Overview of Lesson		Body of Lesson - Procedure & Assessment
Connection to the Curriculum,Standards and Skills		Activity One and Student Assessment
Grade Level		Activity Two and Student Assessment
Purpose of Lesson		Activity Three and Student Assessment
Primary Geographic Question		Assessment of Lesson
Secondary Questions		References
Materials

Overview of the Lesson

The eyes of our nation turned to Muscle Shoals as it became an industrial utopia as the Tennessee Valley Authority built dams, gained control of miles and miles of the raging Tennessee River, and began to generate electricity.

Geography Standards

Standard 11:  The patterns and networks of economic interdependence on Earth’s surface.

Standard 18:  How to apply geography to interpret the present and plan for the future.

Alabama Course of Study:  Social Studies Content Standards (Grade 7)

Standard 17:  Relate economic activity of a region within its goegraphic context.

Standard 19:   Discuss major industries in the United States from the perspective of how geography and the factors of production helped determine the locations of manufacturing plants.

Geographic Skills

Organize and analyze information to determine geographic factors influencing plant locations.

Grade 7

To analyze maps, resource material, make a list and develop a Venn diagram of factors that determine plant locations.

What factors influenced the Ford motor Company and the Mercedes automobile companies to locate plants in Alabama?

How do natural resources influence plant location?

How do tax incentives influence plant location?

How do human factors influence plant location?

• Chart Paper
• Markers
• Resources
• Teacher-made printed handout
• Alabama Maps (Political, Physical)

Activity One

Secondary Question # 1:  How do natural resources influence plant location?

• Divide the class into two groups.  give each group chart paper, markers, and the teacher-made handout from resources.
• Have one group research Ford Motor Company and the other group research Mercedes Automobile Company.
• Have the students to read the information and look for geographic reasons for plant location.
• Have each group construct a list of reasons for plant location.

Assessing Student Learning: Activity One

Groups will then include both lists to draw a Venn diagram on the chalkboard indicating the natural resources that influenced plant location.

Activity Two

• Secondary Question # 2:  How do tax incentives influence plant location?
• Tell students the information they will need to complete this activity is found in their reference materials and handout.
• Have each group discuss if tax incentives influenced these plant locations.  Remind students to focus on how much and if other abatements were considered.

Assessing Student Learning: Activity Two

Have one group focus on Ford Motor Company and draw a bar graph to indicate specific amounts of tax incentives and the other group focus on Mercedes to do the same.

Activity Three

• Secondary Question #3:  How do human factors influence plant location?
• Tell students to work as a whole group to look at the similarities and differences of how human factors such as manpower, skilled tradesman, and community involvement influenced plant location.
• Tell students to predict how industrial growth will change the living standards of the surrounding areas.
• Have students study the exact locations of these automobile plants on an Alabama map.  Use political and physical maps if possible.

Assessing Student Learning: Activity Three

Have students write a paragraph each describing the human factors analyzing the information

Have the students draw an Alabama map and label the locations of Ford and Mercedes.

Ford Motor Company

http://web2.searchbank.com/infotrac/session/413/372/1337051w1/22!fullart

Ford Sheffield Retirees Book (1998)

Norrell, Robert J., (1993)  The Alabama Story:  State History and Geography.  The Yellowhammer Press.

Ford, Henry. (1988)  Today and Tomorrow.  Productivity Press