“Rise and Fall and Rise . . . South Carolina's Maritime History” is the lead article for Fall 2002. Create an inquiry lesson based on the article and following questions:

• What do you know about ports in general? What do you know about the port of Charleston? Have students locate the port of Charleston on a map of South Carolina.

• Have students use a map of ocean surface currents (http://www.acl.lanl.gov/GrandChal/GCM/currents.html) to trace the path a mariner would have taken in the 1700s in order to transport a product from Europe to the American colonies. Why did Charleston become a port city? How did greater precision in navigation and improved ocean vessels affect the port of Charleston?

Social Studies: 8.2.1, 8.8.5

• Divide the class into small cooperative learning groups. Have each group use the article to create a timeline of the Charleston port. Assign each group a significant point on the timeline, for example the completion of the Erie Canal in 1825, and have the group present its historical significance.

• How did the African American culture contribute to the success of the port of Charleston? Have each student, or small group of students, create and present a poster detailing the impact of the slaves on the maritime history and economy of Charleston.

Social Studies: 8.1.1, 8.2.1, 7.3.7

• Compare and contrast the maritime histories of the North and the South. Were coastal settlers in the North plantation owners? How did slaves contribute to the maritime culture of the South? Why is it important to have an established railway system associated with a port and why did Charlestonians reject the idea of a railroad system?

Social Studies: 8.3.6, 8.8.5, 8.8.2, 8.8.3, 8.2.1, 7.3.7

Language Arts Connection
Instruct each student to create a “day in the life” journal entry. The student should write in first person and may choose to be a “character” from any time period discussed in the article, e.g. a dock worker in the early 1900s, the owner of a rice plantation, a slave waterman, etc.

Vocabulary
Hinterland, infrastructure, hidebound, antebellum, stevedores

Acknowledgements
Special thanks to Elaine Freeman, Park Interpreter at Edisto Beach State Park, for her assistance in compiling this curriculum guide. Special thanks also to Lundie Spence at N.C. Sea Grant, Lisa Norman at Ashley Hall School, James Reed, Walter Rhett, Anne Moise at the S.C. State Ports Authority, and Virginia Roberson with the Colleton County School District, for their contributions.

  

For further information contact Elizabeth Joyner,
elizabeth.joyner@scseagrant.org or (843) 953-2078

Ports for Middle School
Lesson Plans
http://www.apl.com/boomerangbox/index.htm
Have your students explore the world with the Boomerang Box! Since October 1997, the bright blue Boomerang Box has visited nearly every continent and traveled over 163,000 miles! Where is it going next?

http://www.portseattle.org/portandyou/educ/02teach.htm
This site contains case studies for middle school students relating to geography, social studies, writing and economics.

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/resources/ngo/education/ideas58/58wearing.html
This lesson introduces the concept of global interdependence by exploring the origins of many of the goods that students wear and use every day.

http://ofcn.org/cyber.serv/academy/ace/soc/cecsst/cecsst131.html
These activities are designed to show the students that imported products literally "touch" the lifestyles and everyday activities of America's youth.

References
http://www.port-technology.com/projects/charleston
This is the website for the ports and sea terminals industry. This link discusses the expansion of the port in Charleston.

http://www.port-of-charleston.com
Check out this website for “fun facts” about the port, general statistics regarding the port, information about how cargo moves from ship to store, and general information about the port.

http://www.aapa-ports.org/education/index.html
This is the Education page of the American Association of Ports Authorities.

http://www.seacoastnh.com/blackhistory/jacks.html
This is a site of questions and answers about African American seamen.

Resources
Adopt-a-Ship Plan   http://www.marad.dot.gov/adopt_a_ship/brochu1.htm
The purpose of the Plan is to teach young America, the citizens of tomorrow, the need for an educated American Merchant Marine for domestic and foreign shipping. The Plan fosters interests in geography, history, transportation, foreign and domestic trade, science, math, and English.

Field Trips
South Carolina State Museum   http://www.museum.state.sc.us
The museum offers a field trip for 8th grade students that focuses on the importance of cotton in antebellum South Carolina. The museum also offers a cultural history of South Carolina tour for students in grades K-12.

Old Santee Canal Park   http://www.oldsanteecanalpark.org
Old Santee Canal Park offers field trips about the historical importance of the canal. The programs can be adjusted for both middle and high school students.

Coastal Discovery Museum   http://www.coastaldiscovery.org
The museum offers middle school programs that discuss the historical importance of ports in the region and of important export crops, such as rice.