Rivers and Trains: which is more important?

Teacher prep:  Become familiar with the history of North Carolina.  Also have the students participate in researching historic markers in your area.  Have then place at least one marker into the database so they see the front end work to make a database.

Activity:  Ask the students to sort the database on distance to a river.  The students should be clued to look at the way the markers line up chronologically with distance to rivers.  Also have them pay attention to the years when rivers appear important.  Next ask the students to follow the same procedures except sorting by distance to a railroad.  Ask the students to compare timeframe for the trains to that for the rivers.

Extension:  Now have the students search for each of the three regions while doing the river and railroad distance sorts.  Ask the students to compare the impact of the rivers to railroads in light of the region of the state.  Also ask them to explain why there is not a clear time when rivers became unimportant.

You may wish to use this worksheet