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Boston's Arnold Arboretum: a Place for Study and Recreation National Park Service Teaching with Historic Places U.S. Department of the Interior Boston’s Arnold Arboretum: A Place for Study and Recreation Boston's Arnold Arboretum: A Place for Study and Recreation (Olmstead NHS) By the mid-to-late 19th century, the crushing density of increasingly crowded cities led to the view that parks and public gardens could serve as antidotes to the urban environment. Renowned landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted believed that visiting oases of green space could help ease the pressures of urban life for both the poor and the rich. In response to Olmsted's Central Park in New York, the first large public space set aside for recreational use in an American city, cities such as Philadelphia and Boston began planning their own green spaces. In Boston, Olmsted designed a series of parks linked by parkways collectively known as the "Emerald Necklace." The Arnold Arboretum, one of the "jewels" of Boston's Emerald Necklace, has served as a tranquil haven since it opened to the public in the 1880s. There, seasons come alive in vibrant colors. In the spring, the delicate perfume of lilac, mock orange, and viburnum float on soft breezes. The pale green leaves of hickory, walnut, and hackberry trees offer verdant canopies. By mid-summer, the Arnold Arboretum is ablaze with color and heavy with ripening nuts and fruit. In the fall, rich autumn colors catch the sunlight. Even winter is beautiful in the arboretum. The trees and shrubs stand in stark contrast to gray skies and snow-covered slopes. National Park Service Teaching with Historic Places U.S. Department of the Interior Boston’s Arnold Arboretum: A Place for Study and Recreation Document Contents National Curriculum Standards About This Lesson Getting Started: Inquiry Question Setting the Stage: Historical Context Locating the Site: Map 1. Map 1: Plan of Boston Park System Determining the Facts: Readings 1. Reading 1: The Establishment of Arnold Arboretum 2. Reading 2: Olmsted’s Views on Parks 3. Reading 3: Arnold Arboretum Becomes a Reality Visual Evidence: Images 1. Bird’s-eye view of Arnold Arboretum 2. Construction near main entrance, c. 1892 3. Kalmia in bloom, c. 1900 Putting It All Together: Activities 1. Activity 1: Being a Plant Explorer 2. Activity 2: Park Rules and Regulations 3. Activity 3: Researching a Local Park References and Endnotes Additional Resources National Park Service Teaching with Historic Places U.S. Department of the Interior Boston’s Arnold Arboretum: A Place for Study and Recreation Where this lesson fits into the curriculum Time Period: Late 19th century Topics: The lesson can be used in teaching units on late 19th-century urban expansion, especially as influenced by immigration and the Industrial Revolution. It also could form the core of an interdisciplinary unit when used in conjunction with lessons on the Romantic and Transcendentalist movements and lessons on botany. Relevant United States History Standards for Grades 5-12 This lesson relates to the following National Standards for History from the UCLA National Center for History in the Schools: US History Era 6 • Standard 1B: The student understands the rapid growth of cities and how urban life changed. • Standard 1D: The student understands the effects of rapid industrialization on the environment and the emergence of the first conservation movement. Relevant Curriculum Standards for Social Studies This lesson relates to the following Curriculum Standards for Social Studies from the National Council for the Social Studies: Theme III: People, Places, and Environment • Standard G - The student describes how people create places that reflect cultural values and ideals as they build neighborhoods, parks, shopping centers, and the like. • Standard H - The student examines, interprets, and analyzes physical and cultural patterns and their interactions, such as land use, settlement patterns, cultural transmission of customs and ideas, and ecosystem changes. • Standard K - The student proposes, compares, and evaluates alternative uses of land and resources in communities, regions, nations, and the world. National Park Service Teaching with Historic Places U.S. Department of the Interior Boston’s Arnold Arboretum: A Place for Study and Recreation Theme V: Individuals, Groups, and Institutions • Standard G - The student applies knowledge of how groups and institutions work to meet individual needs and promote the common good. Theme VIII: Science, Technology, and Society • Standard B - The student shows through specific examples how science and technology have changed people's perceptions of the social and natural world, such as in their relationships to the land, animal life, family life, and economic needs, wants and security. Theme X: Civic Ideals, and Practices • Standard F - The student identifies and explains the roles of formal and informal political actors in influencing and shaping public policy and decision-making. • Standard J - The student examines strategies designed to strengthen the "common good," which consider a range of options for citizen action. Relevant Common Core Standards This lesson relates to the following Common Core English and Language Arts Standards for