.the.URL.here.html
by
Mary Jewell

Introduction

This unit was developed by Mary Jewell, a teacher at Memorial Academy Charter School in the San Diego Unified School District's Triton Project, a Challenge Grant funded by the U. S. Department of Education.

In this unit, students will research the geography, structure, and history of the Panama Canal, focusing on the US role in the Canal. They will also investigate the marine life on both sides of the Canal, camparing and contrasting as appropriate. Ultimately, students will create a group Hyperstudio stack or ClarisWorks presentation justifying or criticizing a proposed enlargement of the Canal.

Content Areas and Grades

This is an interdisciplinary unit designed for 8th grade Spanish Language Arts and Social Studies. This unit could easily be modified to fit other grade levels, if necessary.

Guiding Questions

The following basic questions guide the studies in the unit :

What, and where, is the Panama Canal ?

What happens in the Panama Canal ?

What is the history of the Canal ?

How is the Canal important to us ?

What have the effects of the canal been on the ocean life on both sides of Panama?

Would an enlargement of the canal be positive ?

Goals, Objectives, and Curriculum Standards

At Memorial, we strive to help our students achieve the performance standards outlined in the New Standards guidelines. Through participation in this project, students will meet the following standards in Language Arts:

Independently use appropriate conventions of language

Respond to written works using interpretive, critical, and evaluative processes

In addition to achieving these standards, students will also develop many real world thinking and problem solving skills, such as :

Implementation Overview

This lesson is part of a long term (several weeks), interdisciplinary study of the period just after the turn of the century (1900-1914) of US History. Students will conduct research on the Panama Canal, study the marine life native to both sides of the isthmus, and assess the positive and negative aspects of a proposed enlargement of the canal.

Material Resources Needed

Enough computers with Internet access (Mac or IBM) so that students can complete research assignments on time

Enough copies of Hyperstudio, Hypercard, ClarisWorks, or other aurthoring software for classroom use.

E-mail account for contact with experts. Personal e-mail accounts for students is ideal.

Several books, encylopedias, CD-ROMS on Panama, the Panama Canal, ocean life of the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean, and US History of the canal period.

Human Resources Needed

One teacher can probably guide the class through these activities. However, the presence of parents and/or aides in the classroom would definitely be helpful, especially during the research and final project preparation phases. Contact, electronic or otherwise, with experts in the fields of oceanography, marine biology, geography, and politics would also be excellent. These contacts can be hard to locate and maintain, so enough time should be allowed for planning if these contacts are going to be made.

Entry Level Skills and Knowledge

Students should have basic knowledge of Hyperstudio and/or ClarisWorks. Effective skills for working in groups are also important. Internet search skills are helpful, although students can learn these as the unit progresses. Because some information may be in Spanish, at least one person in each group should speak Spanish.

Each teacher involved in this unit should have a general knowledge of the history, construction, and importance of the Panama Canal. The ability to speak, read, and write well in Spanish would also be helpful, as some information may be in Spanish. The teachers should also be proficient at using all of the required technologies.

Outline of Activities

The schedule of activities is divided into weeks. Activities and timetables can easily be modified to fit the needs of the teacher/classroom.


Project Overview	This page provides students with an overview of the entire project, gives links to other pages they'll need, and porvides some tips for successful completion of the project.
Weeks 1 and 2	Working in groups of two or three, students use the Internet and other resources in the classroom to research the geography, history, and construction of the Panama Canal. They also investigate the factors of the ocean relevant to the isthmus: ocean currents, temperature, depth, and marine life in both the Atlantic and Pacific sides.
Weeks 3 and 4	During this phase of the project, students analyze the scenario of a proposed major enlargement of the Canal. They must use their information on the environment of the Canal area and the politics of the region (especially the US interests) to determine whether the prosposed enlargement would be positive or negative
Weeks 5 and 6	Students use the final weeks of the unit to create and rehearse their presentations. These presentations must explain their views on the scenario, and the resoning behind these views.

Evaluation

At the basic level, the success of this unit can be demonstrated if students achieve the Social Studies standards listed above. Students can be graded according to their achievement of the standards. Less obviously, the progression of students' skills in working in groups and with advanced technology can also be considered successful. On the highest level, success can be achieved if students begin to assess the values and costs of manipulating the environment to meet our needs.

Conclusion

Throughout history, especially in recent times, people have manipulated the environment to meet their needs, often without considering the environemental effects of their actions. The creation of the Panama Canal was one of the biggest manipulations of the natural world ever undertaken. As the population of the planet increases and technology becomes more advanced, the tendency undoubtedly be toward further control of nature. However, we must evaluate the price of this manipulation, and decide if the costs outweight the benefits.