Carolyn C. Smith
The Connecticut Valley
Objectives
The students will be able to:.
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1. Discuss faulting and note what effect this type of movement has on the surface of the earth.
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2. Identify the divisions of the state of Connecticut and locate the city of New Haven.
Vocabulary
fault, uplift, outcrop, pressure, sediment, valley, and erosion
Materials Needed:.
U. S. map, outline map of the state of Connecticut, pencil, and crayolas.
Procedures
Introduce the state of Connecticut and have the students locate the area on the U. S. map. Discuss the periods of the earth’s history and point out the Mesozoic Era focusing attention on the three periods, especially the Triassic Period.
Explain the Triassic Fault and what happened to the state as a result of this break. (Have the students draw the divisions of the state on their map outline and label them.)
Questions for Discussion
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1. In what part of the United States is Connecticut found?
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2. What chain of mountain is located on the east coast?
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3. How can these mountains affect us?
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4. What is a valley and how are they formed?
Related Activities
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1. The students can make a model of the state showing their distinctive divisions.
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2. The students can write creative stories describing what the area would have been like if the fault had not occurred.
Field Trips
Contact the local Parks and Recreation Department and arrange for a speaker to come in to talk with the students. Also arrange a walk of East Rock Park or West Rock Park.