Erie Canal
What a treat to have the Colorado TAH Expedition take us on a tour of the Panama Canal. Beautiful scenery, great company, super guide….studying history can’t get much better than this…..
Seriously, we had the opportunity to take an excursion down the Erie Canal (friends from FL don’t get excited that there’s something interesting back home now!! NO CANAL FOLKS!). It was absolutely beautiful and a great learning opportunity for me as a teacher.
Waterway
I have always believed that the best teacher is the most willing student….ok , mostly willing! During our 7th grade Spanish American War and American Imperialism Unit we look at the building of the Panama Canal (Yea….TR again! The man is quickly becoming a favorite!). I’ve generally done the usual discussion of “how it works” with some Youtube video of the canal. But now……NOW…….I’ve done it and seen how it works! Now my mind races to figure out a way to recreate it in Pueblo West! My hallway, once again, may become the focal point for drawings & schematics for this wonderful technology. This will also be a great discussion to remind the students of the distance that technology took since the early days of the Erie Canal where the boats were pulled by horse through the course. Horses to the steamships of the early 20th Century: what a cool way to tie in 2 years of curriculum for review!
And, to Matt, Jonathan and Scott: I can’t believe the Panama version could have been much more beautiful.
I have to admit- you had me going about the Panama Canal, and I was thinking….”Boy! you must REALLY be tired!” I totally agree about the experience of the lock- that made it soooo much more clear about how they really work. It will be interesting to see how much better we can explain it now……pictures we took oursleves should help.
Connie
That was good, huh!!?? But it’s like GEttysburg or anywhere we go, It makes it so much better to have seen the actual working “thing”! Have a great evening…tomorrow – TAHITI!! LOL
Seeing the canal in action was valuable. This can be fit into showing the technological advances that revolutionized the country in this period. I just started reading it, but the book “What God Hath Wrought” cover this period well. I was interested in it and Matt highly recommended it.