Skills
Within the context of several mini-inquiries, students will develop and refine their map reading skills, practice asking questions, and work to make connections by identifying patterns in history, cause and effect relationships, and explaining the connections between past and present. To do this we will use a variety of maps of New Haven and the surrounding area to observe change over time. By identifying aspects of the landscape that did not change (East, West, and Mill Rock as well as the West, Mill and Quinnipiac Rivers) we can better observe patterns followed in the growth of the city and modification of natural features. The goal is to recognize the way topography literally shapes cities.
Recognizing that many of our students rely on GPS and have not actively used physical maps as a means to navigate, let alone as a rich historical source, we will be start with simple maps with limited information. Fortunately, the earliest maps we have of New Haven, based on the grid of the original nine squares, are relatively simple and easy to use. We will use this grid, centered on the Green as a way to connect all the maps we use, including digital maps and satellite imagery. This also offers the benefit of being able to “layer” several maps over one another and observe changes over time.
A second major skill focuses on primary source analysis, utilizing both images and text. Students will identify place names, specific events, and decisions about land use in connection with the maps and documents that they are. Connecting our text-based sources and maps with the physical world also can complicate our understanding of both the documents and the places under study. Ultimately students will use primary sources as source material in their inquiries and, as we approach the last piece in the unit, in support of the specific action or actions they are proposing.
Lastly, and most ambitiously, students will practice the skill of reading the landscape with an eye towards observing patterns, and making connections between the sources we use in class and the places we visit in the field.
Content
Students will be able to identify and describe the major landforms that shape New Haven and have largely determined the way in which the city has grown.
Students will be able to identify, describe and assess the changes made to the natural environment as New Haven grew. This includes both the specific narrow focus on the Mill River, and the larger area including changes to the harbor, coastline, and surrounding wetlands.
Students will be able to identify, describe and assess changes to the built environment of the city of New Haven, focusing on the industrialization of the waterfront.
