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Lesson: The New York City Subway System

Brief Description

Students explore the New York City subway system as a link to the people and places of New York City.

Objectives

Students

  • learn about the subway system as a mode of transportation,
  • understand its importance and value,
  • study its history and compare it with the history of subway systems in other cities,
  • learn to recognize the different subway train destinations by their codes, and
  • learn to appreciate the subway as a means of connecting the varied groups living in the city.

Keywords

New York City, subway, transportation, map reading, history, time line, geography, community, current events

Materials Needed

  • chart paper
  • markers
  • computers with Internet access
  • construction paper
  • current magazines or newspapers
  • writing paper
  • pencils
  • poster board
  • KWL graphic organizer for each student

Lesson Plan

  • Begin a KWL graphic organizer by asking, "What do you know about the subway system? What do you want to know about the subway system?"
  • Show students a Map of New York City Subway System and ask: "If I'm traveling from Times Square and I want to reach the World Trade Center as quickly as possible, which train should I ride? Why?" Repeat the question several times, changing the arrival and departure points each time.
  • Have students make a time line of the New York City subway system using information from sites such as The MTA Transit Museum and New York City Subway Resources.
  • Have students compare and contrast the New York subway system with subway systems Around the World.
  • Look for current articles about the subway system in magazines, newspapers, or online. Discuss the articles with the class, or arrange students into small groups and have each group discuss a different article.
  • Have students write slogans, poems, essays, or journal articles about the subway and create subway posters.
  • Complete the KWL organizer by asking, "What did you learn about the New York City subway system?"

Activity Time

N/A

Assessment

Evaluate students on their participation in class discussions, their writings, and their subway art.

Lesson Plan Source

Raymundo V. De Jesus, ([email protected]) P.S. 154M, New York, New York


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Updated 1/17/2012