History and Social Studies for middle and high school students: Key Ideas and Details • CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-12.1 • CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-12.2 Craft and Structure • CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-12.4 • CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-12.6 Integration of Knowledge and Ideas • CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-12.7 • CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-12.8 Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity • CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-12.10 National Park Service Teaching with Historic Places U.S. Department of the Interior Boston’s Arnold Arboretum: A Place for Study and Recreation About This Lesson This lesson is based on the National Register of Historic Places registration file for the "Arnold Arboretum" [http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NHLS/Text/66000127.pdf] (with photographs [http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NHLS/Photos/66000127.pdf]) and other source material about the arboretum and Frederick Law Olmsted. Arnold Arboretum was written by Alan Banks, Park Ranger at Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site. It was published in 2001. It was edited by Fay Metcalf, education consultant, and the Teaching with Historic Places staff. The lesson was developed as a cooperative effort between the park and Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University. TwHP is sponsored, in part, by the Cultural Resources Training Initiative and Parks as Classrooms programs of the National Park Service. This lesson is one in a series that brings the important stories of historic places into the classrooms across the country. Objectives 1. To consider how 19th-century urban conditions influenced the development and design of parks; 2. To examine the history of the Arnold Arboretum and its role in the Boston park system; 3. To gain a better understanding of Frederick Law Olmsted and Charles Sprague Sargent, the two men responsible for the Arnold Arboretum; 4. To conduct research about the history of planned parks in their own community. Materials for students The materials listed below can either be used directly on the computer or can be printed out, photocopied, and distributed to students. 1. One map of the Boston Park System; 2. Three readings about the establishment of Arnold Arboretum; 3. One drawing & two photos of the arboretum and its construction. Visiting the site The Arnold Arboretum is located in Jamaica Plain, a neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. The main gate is located on the Arborway, 100 yards south of the intersection of Route 1 and 203. The grounds are open to the public every day from dawn dusk. For more information, contact the Arnold Arboretum, 125 The Arborway, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130, or visit the website. To find out more about Frederick Law Olmsted, contact the Superintendent, Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site (the National Park Service Teaching with Historic Places U.S. Department of the Interior Boston’s Arnold Arboretum: A Place for Study and Recreation cooperating agency for the Arnold Arboretum), 99 Warren Street, Brookline, MA 02146, or visit the park's website. National Park Service Teaching with Historic Places U.S. Department of the Interior Boston’s Arnold Arboretum: A Place for Study and Recreation Getting Started Where and when might this photo have been taken? National Park Service Teaching with Historic Places U.S. Department of the Interior Boston’s Arnold Arboretum: A Place for Study and Recreation Photo Analysis Worksheet Step 1: Examine the photograph for 10 seconds. How would you describe the photograph? Step 2: Divide the photograph into quadrants and study each section individually. What details--such as people, objects, activities--do you notice? Step 3: What other information--such as time period, location, season, reason photo was taken--can you gather from the photo? Step 4: How would you revise your first description of the photo using the information noted in Steps 2 and 3? Step 5: What questions do you have about the photograph? How might you find answers to these questions? National Park Service Teaching with Historic Places U.S. Department of the Interior Boston’s Arnold Arboretum: A Place for Study and Recreation Setting the Stage In the mid-19th century many urban centers saw their population double within a few decades, mostly through a huge influx of European immigrants. The cities were ill prepared to absorb such large numbers. Without a proper sanitation system to handle trash and human waste, epidemics raged unchecked. Mental health suffered as groups of people, many from agrarian cultures, tried to adjust to these new conditions. Frederick Law Olmsted (1822-1903), widely recognized as America's premier landscape architect, believed that overcrowding in cities made people nervous and wary of one another as well as susceptible to disease. He suggested that while many people may have had to live in claustrophobic urban neighborhoods, planned parks and open spaces could serve as a respite by providing beautiful, tranquil, and healthy environments.
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