Henry David Thoreau: the Making of a Naturalist Walden Pond State Reservation Parks as Classrooms Module Spring 2007 Introduction Observing like Thoreau ......19 Historical Timeline ..........33 About Parks As Classrooms . 1 A Walk with Henry ............23 About this Module .............. 3 Writing like Thoreau ..........27 About Walden Pond State The Timelines that Shape Us Reservation ...................... 7 ....................................29 Thoreau’s Place and Time . 15 Appendices department of Conservation and Recreation The Making of a Naturalist Spring 2007 Print Version 1 Walden Pond State Reservation About Parks As Classrooms and DCR Welcome! You and your students have chosen to participate in one of the many quality curriculum-based educational pro- grams hosted in Massachusetts by the Department of Conservation and 10% of its land area, for its resi- Recreation (DCR). Parks As dents and visitors. Massachusetts’ Classrooms is one of the ways we parks system offers hundreds of invite young people to engage in facilities from the common- our natural and cultural resources. wealth’s highest peak at Mount Greylock to the shores of Cape Stewardship Responsibility Cod and the Islands. More than For more than one hundred years 35,000,000 people a year take the Commonwealth of Massachu- advantage of the resources of the setts has proudly served as stew- park system! ard to one of the oldest and largest state park systems in the Stewardship Legacy country. As one of Massachu- Massachusetts’ role as an en- setts’ principal conservation vironmental steward began in agencies, the DCR serves to pro- 1891 with the creation of the tect, promote and enhance our Trustees of Public Reservations, common wealth of natural, cul- followed by the Metropolitan tural and recreational resources District Commission in 1892. The for the well being of all. DCR first State Reservation, 400 acres manages these resources for the on Mt. Greylock, was established safe enjoyment of the public and in 1898. Today DCR continues to preserves them as part of the heri- lead the nation in exemplary natu- tage we will pass to future gen- ral resource and recreation pro- erations. grams. The state’s Universal Access Program is a national While it is one of the smallest model of inclusiveness for visi- states in the country, Massachu- tors of all abilities. DCR ’s Heri- setts stands as the sixth largest tage State Park Program creates parks system, having set aside destinations for visitors and out- close to a half-million acres, or door opportunities for urban Walden Pond State Reservation 1 Parks As Classrooms and DCR Introduction communities by integrating the that span disciplines, learning rich cultural history of New Eng- styles, and teaching techniques. land’s urban areas with reclaimed natural features. DCR ’s vast net- Dedication to programming is the work of land boasts some of the cornerstone of the Department of most beautiful scenery in New Conservation and Recreation’s England and endless recreational policy of fostering stewardship in opportunities. Other notable the State’s natural and cultural treasures comprise DCR ’s system resources. including Olmstead’s Emerald Your Stewardship Role Necklace, Thoreau’s Walden Enjoy your program! By intro- Pond and the Bay Colony’s Ply- ducing your students to their mouth Rock. Our lands and wa- natural or cultural heritage, you ters offer unique and valuable A student recording his are helping to build a mindful archeological, geological and observations at one of the citizenry with critical thinking Department of Conservation biological resources that are im- and Recreation’s facilities skills and community awareness. portant parts of our cultural heri- Building and maintaining a tage. world-class park system takes Stewardship through participation on many levels. We Education all have an important part to play An important component of our in sustaining a park system of this stewardship of these lands is edu- size and diversity. cation. Through interpretation If you or your participants would and environmental education the like to explore more of the state, Department strives to offer from seashores to mountaintops enlightening programs that lead to areas steeped in the history of to an understanding and apprecia- our nation, please contact us at: tion of our natural resources. DCR Bureau of Ranger Services Parks As Classrooms is an initia- 251 Causeway St., Suite 600 tive that uses a facility’s unique Boston, MA 02114 (617) 626-1463 character to provoke critical or thinking skills about our envi- ronment. Modules include activi- www.massparks.org ties for the field and classroom 2 department of Conservation and Recreation Henry David Thoreau: the Ma k- ing of a Naturalist: an environ- mental educat ion module This module provides education about design and use of landscapes through hands-on activities and direct experience with natural and cultural resources. The intent of this module is to mental levels and Massachusetts’ expose young people to Walden Curriculum Frameworks. Teach- Pond State Reservation