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What were some of the challenges that the sailors faced?'
What was the importance of the Great Lakes on shipping in the 1840s-1900s?
Enduring Understandings
The problems and solutions of sailing through history.
The role of the Great Lakes in shipping goods, people, and materials.
Geographical and geological details of the Great Lakes and identify them identify the lakes by name.
Objectives
Explain how all the Great Lakes are connected and why that matters for shipping between the lakes and from the ocean.
Students should be able to recognize the physical challenges of sailing on the Great Lakes such as waterfalls, canals, etc.
Identify 3 challenges the early sailors faced while transporting cargo of copper, people, and supplies. (Fog, blizzards, gales, collisions, sandbars, rocky shores, fire, smoke, and explosions on board)
Name the 5 Great Lakes (Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, Ontario) and several shipping ports.
Explain why the Great Lakes are so important for shipping.
Instructional Time
Estimated Instructional Time (including lesson, video, and all activities): 1 hour, 45 minutes
*Instructional time will vary depending on chosen activities.*
Recommended Materials
Computers (to access the Student Module)
Printer (printable activity sheets are linked below)
Writing utensils
Scissors
Tape and/or glue
Spools of thread, balls of yarn, or other string-like material
Single hole punch
Coloring utensils (as desired)
*Note: Materials depend on chosen activities
Learning Standards
Michigan K-12 Social Studies Standards
4 –H3.0.1 - Use historical inquiry questions to investigate the development of Michigan’s major economic activities from statehood to present. 4 – H3.0.3 - Describe how the relationship between the location of natural resources and the location of industries (after 1837) affected and continue to affect the location and growth of Michigan cities.
Michigan K-12 English Language Arts Standards
RI.4.7 - Interpret information presented visually, orally, or quantitatively (e.g., in charts, graphs, diagrams, time lines, animations, or interactive elements on Web pages) and explain how the information contributes to an understanding of the text in which it appears. SL.4.1c - Pose and respond to specific questions to clarify or follow-up on information, and make comments that contribute to the discussion and link to the remarks of others. L.4.4a - Use context (e.g. definitions, examples, or restatements in text) as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.
Assessments
Students will explain to partners why the Great Lakes are so important to shipping, the names of the Great Lakes, and dangers of sailing on the lakes.
NPS Image
Background
Copper Mining in the Upper Peninsula
The copper mines of Michigan’s Keweenaw Peninsula were the main supporters of the area’s economy and workforce. People immigrated to the U.P. from many different countries, including Finland, Norway, Poland, Russia, and Sweden, to find work in the blossoming copper industry. While copper is no longer mined in the area, copper still supports the Keweenaw Peninsula by providing an extensive historic experience for tourists and other visitors. From old mine shaft rockhouses to historic downtown areas, you can still see that copper mining is at the heart of the Keweenaw’s history.
Find out more about the Quincy Mine and mining history in the Keweenaw Peninsula using the links below: Timeline of Michigan Copper Mining - Learn about major copper mining events in the Upper Peninsula from Indigenous mining to the present. Quincy Unit Cultural Landscapes - Learn about the history of the Quincy Mine and its copper production.In this lesson, students will learn about copper and its uses, where copper is found, and the copper mining process. Use the following information to enhance your students’ learning experience.
What is Copper? Where is it found?
Copper is a metal and an element. It is listed as number 29 on the periodic table under the abbreviation Cu. Copper is used in a lot of things you might use daily, like the wires in a light switch, jewelry like bracelets and rings, and brass instruments like trumpets, tubas, and saxophones. Brass is an alloy made of copper and zinc.The copper in Michigan’s Keweenaw Peninsula began forming around 1.1 billion years ago. The Upper Peninsula sat on the Midcontinent Rift, which split and began to release lava. This lava flow, called the Greenstone Lava Flow, was one of the largest in the world and resulted in large, rich lodes of copper underneath the Keweenaw Peninsula.The Upper Peninsula of Michigan has a long history of mining the copper that naturally formed there. Learn more about it in our video below!
Activities
Introduction Video (Activity #1- Introduction Video)
Activity Objective: Gain an understanding of what copper is, it's uses, and how it's mined.
After the video, have a discussion with the students or have them break into groups to discuss:
Where does copper come from?
How did miners get into the mine?
How did they get copper out of the mine?
What happens to the copper above ground?
Why are there large piles of rock around the Keweenaw today?
How Does the Mining Process Work?
Miners start their shift by going down the mineshaft in the man car.
Miners use drills and explosives to find and mine copper ore.
The broken rock and ore is placed in a skip, which is on the same rails as the man car.
The skip is attached to cables that run up the mineshaft, outside the rockhouse, and all the way back to the hoist house.
The hoist turns in circles, which pulls the skip up the rails in the mineshaft.
The rock is brought up to the rockhouse, right above the mineshaft, where it’s sorted into copper ore and poor rock.
Poor rock is thrown away, and copper ore is sent off to a stamp mill.
Practice extracting minerals from rocks like how they used to do at the Quincy Mine!
Activity Objective: Understand the state of copper when it is removed from the mine and the process of extracting copper from the poor rock that it is encased in.
Depending on teacher preference, students may work individually or in groups.
If necessary, review the concepts of “copper ore” and “poor rock” with students.
Provide each student with at least one cookie.
Explain to students that the cookie represents the rock that was taken from the mines. The chocolate chips represent the copper that is surrounded by poor rock.
Tell students that they will have 60 seconds to extract the “copper” from the “poor rock” by breaking the cookies apart and retrieving the chocolate chips.
