Teacher Resources

GRADE 4, Social Studies

Students will learn about the state's important physical features, the Indigenous People who occupied the region, and the impact the Erie Canal had on the state's development.

GRADE 4, Reading Comprehension

Students will learn about life as a mule driver on the Erie Canal. This lesson includes a fictional account based on primary sources of the 19th century canal period.

GRADE 4, Math

Students will learn that cooks traveled on canal boats, cooking for the workers. They will learn to read a recipe from the early 1900s and scale it up for more people.

GRADE 4, Physical Education

This is a game that will get students moving while learning Erie Canal vocabulary. Teachers will introduce students to canal related terms or phrases and students will participate in a physically active game.

GRADE 4, Music

Using a modern version of the 1903 song Low Bridge Everybody Down by Thomas S. Allen, students will practice the concepts of rhythm and beat.

GRADE 4, Art

Students will experiment with a black and white tonal study, creating a drawing based upon their understanding of observations of the Erie Canal by author Nathaniel Hawthorne.

GRADES 4-6

This 40-minute film explores the Erie Canal's impact on the development of New York and the significance of waterways in connecting communities across the state.

GRADES 4-6, Art, Science

Students will create an Erie Canal boat and test it to see if it floats.

GRADES 4-6, Art, Science

Students will create their own fishing rod, learn about fish commonly found in Western New York waterways, and “fish” for them using their rod.

GRADES 4-8

Students will explore virtual tours of Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site and the Erie Canal Museum to understand the history and impacts of the Erie Canal on New York and the United States.

GRADES 7-8

Students will view a series of short videos and answer questions to learn about the different types of structures used to operate New York State's canals.

GRADES 6-12

Students will explore the impacts of the Erie Canal on 19th century social reform movements, particularly women's rights. A 9-minute video and lesson plan examine the history of the struggle for equality past and present.

Students will examine research from the Seneca Lake Survey to understand the historical Erie Canal artifacts discovered and the processes of maritime archeology.

Students will examine research from the Seneca Survey to understand the Erie Canal artifacts and the invasive quagga mussels found in the lake.

Students will examine research from the Seneca Lake Survey to understand harmful algal blooms and the quality of the water in the lake.

Students will examine research from the Seneca Lake Survey to understand Finger Lakes geology and the importance of collecting bathymetric data.