The First Turn, 1680-1720
Lesson 1: The Topography and Geology of Deerfield
Four 30 minute lessons, and additional time for student groups to work during general work time.
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| Key Content Ideas Taught in this Lesson and Teacher Background |
The town of Deerfield was established by English settlers on land that lies in a river valley, west of the Connecticut River, including the Pocumtuck Range and the Deerfield River. It is located in the bed of glacial lake Hitchcock, and includes fertile land and woodland areas.
For more information read:
Teacher Background Essay: Geology and Formation of New England
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| Intended Learning Outcomes |
Understandings:
1. Students will understand the topographical and geographical makeup of Deerfield.
2. Students will understand that the Massachusetts section of the Connecticut River Valley is located in the bed of glacial Lake Hitchcock, which contributes to its being a fertile valley.
Skills:
1. Students will be able to read and analyze topographical maps.
2. Students will be able to extract key information from articles.
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| In Preparation for Teaching |
1. Read key content ideas above and Teacher Background Essay: Geology and Formation of New England
2. Review Richard Little excerpts
3. Prepare maps and handouts. (U.S. Geological survey maps may be ordered online from the U.S.G.S. web site.)
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Primary and Secondary Sources:
1. Teacher Background Essay: Geology and Formation of New England
2. Two topographical maps: one of the Greenfield and Old Deerfield area, and one of the South Deerfield and Sugarloaf area, five copies of each blown up to 11"x 20 ", and laminated.
3. Individual copies of the map for students in 8"x14" size.
4. Packet with excerpted sections from Richard Little's books on geology of Connecticut River Valley:
Little, Richard D., Dinosaurs, Dunes, and Drifting Continents. Greenfield, Mass: Valley Geology Publications, 1984, pp 5, 61.
Little, Richard D., Exploring Franklin County - A Geological Guide. Greenfield, Mass: Valley Geology Publications, 1989, pp 31-37.
Other:
1. Individual student notebooks
2. Roll of paper to be used for large timeline
3. Three worksheets with questions for three sections from Richard Little's book
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| Activities |
Materials in Context |
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Activity 1
A. Topographical maps (thirty minutes)
(note: this lesson may be done online using the "Look Closer" feature to work with the maps. If working online, have students work in pairs.)
1. Divide students into groups of four.
2. Distribute laminated topographical maps to each group.
3. Instruct students to identify points of compass on map.
4. Instruct students to read map legend, noting scale (explain, as necessary).
5. Instruct students to identify highest and lowest points in Deerfield.
6. Instruct students to identify the Connecticut River and the Deerfield River.
7. Discuss with whole class where our school is situated in the town, and how the school and classroom are oriented (north, east, south, west). Ask students to locate the school on the topographical map.
8. Instruct students to summarize the information they have learned in their notebooks, completing this for homework.
9. Give students small copies of the topographical map and assign them the challenge of finding where their own homes and other places they know about are situated.
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Greenfield and Old Deerfield area topo map
South Deerfield and Sugarloaf area topo map
student notebooks
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Activity 2
B. Geologic Time and Lake Hitchcock (thirty minutes, plus extra time for step eight)
1. Distribute copies of excerpted sections from Richard Little's books.
2. Call attention to timeline on cover. Note how short a time humans have been on earth. Have students use the model of the outstretched arms and the hand to get an idea of the extension of all the time on earth.
3. Instruct students to read the second page of the packet introducing Lake Hitchcock, underlining important ideas and words that they need to know to understand what the page is about.
4. Ask for clarification of (or ask students to look up) the following vocabulary:
- ice lobe - a section of ice from a glacier left from the Ice Age
- delta - a flat-topped, sandy-gravel land form built as a stream flows into a lake or an ocean
- glacier - an extended mass of ice
- glacial lake - a lake formed when a glacier melted
- permeable - capable of being penetrated
- erode - wear away through the forces of nature
- spillway - a passageway through which surplus water escapes from a reservoir or a lake
5. Identify the spot on the map where Deerfield would eventually be.
6. Examine the map of the Old Deerfield area on the next page of the packet, comparing it to the topographical maps used in first session, and clarifying words such as "flood plain."
7. Instruct students to summarize the information about geological time and about Lake Hitchcock in their individual notebooks.
8. Form a committee of students to construct a geological timeline on long roll of paper.
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Little, Richard D., Dinosaurs, Dunes, and Drifting Continents. Greenfield, Mass: Valley Geology Publications, 1984, pp 5, 61.
Little, Richard D., Exploring Franklin County - A Geological Guide. Greenfield, Mass: Valley Geology Publications, 1989, pp 31-37.
student notebooks
roll of paper for timeline
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Activity 3
C. A Drive Through Lake Hitchcock (thirty minutes)
1. Explain to students that they will be taking an imaginary drive through Lake Hitchcock. Instruct students to read the section of the packet, "Site 7: A Drive Through Lake Hitchcock," underlining what they think are the most important parts.
2. [Optional] Instruct students to find the elements described in the "Road Log" on their Map of Old Deerfield (see activity 2, above).
3. Distribute Worksheet 1 ("Worksheet 1. Site 7: A Drive Through Lake Hitchcock") after students finish reading.
4. Discuss reading, using questions on the worksheet as guidelines, relating areas to the topographical map.
5. Instruct students to summarize the information from this article in their individual notebooks, completing this for homework.
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Worksheet One |
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Activity 4
D. Mount Sugarloaf and a Drive From Sugarloaf to Toby via the Whately Dunes (thirty minutes)
1. Divide class into two sections.
2. Instruct section 1 to read the part of the packet about Mount Sugarloaf and section 2 to read the part about a drive from Sugarloaf to Toby, underlining what they think are the most important parts.
3. Distribute Worksheet 2 ("Site 5: Mount Sugarloaf") to the first section, and Worksheet 3, ("Site 6: A Drive From Sugarloaf to Toby via the Whately Dunes") to the second, instructing students to be prepared to summarize their reading by using the worksheets as a guide.
4. Form a circle of students from section 1, with students from section 2 surrounding them to observe. Discuss the information in the article on Mount Sugarloaf with section 1, taking brief notes on the board.
5. Reverse the sections in number 4, above, and discuss the information in the article on the drive from Sugarloaf to Toby with section 2, adding to the notes on the board.
6. Assign students to write a summary of both sections in their notebooks, finishing for homework.
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Worksheet Two
Worksheet Three
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Use the summaries written by students in their notebooks to assess the degree to which individual students have achieved the intended learning outcomes for this lesson.
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