This lesson will focus on our maritime heritage by having students explore the shipwrecks of the Monitor and Thunder Bay national marine sanctuaries. Students will explore the history of the Monitor National Marine Sanctuary through video footage and an interview. They will consider the importance of preserving this wreck for future generations. They will then research maritime history of Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary, focusing on the cultural and historical importance of shipwrecks in the bay. Lastly, students will choose one of the eight Thunder Bay shipwrecks that could be considered for national landmark status and develop a persuasive argument for why their chosen wreck should be granted this status.

Students will focus on Olympic Coast, Cordell Bank, Gulf of the Farallones, Monterey Bay and Channel Islands national marine sanctuaries. The lesson is one in a series supported by National Geographic's Oceans for Life community.

For a deeper exploration of shipwrecks, you may wish to start with the related lesson Shipwrecks of the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary.

This lesson is one in a series exploring the history, biology, and ecology of the National Marine Sanctuaries. It was developed for National Geographic's Oceans for Life program, in collaboration with and with support from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Geography, history, social studies, language arts

Standard 1: "The physical and human characteristics of places"
Standard 17: "How to apply geography to interpret the past"

Ocean Literacy: Essential Principles and Fundamental Concepts (PDF, Adobe Reader required)

• Principle 1: Earth has one big ocean with many features.
• Principle 6: The ocean and humans are inextricably linked.

National Science Education Standards:

• A: Science as Inquiry: "Use appropriate tools and techniques to gather, analyze, and interpret data."

• A: Science as Inquiry: "Develop descriptions, explanations, predictions, and models using evidence."

• G: History and Nature of Science: "Science as a Human Endeavor. Women and men of various social and ethnic backgrounds—and with diverse interests, talents, qualities, and motivations—engage in the activities of science, engineering, and related fields such as the health professions. Some scientists work in teams, and some work alone, but all communicate extensively with others."

Two hours

• Computer with Internet access
• Maps of Thunder Bay and Monitor national marine sanctuaries
• Seating arrangement: whole-class instruction and small-group activities
• Maximum number of students: no limit
• Keywords: national landmark, landmark status, shipwreck, maritime heritage, heritage, national marine sanctuary, marine protected area
• Preparation: preview video clips, print map/other materials

Students will:

• explain the historical significance of shipwrecks as national landmarks, in a persuasive essay, according to the evaluation criteria; and
• explain the criteria and significance of listing Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary shipwrecks as national historical landmarks, in a persuasive essay, according to the evaluation criteria.

Ask students to tell about any famous landmarks they have visited. Then ask students how they would define "landmark," and discuss national landmarks. Write definition ideas on the board and discuss. Point out the difference between a landmark that simply defines a particular place (such as hills dividing two cities, or a big rock marking a place) and a national landmark that has historical and cultural significance. To further illustrate this, ask students to fill in a chart on the board (two columns—"landmark," and "not a landmark") with ideas for each column. As an alternative to having students name landmarks, students may view some landmarks in their region by visiting the National Parks Service Web site and selecting a state/area from the pull-down menu.

After having students discuss landmarks they visited, break them into pairs or small groups to define landmarks. Have them brainstorm ideas and come up with a working definition in their group. They can also add examples of landmarks that do and do not fit their definitions. Bring the class back together to share their definitions and, from those, create a class definition that mirrors Webster's definition.

Next, ask students how landmarks might be selected. Students can go to the Questions about National Landmarks page to view responses to frequently asked questions about the process of getting a place listed as a national landmark. Then ask students why it is important to preserve these places. Ask students to consider a well-known landmark (the White House or Alcatraz, for example) and discuss why this place qualifies as a landmark and why its preservation is important.

Hold a whole class discussion about how cultural/historical landmarks are selected. Brainstorm ideas and then have student pairs investigate the Web site above, paying close attention to questions 1–3, 12, and 18, as those pertain to their assessment at the end of the lesson.

Explain to students that there are eight shipwrecks in Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary that could be considered for national landmark status. Have students review the main criteria established by the National Park Service for such a designation.

For a more in depth understanding of shipwrecks, first have students view the video that accompanies the lesson Shipwrecks of the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary. Next, have students watch the video developed for this lesson exploring the shipwrecks of the Monitor and Hunley. Then, have students view a few online images and video footage of shipwrecks in Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary and Monitor National Marine Sanctuary to become familiar with these two marine protected areas. Students may view a QuickTime slide show of the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary and can take a virtual tour of the Monitor shipwreck.

