June 6-12, 2013, Current Events Lesson Plan
Current Event:
Government officials in Nicaragua recently announced that they have awarded a Chinese company a 100-year concession to build a canal across Nicaragua. This canal would provide an alternative to the Panama Canal, currently the only shortcut between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. The canal would cut across southern Nicaragua into Lake Nicaragua, which is only 12 miles (19 kilometers) from the Pacific Ocean. According to Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, the new canal will be large enough for ships whose size is more than double that of the vessels currently able to pass through the Panama Canal. Some experts estimate that the canal will take 11 years to build and cost about $40 billion. International affairs experts suggest that a second, Chinese-controlled canal could have profound effects on world politics. Such a waterway would reinforce China‘s growing influence on global trade and could weaken American influence in Asia.
Objective:
The Panama Canal is a waterway that cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and links the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. Before the canal was built, ships voyaging from New York to San Francisco had to travel around South America–a distance of more than 13,000 miles (20,900 kilometers). Upon its completion in 1914, the canal shortened a voyage between New York City and San Francisco to less than 5,200 miles (8,370 kilometers). A 1903 treaty between the United States and Panama gave the United States the right to build and operate the waterway. Thousands of laborers worked on the canal for about 10 years, using steam shovels and dredges to cut through jungles, hills, and swamps. They had to conquer such tropical diseases as malaria and yellow fever. In 1977, Panama and the United States signed a new treaty that gave Panama control of the operations of the canal and its associated military installations beginning on Dec. 31, 1999. About 13,000 oceangoing vessels travel through the canal yearly. The ships carry about 245 million tons (220 million metric tons) of cargo annually. The Behind the Headlines news stories and related World Book articles explore China’s proposed canal across Nicaragua, the Panama Canal, and other canals.
Words to know:
- Atlantic Ocean
- Canal
- China
- Hay-Pauncefote Treaty
- Lake Nicaragua
- Nicaragua
- Daniel Ortega
- Pacific Ocean
- Panama Canal
- Panama Canal Zone
- United States
Discussion Topics:
1. Ask your students what they know about China. (Students might say that China is the world’s third-largest country in area, behind only Russia and Canada; China is the world’s most populous country; Beijing is China’s capital and Shanghai is its largest city; China is a communist country; China is one of the world’s oldest countries, with a history that stretches over thousands of years.)
2. The Panama Canal is considered one of the world’s greatest engineering achievements. Ask your students what other great engineering feats they can name. (Students might say the Channel Tunnel; the Great Wall of China; the International Space Station; the Pyramids; various skyscrapers.)
3. Ask your students to debate, “With enough support, engineers can conquer any obstacle in the natural world.”
4. Ask your students to use the World Book’s Timelines feature to create a timeline of the Panama Canal. (Students may wish to use World Book’s Panama Canal article for help.)