Great Lakes Maritime Transportation Education Program
for Communities and K-12 Teachers & Students

Purchase Great Lakes Shipping Education “Chest”
For Your Museum or Education Center – ONLY $150!

Printable PDF File Version of Great Lakes Shipping Education “Chest” & Application form

Submit your completed application to:
Joan Chadde, K-12 Education & Outreach Coordinator
Western Upper Peninsula Center for Science, Mathematics & Environmental Education
105 Dillman Hall – Michigan Technological University
1400 Townsend Dr Houghton, MI 49931
Email: jchadde@mtu.edu Phone: 906-487-3341 Fax: 906-487-1620

Printable PDF File Version of Great Lakes Shipping Education “Chest” & Application form

What Trunk Recipients are saying about the Great Lakes Shipping Education Trunk:

"We received the traveling trunk on Great Lakes Shipping and have already used it in one workshop! It's wonderful. Thanks so much!"
Wendy W. Smith, Great Lakes Research and Education Center, Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, Porter, IN

"The trunk has already been used… and the large Great Lake floor map is a wonder addition to our programs!"
Carolyn Rock, Whitefish Dunes State Park, Sturgeon Falls, WI

Great Lakes Shipping Education ‘Trunk’ Contents

HANDS-ON TEACHING SUPPLIES

Great Lakes Floor Map
15’ x 20’ canvas floor map of the Great Lakes Basin, including adjacent states and provinces. The map is a great way to teach students of all ages (with shoes off!) about the Great Lakes watershed, shipping, geography, and more. Includes laminated labels for shipping and receiving ports, major rivers, states, provinces, and countries.

Samples: low-sulfur western coal, iron pellets (taconite), grain, salt, limestone, general cargo 
Great Lakes playing cards (52 vessels)
Poster of a ship – to identify parts of a ship
Ship captain’s hat & foam replica of a Great Lakes ‘laker’

CHILDREN’S LITERATURE

Armbruster, Ann. (1996). A True Book: St. Lawrence Seaway                                                                  Grades 2-5
Describes the route of ships carrying cargo from Lake Superior to the Atlantic Ocean, including the history, geography, industry, and benefits of shipping on the Seaway.

Barker, Charles Ferguson. (2005). The Day the Great Lakes Drained Away                                                            Grades 2-5
What would happen if the Great Lakes drained away? This unique children's book shows the interesting landscape that would be revealed if all the water in the Great Lakes was to suddenly disappear. This book educates children and adults about the geologic features under the Great Lakes, and reminds us never to take the Great Lakes for granted.

Bergel, Colin. (2000). Mail by the Pail                                                                                                                             Grades K-5
This book illustrates the mail delivery system for Great Lakes freighters. The J. W. Westcott Company operates the mailboat for the U.S. Postal Service marine post office in Detroit-the only mailboat that delivers mail to freighters while they are moving. 

Edwards, Jack. (2000). The Big Fitz                                                                                                                 Grades 1-6
This “big book” measuring 3’ x 2’ is a perfect resource for introducing Great Lakes shipping and the story of the Edmund Fitzgerald. Its large diagrams of Great Lakes freighters facilitate learning about the parts of a ship and the shipping industry.

Gibbons, Gail. (1992). The Great St. Lawrence Seaway                                                                                                Grades K-5.
Explains the history of this great trade route. Early French explorers and fur traders were halted by the treacherous rapids 500 miles upstream and eventually developed a system for carrying their trade canoes and cargoes around the dangerous stretches of the river, reaching the Great Lakes. Eventually, locks were built. The lock system is clearly explained in a series of animated diagrams.

Hertel, Captain Robert. (1999)  The Edmund Fitzgerald: Lost With All Hands                                                      Grades 3-6
A factual account describing the fate of the Edmund Fitzgerald, including Great Lakes geography, shipping, and theories as to why the ship sank. Also contains a simple maritime glossary.

Holling, Holling Clancy. (1941). Paddle to the Sea                                                                                                        Grades 3-5
An Indian boy carves a wooden canoe and sets it into Lake Nipigon to watch it float away. The canoe spends four years on the water, being picked up by loggers, fishermen, and families before finally making it to the ocean. The canoe’s adventures give children a sense of the wonders and diversity in the Great Lakes.

Wargin, Kathy Jo. (2003)  The Edmund Fitzgerald: The Song of the Bell                                                              Grades K-5
The giant ship leaves Superior, Wisconsin loaded with iron ore. But disaster looms as the storm clouds, known as the ‘gales of November’ gather. This is the story of what happened to the 29 sailors and their ship.

REFERENCES

Lake Carriers Association. U.S.-Flag Shipping on the Great Lakes (brochure) and Map of U.S. and Canadian Great Lakes Ports (brochure). Describes major cargoes and provides a useful map of shipping and receiving ports.