Discuss the cultural and historical significance of these two national marine sanctuaries. Also, have students review the following links to be able to answer the last two questions below:

Background and significance of shipwrecks
Shipwreck preservation

Break students into small groups and assign each group to focus on one of the eight shipwrecks in the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Ask and discuss the following questions:

• Where is the shipwreck?
• Where was the ship traveling from and to?
• Why did the ship sink where it did?
• How/why is this shipwreck historically significant?
• Why are people interested in preserving shipwrecks?
• What can we learn by studying a shipwreck? What can we learn about lifestyles, history, technology, and the people?

  Next, break students into small groups (or keep groups from previous activity) and assign each group one shipwreck in the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary to investigate further. The goal of the investigation is to evaluate how well the shipwreck meets the criteria for national landmark status. Students should review the criteria for designation.

  Student groups should take notes on the specific shipwreck using this notes format (PDF, Adobe Reader required) and decide how the selected shipwreck does (or does not) meet the criteria for national landmark status.

  After each group chooses their shipwreck, direct them to apply each criterion to the wreck. If they say the criterion is met by the vessel, have them explain their reasoning in their own words (not parroting aspects of the criteria language from the Web site). A suggested note-taking mechanism is at the end of the lesson. After the students have evaluated their vessel, have the class share their results. Ask each pair to choose the criteria best met by their shipwreck and share that with the class.

Tell students that they have just left college and have landed their first job with the National Marine Sanctuary Program. It is their job to convince others that the shipwreck they evaluated in the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary should become a national landmark and national monument due to its historical and cultural significance. In the persuasive argument, students should not only refer to the National Park Service criteria, but also to #12 and #18 on the Frequently Asked Questions webpage to highlight the benefits, both to the vessel and to the public, of designation. Also, students should include information about why shipwrecks are historically significant and what people can learn by preserving them. Students may create essays or short speeches to present their ideas. Remind students to keep the criteria in mind. Also, remind students that they are trying to persuade the selection committee to select that particular shipwreck.

This lesson plan was prepared by the National Geographic Society under award #NA04NOS4290216 from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce. The statements, findings, conclusions, and recommendations are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration or the Department of Commerce.

Evaluation of the persuasive essay/speech may be based on the following criteria:

• Accuracy of information and attention to detail about the shipwreck (including where it is, and why the ship went down where it did)
• Inclusion of the criteria for national landmark status
• Use of persuasive techniques to convince audience of opinions
• Ability to express the cultural and historical significance of the shipwreck and shipwreck preservation

• Have students explore the Great American Landmarks Adventure, where they can "travel" via time machine to 43 National Historic Landmarks.
  
• Students can explore the construction of the different ships and create drawings or models of one or more shipwrecks featured.
  
• Have students consider what method would be best for convincing people to grant national landmark status to a specific shipwreck. Would people respond best to a film, a dramatic play, or an article about the shipwreck? Have students write a short essay suggesting the best method for sharing their ideas.
  
• Have students choose one of the 8 shipwrecks and read the description of the history of the ship and information about its sinking. Next, have students select a few "key players" mentioned in the summary and decide whom they would cast as those characters if they were making a movie about the sinking.
  
• Using the Thunder Bay site, have students create a "treasure hunt" quiz in which they give coordinates and ask a fellow student to identify the shipwrecks at these locations.
  
• Have students research and apply National Landmark criteria to another shipwreck in Thunder Bay or to a west coast sanctuary shipwreck (via the Shipwreck Database). Have them create a brochure for the public highlighting interesting features of the wreck, how the wreck is different from a Great Lakes vessel (if using the west coast), and present the landmark criteria in an interesting and informative way.

NOAA: Monitor Shipwreck Tour
NOAA: Monitor National Marine Sanctuary
NOAA: Bridging Our Historic Past Through Shipwrecks
NOAA: National Marine Sanctuaries
NOAA: National Marine Sanctuary Program
NOAA: Shipwreck Database
NOAA: Shipwrecks of the Thunder Bay Region
NOAA: Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary
National Geographic EdNet: Oceans for Life
Shipwrecks—U.S. National Marine Sanctuaries
The Great Lakes Shipwreck File