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Learning Activity: China's Three Gorges Dam

CNN STUDENT NEWS

(CNN Student News) -- Your students will learn about the history of the Three Gorges Dam and consider the pros and cons of this monumental project.

Procedure

Direct students to multimedia resources to learn about the history of the Three Gorges Dam project, and have them create a timeline of their findings. Next, have students conduct research to identify the benefits and drawbacks associated with building the dam. Instruct students to consider the following issues: energy generation, flood control, irrigation and the environmental, social, cultural and economic effects of the project. Then, divide your class into two groups to debate whether or not the Three Gorges Dam should have been built. Have students support their positions with visual aids, such as maps and diagrams. Following the debate, ask students: In your opinion, who stands to gain the most from the Three Gorges Dam? Who do you could experience the greatest loss?

Correlated Standards

Social Studies

Standard III: People, Places and Environments: Students will make informed and critical decisions about the relationship between human beings and their environment.

Standard VII: Production, Distribution and Consumption: Students will learn about how people organize for the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services.

Standard VIII: Science, Technology & Society: Students will examine the relationships among science, technology and society.

The Curriculum Standards for Social Studies (http://www.socialstudies.org/standards/) are published by the National Council for Social Studies (http://ncss.org/).

Keywords

Three Gorges Dam, China, Yangtze River, electricity, environment, hydropower, flooding, water quality

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