Great Lakes Watershed Map (2’x3’)  by Michigan Sea Grant

Great Lakes Environmental Atlas by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Environment Canada. 1995. Maps, history, management, diagrams, facts on the five Great Lakes.

Map of the Great Lakes: from Lake Champlain to Lake of the Woods (NOAA #14500). View at www.irnha.org
VIDEOS / CDs / DVDs

Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum at Whitefish Point DVD(15 min.)
Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society, 111 Ashmun St., Sault Ste Marie, MI  49783  Tel: 906-635-1742
Tour of the Whitefish Point museum site, indoors and physical setting.

Living on the Edge: Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Shoreline DVD (25 min.) by US Army Corps of Engineers and International Joint Commission. Erosion processes, habitat diversity, commercial shipping, dredging, fluctuating water levels, and recreational boating.

Perspectives of A Vital Waterway – The Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway System Video (21:38 minutes) 
St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation              www.greatlakes-seaway.com
Contains more detail than the above video, describing both the channel, locks, rivers and Great Lakes that make up the waterway, as well as, the bulk carriers, tankers, cruise ships, and pleasure craft that share in the convenience and efficiency of on f the world’s premier inland waterways.
 
Shipwreck: The Mystery of the Edmund Fitzgerald DVD (15 min.)
Donated by Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society, 111 Ashmun St., Sault St Marie, MI 49783 Tel:906-635-1742
The 729-foot Edmund Fitzgerald traveled the Great Lakes for 17 years until November 10, 1975 when she and her crew disappeared beneath the waves of one of Lake Superior’s worst storms. On July 4, 1995, honoring a request of the families, the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society led an expedition to recover the Fitzgerald’s bell.

Steel Starts Here DVD (12:00 minutes)  Cleveland Cliffs, Inc. Michigan Operations (2005)   www.cleveland-cliffs.com
Follow a hunk of iron ore as it is mined and transformed into a taconite or a pelletized ball that is 60% iron and goes on to become the steel used in automobiles, rail lines, buildings, and many more of our everyday products. 

Top Ten Threats to the Great Lakes CD (54:00 min)
A radio program broadcast by the Great Lakes Radio Consortium in 2005, describes the top ten Great Lakes issues through interviews with scientists, decision-makers, organizational representatives, and concerned citizens. The threats include: water diversions from the Great Lakes, invasive species, polluted beaches, and shipping. See the entire list at: http://www.glrc.org/topten.php3

Tragedies in the Mist DVD (30:00 min.) by Thunder Bay Marine Sanctuary & Underwater Preserve, Alpena, MI.
Thousands of vessels plied the Great Lakes for exploration, transportation, and trade. Many never reached their destination. An area of Lake Huron known for extreme weather, treacherous waters, and dense fog has claimed over 200 ships. Today these sites are protected by the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary & Underwater Preserve. 

A Vital Waterway – The Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway System Video (10:28 minutes) 
St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation              www.greatlakes-seaway.com
Captures the grandeur and economic importance of The Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway System--- its bustling ports, comprehensive marine transportation infrastructure, diverse intermodal transportation connections, and scenic vistas which all contribute to the making of North America’s premier inland waterway.

CURRICULUM MATERIALS

Exploring the Great Lakes: A Logbook of Adventuresby Patricia Westfield and Nan Soper (2003) Ages 8+
Includes information and activities on Great Lakes geography, history, shipping and commerce, folklore, environmental issues, and a map of the lakes, along with mapping activities. CD-ROM includes video selections of Niagara Falls, locks and canals, ships, light-houses, and more. Presents 5 themes of geography in a lively and relevant way, linking the lakes' importance to the region & nation.

Lake Effects: The Lake Superior Curriculum Guide for Grades K-8 (1998)
The Lake Superior Center/Great Lakes Aquarium, Duluth, MN  
Lessons related to the history, geography, management and stewardship of the Great Lakes & Lake Superior.

Lake Rhymes – Folk Songs of the Great Lakes Region CD & Book  by Lee and Joann Murdock. (2004)      
18-song CD with 71 minutes of Lee Murdock performance, plus 146-page book of musical scores, and over 70 historic photos, maps and illustrations. Focuses on Great Lakes maritime history and traditional folk music, providing the stories behind each song, and ideas for using the songs to teach history, English, music and geography.

Paddle to the Sea Curriculum Activities by Marcia Seager, Rosane Fortner, Timothy Taylor. Ohio State University. Grades 2-6.
Forty activities on Great Lakes geography, shipping, lake ecosystems, and stewardship.

Notebook of lessons, resources, list of what students should know about Great Lakes Maritime Transportation
(prepared by teachers), plus Great Lakes Shipping PowerPoint CD and notebook contents

Printable PDF File Version of Great Lakes Shipping Education “Chest” & Application form