Lesson 3: A Route to the Sea The Midwest has access to the 5 great lakes and

many rivers that connect OR have been connected Waterways make traveling or moving things on water

easy The fresh water of the great lakes is very valuable to

the US Locks and Canals connect many waterways The St. Lawrence Seaway links the Great Lakes to the

St. Lawrence River and then to the oceans. You can get anywhere from the middle of the USA!

The Great Lakes From largest to smallest they are:

• Lake Superior--The largest freshwater lake in the world• Lake Huron• Lake Michigan• Lake Erie• Lake Ontario

18,000 years ago glaciers covered the Midwest. • As they moved across the land they gouged enormous

holes in the land. • The glaciers melted and filled these giant holes with water.• This is how the Great Lakes were formed.

The Great Lakes

H. O. M. E. S. Remember HOMES to name the Great Lakes H Huron O Ontario M Michigan E Erie S Superior

You can get from the middle of North America to any ocean using the interconnected rivers and lakes of the St. Lawrence Seaway. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbE2-TzWdzY 10 min 54 sec

The St. Lawrence Seaway

Rivers Midwest has many lakes and rivers

Ohio River forms the boundary between the Midwest and Southeast

Ohio River flows into the Mississippi River

Missouri River is the largest tributary of the Mississippi River

Ohio River

St. Lawerence Seaway

The waterways created

By connecting the large rivers of the Mississippi, Ohio and Missouri, we can get from the great lakes to the

Gulf of Mexico

Mississippi River

Missouri RiverOhio River

Locks A lock is a gated part of a canal or river. Between the gates, water can be raised or lowered to allow for a boat to move from bodies of water with different water depths. Its like an elevator for

boats! Genius! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfWy

Bz5bHj8

(54sc)

Barges

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCEJqqrprC8

Barges are very large, shallow bottomed boats. They are used to move goods through the great lakes and along the big rivers. There are PROS and CONS of using barges.

PROYou can move A LOTIts Green. Little pollution a result of bargesIts cheap CONIts slowIts not door to door

Summarizing the lesson…. Let’s review what we’ve learned!!!!