Dirty Little Secrets Educational Resources

In the program, Dirty Little Secrets: Foundations from the Past , PBS 45 & 49 takes a look at the history of the building of Tower City in Cleveland. Questions about how to support such a structure were paramount in the process. This Web site gives information specifically about how Lake Erie was formed and the part it played in determining the structure of the building. The Terminal Tower is looked at specifically and the core samples that were used to determine the strength of the land below the building have been saved and are currently available at Cleveland State. (One display is also highlighted at the entrance to the Science Museum in downtown Cleveland.)

Three hands-on lesson plans are available to go along with the video. The first is a scavenger hunt that has students searching for information about Lake Erie. The second is a simulation of core samples using cupcakes with different colored layers. The third shows the students how they can model a glacier.

Lake Erie

Terminal Tower

Core Samples

Lesson Plans

Download the Educational Resoures (PDF File)