Lead a class discussion guided by the questions in the Mineral Extraction Activity Sheet. Teachers may structure this discussion however they like. For example, each group can give their answer to each question, the questions could be divided among groups, or students can share their ideas about the activity and activity sheet as a whole.
Learn about the history of the Quincy Mine and use your new knowledge to put the timeline in the right order!
Activity Objective: Understand the chronology of the Quincy Mine and how some events led to the events that followed.
Activity Duration: 20 Minutes
Materials:
Read the following summary of the history of the Quincy Mine. Teachers may find it helpful to provide a copy of this reading to the students either by printing it out or projecting it at the front of the classroom.
After reading, instruct students to cut out the 6 event squares on the Events Activity Sheet.
Instruct students to place the event squares in order on the Timeline Activity Sheet, following the historical order of events at the Quincy Mine.
Based on teacher preference, students may stick the squares to their Timeline Activity Sheet with glue or tape. Remind students to assign each square to a place on the timeline before sticking them to the paper in order to avoid mistakes.
The Timeline of the Quincy Mine
The Quincy Mine was one of the many copper mines in Michigan’s Keweenaw Peninsula. It was located in what is now Hancock, Michigan, right near the Portage Canal. Most of the mine site is in ruins, but one of the rockhouses is still standing, and the massive Nordberg Steam Hoist is still in place today. The Quincy rockhouse serves as a symbol for the Keweenaw’s rich copper mining history. The Quincy Mining Company was created in 1846, and the Quincy Mine opened in 1848. It was located over two big patches of copper. These patches are called “lodes.” The Quincy Mine wasn’t very successful at first, but once the workers discovered the copper-rich Pewabic Lode in 1855, the Quincy Mine quickly became very profitable. As the years passed, the Quincy Mine got deeper and deeper. In 1908, the No. 2 rockhouse, which still stands today, finished construction.
Things started to slow down during the 1930s due to the Great Depression. Copper prices went down, and the mine couldn’t afford to stay open. The Quincy Mine temporarily stopped all of its mining operations. However, during World War II in the early 1940s, the Quincy Mine started up again because of the demand for copper to make equipment for the war. This revival didn’t last long, though. When the war ended, copper prices dropped again, and the Quincy Mine was forced to close its doors for good in 1945.
Review some of the new words you learned today by unscrambling the letters!
Activity Objective: Recognize words related to the history of the Quincy Mine and be able to identify which contexts they are used in.
Activity Duration: 15 Minutes
Materials:
Pass out the Mining Mix-Up Activity Sheet. Teachers can decide whether students will work individually or in groups.
If students need additional help, pass out or project the Mining Mix-Up Word Bank to show students what words are used in the activity.
Build Your Own Hoist! (Activity #5-Hoist Building)
Build your own mini version of the Quincy Mine Hoist House to hoist up two skips and learn the physics behind the machine!
Activity Objective: Students will learn about how the Hoist House brought copper out of the ground by constructing their own skips and hoist mechanisms. If there aren’t enough materials for students to make their own hoists, the teacher may instead choose to do this activity as a demonstration for the entire class.
Activity Duration: As a class demonstration: 15 minutes of preparation, 5 minutes of demonstration. Teachers may adjust the demonstration period to allow for questions or participation from students. As an all-student activity: 30 minutes: 20 minutes for construction, 10 minutes for operating and observing the “hoist.” Teachers may adjust this time allocation based on student needs.
Materials (at least 1 of each per group):
Build Your Own Hoist! activity sheet (one per student)[
Scissors
Tape
Spools of thread
Teachers can substitute the thread for a similar material, like string, yarn, or fishing line, depending on what is available. Provide about five feet of this material, in coils, to the students.
Cardboard tubing (from toilet paper, paper towel, wrapping paper, or similar)
Provide one piece of about 5-6 inches of this tubing to each group
Single hole punch (or substitute)
Markers, crayons, or colored pencils (optional for coloring)
Directions:
If you choose to perform this as a student activity, divide students into groups of two.If you decide to perform this activity as a demonstration, simply follow these instructions yourself.
Print off several copies of the Build Your Own Hoist! activity sheet and pass them out to each student. Each group will need two activity sheets.
Instruct students to follow the directions on their activity sheets to create their skips. This involves cutting, folding, and hole punching. After following the directions, each group should have two handmade skips.
Instruct students to follow the directions listed below to attach their skips to the hoist. These directions can also be found on the Student version of the Copper Mining in the Upper Peninsula module.
TYING YOUR SKIP TO YOUR HOIST:
Pull the thread/string/yarn through the holes in one of your skips, starting from the outside and going through the middle, as shown below.
Hold both sides of the string in your hands so they make a triangle shape.
Take the shorter end of the string and loop it around the long string. Don’t pull it tight yet.
Repeat Step 3, but go in the other direction.
Pull on the four spots shown in the diagram below at the same time to tighten the knot. Your skip is now attached to the hoist!
Repeat steps 1-5 with your other skip on the other end of the hoist. Make sure to leave plenty of string in the middle.
Hang the string on the cardboard tube so that the two skips are hanging at an equal distance as shown in the diagram below.
Grab one of the strings and begin wrapping it around the cardboard tube. Make sure the other skip stays in its same place. Once the string runs out, you’ve completed your hoist!
Turn the cardboard tube around and around and watch how one of your skips rises up and the other sinks down. This is how miners got ore (and people) in and out of the mine efficiently!
