Students will imagine what it would be like to operate a plane, train, or truck along a trade route across the United States. They will also look at maps of major U.S. transportation networks and will explain how specific products might get from one place to another.

Geography, social studies, economics

Standard 11: "The patterns and networks of economic interdependence on Earth's surface"

One to two hours

• Road atlas
• Airplane timetable
• Map of railroad routes

Students will

• discuss major types of transportation used in trade;
• explain how specific products might get from place to place in the United States, referring to a map of major transportation networks;
• discuss what it would be like to operate a plane, train, or truck; and
• write stories or draw pictures showing themselves operating a plane, train, or truck across the United States.

Ask students to state the types of transportation they think would be used to get products from place to place within the United States. They will probably mention airplanes, trains, and trucks.

Show students maps of the major transportation networks in the United States. Locate major interstates on a road atlas, major plane routes in an airline timetable, and railroad routes at the U.S. Guide to the Union Pacific Railroad.

Have them explain how specific products might get from place to place. For example, ask them how:

• artichokes might get from central California to Chicago;
• pineapples might get from Hawaii to Seattle; and
• oranges might get from Florida to Texas.

Ask students to discuss and/or list what they think would be the best and worst things about each method of transportation. For example, an airplane is fast but can't carry as much weight as a train.

Ask students to imagine that they’re in charge of transporting products from one point to another in the United States. What would it be like to operate a plane, train, or truck? What places would they like to go? Discuss their answers as a class.

Have each student choose one method of transportation (plane, train, or truck). Ask them to write stories pretending they are in charge of transporting products from one point to another in the United States using this method of transportation. Where would they go? What would they carry? What would it be like to operate the plane, train, or truck?

To enhance their stories, help them figure out what types of products they might realistically transport to another part of the country. For example, the fruits and vegetables listed above, coal from Colorado, or cars from Michigan. Younger students can draw pictures of themselves doing these jobs rather then writing the stories.

Have the class read the story in the Lizzie's Morning activity, or read it to them. Have students point out the places mentioned in this story on a class wall map and tape pieces of red construction paper onto each place so that the entire class can easily see all the places in the story. Or have students label these places on blank outline maps, available at the Xpeditions Atlas, as you or their classmates take turns pointing them out on the wall map.

National Geographic: Xpeditions ActivityLizzie's Morning