Amir is a civil engineer. He loves to study English for talking about bridges, dams, tunnels, ports, etc. This week we are talking about the importance of ports and shipping. We can integrate this information with a lesson on Canada by studying the St. Lawrence Seaway, don't you think?
Here are some resources we will be using this week, which is our last week of school until September.
What is the Saint Lawrence Seaway?
Windsor is a port city. Detroit has been a port since 1933.
What is the history of this water transportation system? Warning: this very old video uses ethnic stereotype cartoons. :(
This Seaway Map is fascinating. I love looking up information about the freighters I see on the Detroit River. There is even a Facebook group for people who love to watch the ships and look up information about them.
Vocabulary:
lock (n.)
dam (n.)
tanker (n.)
freighter (n.)
canal (n.)
cargo (n.)
steel (n.)
Can you use this learner's dictionary to look up definitions?
Discussion:
- What was the most interesting thing you learned by watching these videos and reading?
- Talk about the relationship between the big cargo ships and the car manufacturing industry that was so central to the economies of Detroit and Windsor for so many decades.
- Do you ever watch big freighters pass by when you are down by the river?