while ers may choose to adapt individ- offering educators a means to ual activities for different age incorporate these opportunities groups. into their curriculum. There are three different types of The Henry David Thoreau: The activities in this packet: pre-visit, Use pre-visit Making of a Naturalist builds on-site, and post-visit activities. activities to enhance upon the idea that environmental and social factors influence a Pre-visit activities . These activi- students’ visit to person's life path. Specifically, ties are designed to introduce Walden Pond State activities in this packet provide students to some of the concepts Reservation. exposure to world, national, local, and vocabulary related to what and personal events encouraged they will learn on their visit to the Henry David Thoreau to develop park. Students and interpreters observational skills and to be- benefit from this previous aware- come a naturalist. This packet ness, as it gives new material and includes the instructions and sup- ideas a place to “stick” and facili- plemental materials for all the tates more efficient learning dur- activities included. ing their visit. Generally, the more pre-visit experiences the How to use this module students have, the more worth- while their visit will be. There The activities and experiences are may be specific activities the visit designed for students from coordinator may request teachers middle school based on develop- to perform with their students. department of Conservation and Recreation 3 About this Module Introduction On-site activities. These activi- here. Materials and equipment Self-guided on-site ties are conducted during the may be supplied by the facility, activities provide students’ visit to the park. While but for these and other questions, structure and some of these activities are con- please ask your visit coordinator. ducted by interpreters at the facil- supporting activities ity, some of them may self- Post-visit activities. These activi- for field experiences. guided by teachers. This is par- ties are included to provide clo- ticularly useful when a large sure to the students’ visit to the group needs to be broken up into park. These activities may extend smaller units. The outlines in this concepts, reinforce ideas, or pro- packet indicate whether an activ- vide a conduit to further related ity is intended to be facilitated or study. In many cases, post-visit self-guided. activities complete the learning experience, and your visit coordi- The full text of guided activities nator will recommend one for is included here so teachers can your students. Otherwise, feel become familiar with and partici- free to use these or even unused pate in the content their students pre-visit activities to support your Use post-visit will experience on their visit. students’ visit. or unused pre-visit If you will be conducting an ac- Introductory material and Ap- activities to rein- tivity from this module on-site, pendices . Some of the back- force students’ procedure and content provided ground information and other experiences after their visit. Entering her thoughts on Red Cross Beach at Walden Pond State Reservation Walden Pond State Reservation Henry David Thoreau: the Making of a Naturalist Parks as Classrooms supporting material does not fit tivity periods, and 3) closing. neatly into an activity. Use the introduction sections and appen- Large groups need to be divided dices for more information. into class-sized groups, and each smaller group will cycle through Worksheets. Some of the activi- sessions. Large groups may con- ties have accompanying work- sider splitting the day with an- sheets, handouts, or props. These other local heritage site. Contact materials are located in the back your site coordinator for details. pocket of the packet and are ref- erenced by name in the text of the When schools arrive at the park, activity. the interpreter will meet them at Thoreau’s house replica (near the Outline of your visit to parking lot). Walden State Reservation This illustration shows how a Introduction. The interpreter school with three classes would rotate through three sessions. The day is broken into three will briefly outline the day and Smaller groups could use this parts: 1) the introduction, 2) ac- provide an overview. He or she format as well to take advantage of a full day at Walden State Reservation department of Conservation and Recreation 5 About the Module Introduction Teachers will lead the second The following chart provides Students Number Minimum recommended lengths of stay of Ses- Length of group down the trail to Goose for programming purposes: sion Stay pond, where they will conduct an 0-25 2 2 hrs observational exercise called 25-50 2 2 hrs “Observing like Thoreau.” 50-75 3 3 hrs Teachers will also lead the third 75+ Discuss arrange- ments with site coor- and other groups. These activity dinator periods can be added to the rota- tion and filled with self-guided will conduct opening discussion trail walks (maps provided), and review the pre-visit activity lunch sessions, or free periods.