Locks, channels, canals! The St. Lawrence Seaway represents a long-standing cooperative spirit between two nations. Create a pop-up yacht to celebrate the Seaway’s success.

• 1.

  Read about the history of the St. Lawrence Seaway, the largest inland waterway in the world. Look at maps to find its location. Study illustrations to learn about the construction of the locks, channels, and canals.

• 2.

  The St. Lawrence Seaway was a joint project of the United States and Canada. It was completed in 1959 and was officially opened on June 26. England’s Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower, Canadian Prime Minister John G. Diefenbaker and his wife Olive, 50,000 spectators, and 5,000 official guests were there for the opening. After the ceremonies, the Queen and President boarded her yacht Britannia and passed through specially constructed gates to celebrate the symbolic opening of the waterway.

• 3.

  The St. Lawrence Seaway links the Atlantic Ocean and the St. Lawrence River to Lake Ontario and the four upper Great Lakes of North America. It extends from Montreal to Lake Erie. The waterway is open to navigation from late March to late December. It is 2,038 nautical miles (3,700 km) long. The Seaway is a system of canals, locks, and channels that make up the world’s most spectacular lift system. Ships measuring up to 740 ft (225.5 m) long and 78 ft (23.8 m) wide are easily raised to more than 180 m above sea level, as high as a 60-story building! These ships can carry cargo equal to 1,000 loaded cement trucks. The locks fill with 91 million liters of water in just over 10 minutes. Getting through a lock takes about 45 minutes.

• 4.

  Here’s one way to make a pop-up illustration of the U.S. President and Queen Elizabeth II on her yacht. You might choose another scene to illustrate, or use a different way to do your project. Use your imagination!

• 5.

  Start with a closed recycled file folder. To make the pop-out prow of the ship, use Crayola® Erasable Colored Pencils to draw a green dot on the fold, about 1 inch (2.5 cm) from the top. Draw a red dot at the very top of the folder, 2 3/4 inches (10.8 cm) to the right of the fold. From the red dot, measure down 2 1/2 inches (3 cm), and make another green dot. Draw a straight line from one green dot to the other.

• 6.

  Draw a green dot on the fold, 1 1/2 inches (3.8 cm) from the bottom of the file folder, and another green dot 2 1/2 inches (6.3 cm) to the right of it. Draw a straight line from one green dot to the other. Use Crayola Scissors to cut both lines.

• 7.

  Draw a vertical dotted line from the end of one cut to the end of the other. Fold front and back carefully on the dotted line. Open the file folder. Pop out the pentagon (five-sided shape). This is the prow, or front, of the royal yacht. Trim off the folder tabs if you wish.

• 8.

  Use Crayola Washable Markers to color the Britannia and the sky. With Crayola Gel Markers, draw and color the locks beside and behind the yacht. To color the seawater, layer colors and vary your marker strokes.

• 9.

  On white paper, draw President Eisenhower and Queen Elizabeth II. Make sure they are dressed appropriately for the occasion! Color the figures and cut them out. Glue the people in place with a Crayola Glue Stick.

• 10.

  Draw the British flag. Color and cut it out. Glue it to the scene.

Standards

• LA: Read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and technical texts, in the grade level text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.
• LA: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.
• LA: Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
• LA: Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade level topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.
• MATH: Know relative sizes of measurement units within one system of units including km, m, cm; kg, g; lb, oz.; l, ml; hr, min, sec. Within a single system of measurement, express measurements in a larger unit in terms of a smaller unit.
• SCI: Obtain and communicate information for how technology allows humans to concentrate, transport, and store energy for practical use.
• SS: Use appropriate resources, data sources, and geographic tools to generate, manipulate, and interpret information.
• VA: Intentionally take advantage of the qualities and characteristics of art media, techniques, and processes to enhance communication of experiences and ideas.
• VA: Select and use the qualities of structures and functions of art to improve communication of ideas.

Adaptations

• Working in teams of two or small groups, students investigate facts surrounding the construction, opening, and use of the St. Lawrence Seaway.
• Students create a timeline of events during the planning, completion, and dedication of the St. Lawrence Seaway.
• Students become virtual travel guides and organize a trip for tourists to see and learn about the St. Lawrence Seaway. Organize the virtual trip in an electronic format for presentation to potential tourists.
• Encourage students to investigate other feats of civil engineering and international cooperation such as construction of the Panama or Suez Canals, or building of international bridges and/or tunnels.