Geographic Alliance of Iowa

COMPARING THREE WORLD HERITAGE SITES:
THE TAJ MAHAL, THE GREAT WALL,
AND THE STATUTE OF LIBERTY
By Natasha Cooper and Kathy Sundstedt

Inquiry Questions:
What does it mean to be a world heritage site?
How does the selection occur?
How are the Taj Mahal, Great Wall, and Statue of Liberty similar and different?

Objective:
To be aware of similarities and differences between these three places.

Standards:
Standard 6: How culture and experience influence people's perceptions of places and regions.
Standard 10: The characteristics, distribution, and complexity of Earth's cultural mosaics.

Theme:
Location: United States, India, and China
Place: Statue of Liberty, Taj Mahal, and China

Multiple Intelligences:
Verbal/Linguistic
Interpersonal
Intrapersonal

Materials:
Blank Places form
Pieces cut up that fit inside Venn diagram

Activity:
Approximately 1 class period

1. Talk about what it means to be a world heritage site and how sites are selected by visiting the following web sites.

http://whc.unesco.org/nwhc/pages/doc/mainf3.htm
http://www.worldheritagesite.org/

2. Put students in groups of four. Pass out a copy of the blank places organizer form for each group.

3. Pass out cut out pieces so students can put the correct pieces in the correct box.

4. Pass out a three way venn diagram and have students complete it in their groups.

5. Them have a class discussion comparing the various venn diagrams in the class.