Back in 2014 I presented this lesson to the boys and girls classes comparing our state of Ohio to the Czech Republic. In any type of instruction if you can relate the lesson to something your audience is familiar with that lesson becomes more meaningful. I placed four large maps before the class, one each of Ohio, USA, Czech Republic and Europe. I asked them to share with the class anything they could tell us about what they saw, that started us out. We continued to point out bordering states or countries, capital cities, the Cuyahoga and Vltava rivers. I pointed out that the capital city of Prague is where Sokol was founded and that our founders pictures were posted here on the walls of our gym. We ended the lesson with naming the continents that Ohio and Czech Republic were on. After reviewing this lesson I thought I’d prepare some facts for the Junior and Senior classes, I’ll ask a volunteer to give a brief account of the beginnings of Sokol in the Czech Republic and in the USA. At this time I’ll present facts on population, geographical size, agriculture, industry and natural resources of Ohio and the Czech Republic.
Population
Ohio-11.5 million
Czech Republic-10.7 million
Area
Ohio-40,948 sq. Miles
Czech Republic-30,450 sq. Miles
Agriculture
Ohio-top producer of Swiss cheese,3rd in egg production in USA, 6th in soybeans, 9th in corn
Czech Republic-winter wheat, barley, potatoes, sugar beets, hops, hay fodder, 54% of the total land in the CZ. Is used for agriculture purposes
Industry
Ohio-produces 15% of the raw steel, is important in production of plastics, rubber, fabricating, metal and electrical equipment, medical research, aerospace, defense and bio tech Czech Republic-largest industry is automotive, machinery, iron and steel production, metallurgy, chemical, electronics, transportation, textile, glass and pharmaceuticals
Natural Resources
Ohio-coal,natural gas, rock salt, fertile soil Czech Republic-timber, hard and soft coal, graphite, clay, garnets( is a gem stone and its’ abrasive nature makes it ideal for industrial applications
Additional Ohio Facts
Fortune 500 companies based in Ohio: Proctor and Gamble, marathon Petroleum, Nationwide and Progressive Insurance, Goodyear Tire and Rubber, First Energy.
I’ll end with this bit of trivia. Maybe as a kid you had a Duncan Yo-yo. The Duncan Yo-yo is manufactured in Middlefield, Ohio, Geauga County. In the late 1920’s business man Donald F. Duncan bought the rights to the name Yo-yo. From the 1930s through the 1960s the Duncan Yo-yo Company sold 85% of all yo-yos sold in the USA.In 1968 Duncan Yo-yo was Purchased by Flambeau Products Corp.
References
www.heritage.org>index>country>czechrepublic
www.britannica.com>place>economy
www.development.ohio.gov>files>research
www.britannica.com>place>ohio>state
www.britannica.com>countriesofthe world
www.agriculturejournals.cz>publicFiles
www.ohiolivestock.org
www.ohiohistorycentral.org/w/Whirligig
www.ohiowins.com>yo-yos