Michigan Lighthouses
Eric Pobojewski
Central Michigan University

Introduction:

You and your team members are about embark on an expedition across the Great Lakes of Michigan.  Put on your captain's hat as we visit some of Michigan's wonderful lighthouses.  Lighthouses were an important part of Michigan's history.  Through this assignment you and your group will become experienced lighthouse researchers. Remember to keep tabs about your travels, as you will be reporting your findings to your classmates.
 

Task:  In order to become familiar with lighthouses, here are three questions that you need to answer and web links to help you.

• Why does Lake Michigan have the greatest number of lighthouses of all the Great Lakes?

• Develop a site of your own on which to place a lighthouse, and give reasons as to why you placed it there.

• Compare and contrast the lighthouses found along each of the Great Lakes.

The Process:
 

• Get into groups of two or three.
• Make a preliminary Internet search.
• Read the resources, looking for the information to answer the questions above.
• Answer the questions above.

Resources:
These resources may help you to discover more about lighthouses on the Great Lakes.
 Lighthouses of the Great Lakes
 Lighthouse Getaway

Treasure Hunt:
Work in small groups to answer this big question so you will have a better understanding of how and why lighthouses work.

The Big Question:  What do you think is the significance of the construction and location of most lighthouses?

• Describe a lighthouse?
• What are lighthouses commonly constructed of?
• Where are most lighthouses located.?
• Why are most lighthouses light colored?
• At what time was the first Michigan lighthouse built and where is it located?
• How are lighthouses currently staffed?

Evaluation:   Click on this link to visit our rubric

Conclusion:

As your adventure of the Great Lakes' lighthouses comes to an end, we hope you have learned and will take with you the valuable information about the Great Lakes lighthouses. We encourage you to share this inmformation with your peers and your family. Impress everyone with your newly found knowledge of these lighthouses.