Teaching
Ideas
Areas that are available: City Point’ fair for observing a sandy beach and tidal land; West Haven Beach, good for sandy beach and marsh land, also showing some tidal animals and plants along the jetties; Lighthouse Park Beach, good; Killams Point in Branford, showing
sandy beach, tidal pools and salt marsh, excellent. More areas will be mapped out and examined during the coming year.
Schooner, Inc. has a research sailing vessel that is excellent for studying the harbor and Utilizing curriculum materials in environmental studies, learning research techniques and also acquiring navigation and sailing skills. We are very fortunate to have the vessel,
J
.
N
.
Carter
, for the unique experience it offers students and teachers. Contact, Schooner, Inc., 60 Water Street, New Haven, Connecticut.
References
Zinn, Donald J. 1973.
A Handbook for Beach Strollers
. University of Rhode Island, Marine Bulletin #12. $3.00. Order from: Marine Advisory Service, URI, Narragansett Bay Campus, Narragansett, RI. 02882. An excellent reference book, very readable. The New Haven Colony Historical Society on Whitney Ave. has a very interesting book on the Maritime History of New Haven, called
Shallops
,
Sloops
, and
Sharpies
($2.50). For those interested in the study of land use, write to the Coastal Area Management Program, Dept. of Environmental Protection, 71 Capitol Ave., Hartford, Conn. O6115.
Books for Students
There are many historical and historical fiction books about American ships and sailors between 1750 and 1900. This material is geared to all age levels and interests. Some of the authors are: Kenneth Roberts, Jack London, Herman Melville, C. S. Forester, Jules Verne, Thor Heyerdahl, Ernest Hemmingway, to name a few. To introduce younger students, I recommend three books:
Pagoo
, by Holling, a classic about a hermit crab;
Thy
Friend
,
Obadiah
, a story about a herring gull;
The
Crab
From
Yesterda
y, by John F. Waters, a story about the horseshoe crab, a living fossil.
Music and Art
The chanty was very important to the life of a sailor. This bit of folk music told many a tale of the sea or the longing for home.
American Sea Songs and Chanties
by Frank Shay is an excellent source. There are two craft forms that sailors did to pass the long days of sea voyages. Macrame is the fine art of tying knots to make a variety of things. There are many craft books on the subject. Whaling sailors would etch into whalebone and make many beautiful designs by rubbing ink into the grooves that were made in the ivory. m e book,
Scrimshaw
, by Leslie Linsley explains
this delicate art in detail. Another form of art originally done by the Japanese is called Gyotaku; it is simply a rubbing of a previouslypainted whole fish that is pressed onto rice or construction paper. Making mobiles from materials gathered on the beach is very effective. The book,
Guide for Mobiles: Experiments
with Balance and Making Constructions
, Webster Division, McGrawHill Book Co., New York, is most helpful.
Job Opportunities
Besides trips to the Coast Guard or speakers from the Navy or National Fisheries in Milford, other people can talk to the students about their marineassociated jobs. A very good booklet,
MarineRelated Occupations; A Primer for High School Students
, by Prentice K. Stout and Sara Callaghan is available from the University of Rhode Island, Marine Advisory Service Narragansett Bay Campus, Narragansett, R.I. 02882, by asking for Marine Memorandum # 41.
Marine Aqua
r
ia
Ocean in Your Classroom
, by Barbara S. Waters. Cape Cod Extension Service, Railroad Ave., Barnstable, MA. 02630. This Is highly recommended as an easy way to get started with an aquarium. ($1.25).