Geography Quest: Great Lakes Watershed & The St. Lawrence Seaway

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Watersheds were so much fun last week, I thought it would be fun to continue with that theme. This time we’ll have a look at The Great Lakes & St. Lawrence River in the US and Canada and talk about the water there.

I’ll post a series of questions today for you and your students to investigate and then I’ll post some answers and facts on Friday.

Investigating the Geology of The Great Lakes

• Find out how The Great Lakes were formed.
• Where and how do The Great Lakes flow? Or are they self-contained? (hint)
• What water sources feed The Great Lakes?
• Can we control the level (water depth) of The Great Lakes? How and Why would we want to do this?
• What national landmark, carrying 37.4 million gallons of water per minute (when some is diverted for power), is found between Lake Erie and Lake Ontario?
• Find out other facts about this national landmark (Niagara Falls). I’ll share some with you next time.

People and Places of The Great Lakes and St. Lawrence

• Read biographical sketches of ship captains of the Great Lakes. You may find someone you want to learn more about.
• Find out about the lore of a Great Lake. We get a regional magazine which had a story this spring about shipwrecks on Lake Ontario.
• What are some famous shipping ports on the Great Lakes?

What do you know about the St. Lawrence Seaway?

• What is the St. Lawrence Seaway? You might like this website about the Seaway System.
• What bodies of water make up the St. Lawrence Seaway?
• Name the route of the Seaway. Where does it start and end? (Seaway Map)
• What is the purpose of the St. Lawrence Seaway? Who uses it?
• You can take a look at the map and see what vessels are currently in transit. This is helpful to see ships when they enter a lock.
• Visit this site to learn about the history of the Seaway. (this page has lots of links for learning all sorts of things and there is a book list!)
• How does a lock work to get ships through the Seaway?
• Nautical charts– are available. See if you can find one for the St. Lawrence Seaway (these online versions do not meet the requirements for the charts boats must carry).

Wandering around the Seaway System website is a treasure trove for a curious person. See what your kids can discover. Tell us about it!

Enjoy your look at The Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway. Next time I’ll share some pictures along with some facts and answers.

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The maps shown here are WonderMaps by Bright Ideas Press. They are customizable because you only put the features on the map that you want to focus on for that lesson or activity.