Activity 1:

Have you ever gone to a park and your folks have told you not to go further than that tree or don't go further than that picnic table? These are natural borders. If we look at a physical map of New York City, let's start with Manhattan, some of its natural borders are the Hudson River, the East River, Harlem River, and New York harbor. When you go through the Lincoln Tunnel, there is a line representing the border between New York and New Jersey. We've crossed these borders on the highway. "Welcome to New Jersey". This is a man made border. Our government has decided this is where the line between this and that exists. What natural borders define the Bronx? New York is a unique state, because there are a number of natural borders that share our man-made borders between other states and Canada. Make a list of these natural borders, and what's on the other side.

Activity 2:

The southwestern states are not so well defined as New York is. Why? Let's look at a physical map. What landforms and bodies of water serve as natural borders and man-made borders? Make a list, including , what's on the other side. Where are the borders strictly man-made? Now, we might have fifty states, but you're responsible for coming up with the fifty-first. Don't offend Canada by taking a chunk of their country, it's ok to simply use our imaginations. However, our imaginations are going to be regulated by borders. First, draw your man made borders. Then, decide whick parts of that border will also be a natural border. Be sure to use a variety of types of landforms and bodies of water. then, name your state, as well as, it's capital city, and let's say, three major cities. For ideas, continue to look at physical maps of the United States and other countries.

Activity 3:

Imagine... Over the course of a short period of time, someone built a wall through your city, through your neighborhood, and now the other side of what that wall was another country into which you were not allowed to pass. you have friends and family, maybe even a brother, sister or parent, but you are not allowed to visit them. This seperation continues for nearly twenty-eight years. this happened in Berlin, Germany. the Berlin Wall is one of the most pointed examples of a man made border. Explore the following web site: http://www.wall-berlin.org/gb/berlin.htm Read and view the pictures. Try to get a sense for the situation that existed in Cold War Germany and, specifically, Berlin. Put yourself in their shoes and write a letter to a loved one that is on the other side. Imagine and write about how the border has disrupted and changed your lives. You may want to write a poem that focuses on the despair that some families and friends must have felt.

Activity 4:

Our country is built on the backs of immigrants. Borders, specifically, man-made, but also natural, greatly affeect and regulate the flow of immigrants into our country. In no other place is this a hotter topic than our border with Mexico. Take a look at a political and physical map f the United States. Identify the states that border Mexico. Identift the state that border Mexico. Three of the four are southwestern states. What is the definitive natural border that illegal Mexican immigrants must cross? Read Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan, Friends From the Other Side by Gloria Anzaldua, or Hector Lives In the United States Now by Joan Hewitt, and identify the sequence of events that takes the immigrants from Mexico to the United States. Create a flip book that illustrates each step, or use HyperStudio or PowerPoint to create a slide show

Activity 5:

Have you ever thought that it might be cool to draw buildings for a living? That's what an architect does. It's not quite that simple, because the actual construction of a building is based on the architects plan. You will need a pencil, a ruler, and graph paper, the bigger the better, to complete the next project. Imagine the view you would get of your school from a helicopter. This is called an aerial view. From this perspective, draw a plan of your school grounds. This would include the school itself, and any playgrounds, ball fields, and parking lots. What are the borders of your school? Make a list of natural and man-made borders that define your school. Be specific. Now, think of changes you would make. You may want to consider how you can make your school safer, or maybe a better place to play. Be imaginative, but it's imagination with a purpose. you've got a job to do!

Activity 6:

A political map's sole purpose is the representation of man-made bordrers, a capital city, and, maybe, other major cities. Access a computer libary, and enlarge a map of the southwestern states so that it takes up an entire page. Make a legend for the symbols you will use for major cities and the state capitals. use an atlas as a guide, and label these for each state on your map. If a river serves as a border, make sure to label it. Since this is a political map, choose four different colored pencils, and color each state.