Overview:

This lesson is designed to apply the idea of sustainability to a current problem occurring in the hometown of my students.  At this time, the residents of the city of Stillwater and nearby communities use the Stillwater Bridge to cross the St. Croix River into Wisconsin.  The bridge is heavily traveled by Minnesota and Wisconsin residents.  The Eastside of the bridge comes into downtown Stillwater and the Westside of the bridge comes into the small town of Houlton, Wisconsin.  Interstate 94 crosses the river approximately 8 miles south of this location and is a heavily traveled interstate. 

The Stillwater Bridge is badly in need of repair.  In addition, the increasingly heavy traffic levels on the bridge are threatening the durability and lifespan of the bridge.  City official on both sides of the river and the MN Department of Transportation for years have been negotiating a solution.  Many plans for a new bridge have been proposed, but no clear cut solution has been made.  The latest news reports state that a new bridge will be built, but no final plans have been agreed upon. 

My hope is that students will look at the many sides of this issue with the specific idea of sustainability in mind and will come up with their own proposals to the city council.

Objectives:

Students will write up a proposed solution to the Bridge issue that takes into account sustainability.

Grade Level: 7-8

Time: 2-3 days

Subjects: Geography

Required Materials

Power Point

Poster Board

Pen/pencil

Paper

Prerequisites:

Prior reading of newspaper articles on the issue.

Optional Technologies:

Suggested Procedure (Pedagogy):

Opening:

Have students define the word “sustainability” from off the top of their heads.  Discuss their answers.

Finally, have them write the following definition in their notebooks:  Sustainability- the effort to improve the present living situation in ways not to jeopardize the lives of future generations.  The focus of the idea is on improvement, not preservation or conservation.

Development:

Ask a student or two to recap the issue of the Stillwater Bridge.  After the clear issue has been stated have students discuss possible solutions to the problem.  List the possible solutions on the chalkboard.  After ample time has been given to brainstorming, now throw in the idea of sustainability.  Ask students to defend their list and chose which ideas are sustainable ideas and which are not.  Discuss the issues in terms of why they were chosen and why they were deleted.

Next, split the class into groups of 4 people each.  Have each group write up a proposal that they think solves the issue and also keeps the idea of sustainability in check.  Students may use new ideas, or ideas that have been proposed by past bridge planners.  Students should include a map.  The important part is that students can answer the following questions with favorable answers:

1. Is your proposal practical?  Can it be done?
2. Who does your proposal affect?  How many homes or business will need to be torn down?
3. What sort of plans will the city need to make to accommodate your plan?  Will traffic need to be rerouted? Will businesses lose or gain profits? 
4. Is your proposal within the guidelines of the scenic river laws?
5. How will your proposal affect the environment?
6. If the city does not accept your proposal, what consequences will the city of Stillwater face in 20 years?  Can they live without your proposal?
7. Thinking about sustainability, what is the most responsible solution?
8. What will happen to western Wisconsin?  Will the small towns of Houlton and Somerset need to plan for expansion?
9. Will your plan make the population more mobile?  Is that a good thing in the long run?
10. Will your proposal change the distribution of the population?  Will Stillwater become more suburban than exurban?  What about Houlton and Somerset, WI?
11. Does you plan take into consideration the distribution of wealth and poverty?  What areas will be affected by your proposal?

Closing:

Using either poster board or Power Point, the groups should present their plan to the class acting as if they were actually giving this presentation to the city council and mayor.

Differentiation:

Student Activity----Online:

Suggested Assessments:

Groups will be graded on how favorable their proposals would be to the actual city council.  Students will be judged on the professionalism of the presentation, the overall quality measured by the issue of sustainability and the believability of the actual proposal.

Resource Bar

Definitions:

Sustainability- The effort to improve the present living situation in ways not to jeopardize the lives of future generations. 

Standards:

National Geographic’s 1,2,3- The World in Spatial Terms; 9,11,12- Human Systems; 14- Environment and Society; 16- The Uses of Geography

Web Links for Teachers and Students:

Discussion Questions:

1. What ideas took into account future generations?
2. Which ideas have the least impact on the environment?
3. Did any of the proposals make all sides in the argument happy?
4. Do you think the proposals would be different if we lived in Houlton or Somerset?
5. What immediate problems are we going to face in the city during the construction of a new bridge?
6. What types of planning should the city do for the short term?

Extension Activities:

Students may want to select a group from their class to set up a meeting with the mayor to discuss their ideas.

Credits

Elizabeth Peloquin

8^th Grade Geography/7^th Grade History

Stillwater Jr. High

523 West Marsh Street

Stillwater, MN  55082

651-351-6945

peloquine@stillwater.k12.mn.us