The shape of land and water are impacted by both natural forces and human development

How have natural waterways shaped life in early Philadelphia and how did people end up  impacting them during the industrial age ? 

In this learning activity students will examine how freshwater streams and creeks in Philadelphia had a major role to play in its earliest human settlement for fishing, transportation, power and, by 1800, the source of fresh and clean drinking water.   

As Philadelphia’s  population increased exponentially throughout the 1800s,as the city became an industrial manufacturing “powerhouse”,  these flowing freshwater streams became conveyors of industrial and human waste, and eventually a clogged, putrid public health hazard. The solution? To  encapsulate the polluted streams in pipes, bury them under level landfill and build the row house city we know today. 

We will explore in Day 7, 8, and 9 this arc of pollution, the consequences to the shape of the city that resulted . When your students the chance to examine actions and consequences when they model an upstream downstream they will discover that there is no such thing as away.

As a class, brainstorm examples of what a primary source is and how it is used to study the past.  Now compare primary sources to secondary sources and  consider the benefits of using both as part of their evidence gathering about Philadelphia’s past.

To help your students focus on the power moving water has to shape land, have students give examples from what they have studied of places where water has changed the landscape (Grand Canyon, erosion on stream banks, floods, etc). Share with students that water can have an impact on our local area as well.

Students will engage in a Think, Pair, Share to practice their context clues and observation skills analyzing primary and secondary source artifacts related to land and water in Philadelphia. The artifacts are included as images and documents in the unit slide deck.

The Think, Pair, Share involves students working in small groups examining Exhibits (artifacts) and drawing conclusions to prompts and questions provided on a note-taking template.

There are two slide decks available for this activity. One has the primary source images with no explanation.This slide deck may be used for the students to do their initial analysis of the images and documents.

The second copy has the same images with notes and explanations available to the students describing the images. Use this deck when bringing the class together to

SLIDE DECK without explanations

SLIDE DECK with explanations

Two suggested methods for implementing this activity:

1) As a class, present an image and have students observe closely and write their findings on the note-taking template.

Students examine an artifact for 2 minutes (you may modify the time as needed) while capturing their observations. They then click to the next exhibit and the process continues.

2) Have students work in pairs or individually using the slide deck on their own. After two minutes, ask students to click to the next image. You may decide how many rotations the students will complete. Students do not need to see every exhibit.

At the end of the rotations, bring the class together to discuss their thoughts.

Use the Slide Deck with Explanations to help guide the discussion of findings.

After all of the images have been reviewed, wrap up the activity by coming back to the related to the question:

How did the natural waterways shape Philadelphia?

Have students use the exhibit artifacts to present their evidence to support their claims.

In the previous learning activity you may have looked at a topographical map of the area around your school. A topographical map shows us the changes in elevation that impact the movement of water. Now let’s look at a historical map of your school that shows the creeks and streams before your the built environment was transformed (paved over and built up) .

To view a historical map of your school  visit:  https://www.philageohistory.org/tiles/viewer/

• Enter your school address in the Find Address box on the top right menu.
• Click GO
• A map of your school with a lot of information will be displayed. To remove the informational layers,  UNCHECK  Modern Street Labels and any other map layers that are checked.
• CHECK the box next to c.1750 Philadelphia.  This map will show you the streams and creeks that were in the area of your school.
  • If the c.1750 map does not show your school, uncheck that layer and check the  1808 Philadelphia v2  or 1808 Philadelphia and Vicinity

Click on the 4 arrows button in the lower right corner to open up the zoom controls. This will allow you to get a close look at your school location and the creeks and streams nearby.