Using the Eduprotocol "Number Mania" to Explore the Panama Canal

One of my favorite ways to help students dive deeper into a topic is using the Number Mania EduProtocol . It’s a simple, effective strategy where students identify important numbers related to a topic and explain their significance. The best part? It gets students thinking critically and connecting details to the big picture.

Here’s how I used it in my middle school geography class after teaching about the Panama Canal:

After our lesson on the Panama Canal, students had two main resources: their lecture notes and a video guide from the TED-Ed video Demolition, Disease, and Death: Building the Panama Canal. I told students to use these resources to create their "By the Numbers" slide.

Each student worked independently to identify at least six significant numbers tied to the Panama Canal. These could be anything—from the year it was completed to the miles of the canal to the number of workers involved. The key was that they had to explain why each number mattered and how it related to the canal’s historical or geographical importance.

Once students had their numbers, they wrote short explanations for each one. For example, one student explained how the 48 miles of the canal saved weeks of travel for ships, transforming global trade. Another focused on how the high death toll during construction highlighted the challenges of disease and unsafe working conditions in tropical environments. Students were also required to incorporate images to accompany each of the numbers they used in their slide.

After completing their work, students submitted their responses, and I used select examples during a class discussion to highlight key themes and patterns. This allowed students to see the range of numbers others had chosen and make connections between their findings and the larger story of the Panama Canal.

Check out their work!