Nobody's Home

NOBODY’S HOME

Carolyn Myers
St. George Elementary
St. George, Kansas

Overview:
When a reservoir is constructed there are a lot of factors which enter into the process from beginning to end, including economics. With this lesson the students will construct their own homes and businesses, taking great pride in their construction. After they have claimed ownership of these fine homes and businesses, the government will buy them and turn the area into a reservoir for flood protection. The owners have to discuss their future and what will happen to them. This will be compared to the Tuttle Creek Reservoir construction process.

Grade Level: 3-5

Outcome:
Students will know and understand the economic impact of the construction of a reservoir-both the positive and negative side.

Geographic Themes: Movement, place

Kansas Social Studies Standards For Benchmarks (Grade Level, 5-K):
The student will understand and connections among people, places, and environments in the classroom, local school, community, Kansas, and the U.S., and different regions in the world.

The student will understand the effects of economics, science, and technology in the classroom, school community, Kansas, the U.S. and different regions of the world.

National Geography Standards:

#14 Knows and understands human actions modify the physical environment.

#11 Understands the patterns and networks of economic interdependence on earth’s surface.

Performance Objective:
Students will construct a community and find first hand the personal and economic ramifications of loosing it to the construction of a reservoir.

Vocabulary:

reservoir economics

condemnation flood control

Materials Needed:

1/2 pint milk cartons
Map and transparency of Tuttle Creek Area before it was flooded
Map and transparency of Tuttle Creek Lake and surrounding area
Shaker Lane by Alice and Martin Provensen
Map of the U.S.A. showing the Blue, Kansas, Missouri, and Mississippi Rivers

Procedure:

1. Each child will draw from a hat the type of structure he/she will create (Ex: home, business, farm, etc.)

2. Given a milk carton, the student will construct his/her structure (could be a take home project).

3. Using the structures, a community will be created with each student making improvements to his/her property to make it more valuable.

4. Without warning, the students will be given a letter telling them their property will be bought in order to construct a reservoir for flood control.

5. Read the book, Shaker Lane to the student and discuss the similarities between it and what is happening to their “school” community.

6. Flood the area of homes and businesses (take them all away so there is room for the reservoir).

7. Discuss how this event in their lives would effect them financially, economically, etc.

8. Show the video, The 1993 Flood, to explain the reason for building Tuttle Creek Reservoir, the feelings of the people in the Tuttle Creek area whose homes were displaced, and how the reservoir helped in the 1993 flood.

Assessment:
Students will make two lists-one will state the positive outcomes of the reservoir and the 2nd list will state the negative outcomes of the reservoir.

Extensions:

1. Ask speakers who were involved in the move from the Tuttle Creek area to speak to the class.

2. Trace and identify the rivers that flow into Tuttle Creek Reservoir.

3. Discuss the run off from the surrounding farm lands and how it could be slowed with good conservative methods.

4. Take a field trip to Tuttle Creek Reservoir and look at the Fancy Creek area, locating the old town of Randolph and the silting process that is taking place.

5. Discuss the importance of Tuttle Creek to the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers and find how they are connected by tracing them on a map.

6. Invite a speaker form the Corp. of Engineers at Tuttle Creek Reservoir to speak to the class about the history and development of Tuttle Creek Reservoir.

Resources:

National Geographic Society. (1993) Water, The Power, Promise, and Turmoil of North America’s Fresh Water.
Provensen, Alice and Martin. (1987) Shaker Lane. Viking Kestrel.
Water Resources Division. 1952. Kansas-Missouri Floods of July 1951.
U.S. Geological Survey Water-Supply Paper 1139. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Geological Survey.

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FHSU Geoscience | Kansas Geographic Alliance
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e-mail: pphillip@fhsu.edu

irc staff / jh 03/16/98 (updated kn 06/23/99)
Disclaimer

#14	Knows and understands human actions modify the physical environment.
#11	Understands the patterns and networks of economic interdependence on earth’s surface.

1.	Each child will draw from a hat the type of structure he/she will create (Ex: home, business, farm, etc.)
2.	Given a milk carton, the student will construct his/her structure (could be a take home project).
3.	Using the structures, a community will be created with each student making improvements to his/her property to make it more valuable.
4.	Without warning, the students will be given a letter telling them their property will be bought in order to construct a reservoir for flood control.
5.	Read the book, Shaker Lane to the student and discuss the similarities between it and what is happening to their “school” community.
6.	Flood the area of homes and businesses (take them all away so there is room for the reservoir).
7.	Discuss how this event in their lives would effect them financially, economically, etc.
8.	Show the video, The 1993 Flood, to explain the reason for building Tuttle Creek Reservoir, the feelings of the people in the Tuttle Creek area whose homes were displaced, and how the reservoir helped in the 1993 flood.

1.	Ask speakers who were involved in the move from the Tuttle Creek area to speak to the class.
2.	Trace and identify the rivers that flow into Tuttle Creek Reservoir.
3.	Discuss the run off from the surrounding farm lands and how it could be slowed with good conservative methods.
4.	Take a field trip to Tuttle Creek Reservoir and look at the Fancy Creek area, locating the old town of Randolph and the silting process that is taking place.
5.	Discuss the importance of Tuttle Creek to the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers and find how they are connected by tracing them on a map.
6.	Invite a speaker form the Corp. of Engineers at Tuttle Creek Reservoir to speak to the class about the history and development of Tuttle Creek Reservoir.