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Neighborly Nations

Neighborly Nations

The St. Lawrence Seaway is considered to be an engineering marvel of the 20th century. Students will learn about this partnership between the United States and Canada and create a diorama of President Dwight D. Eisenhower and Queen Elizabeth II during its inauguration.

Lesson Plan

Supplies Needed

Gather all the supplies needed to bring your craft ideas to life! From paints and markers to glue and scissors, our crafts section has everything to spark creativity and make every project truly special.

  • Heavy Paper
  • Paper
  • Recycled File Folders

Steps

  • Step 1

    Invite students to research the history of the St. Lawrence Seaway, the largest inland waterway in the world. Organize a variety of text and electronic resources for this task. Research can be done in small groups and organized into an electronic format for presentation to classmates.

  • Step 2

    Here's one way to make a pop-up illustration of the U.S. President and England's Queen Elizabeth II on her yacht, traveling the St. Lawrence Seaway. Students may select another scene if they wish. Begin by taking 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, 2.75 inches (10.8 cm).

  • Step 3

    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.

  • Step 4

    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.

  • Step 5

    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.

  • Step 6

    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.

  • Step 7

    Draw a British flag. Glue it to the scene.

  • Step 8

    Display student pop-ups in a prominent place in the classroom. Allow time for student to present their artwork to classmates in small groups.

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.