Lesson Plans By Unit

Students will research how the development of roadways such as the New York State Thruway and the Palisades Parkway affected the economic development of Rockland County from the 1960s to the present. Students will present information in a PowerPoint presentation.

Objectives:

• Students will compare current maps with maps from the 1960s.
• Students will research how businesses have been affected by the development of Rockland County's roadway infrastructure.
• Students will locate photographs, articles and conduct interviews.
• Students will identify the positive and negative effects modern roadways have had on local businesses.
• Students will create presentations of materials which document how roadway development affected the economy of Rockland County.

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Students select a nearby community and analyze how it is connected to the larger region by waterways, railways and bridges. They explore how the Tappan Zee Bridge has affected their chosen community, Rockland County as a whole, and surrounding counties. Students examine aesthetic, physical, political, social and economic changes and analyze both positive and negative impacts.

This unit could be used to study the effects of other transportation connectors on other Hudson Valley areas: the Mid-Hudson Bridge, Newburgh-Beacon Bridge, New York State Thruway, and Route 6 extension into Orange County, for example.

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Students will investigate the relationships between industry, economy, population and transportation systems in Rockland County.

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Students will use primary sources to create document based questions about the effects of the Tappan Zee Bridge and the New York State Thruway on the Hudson Valley.

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