• Lush vegetation on the top of Spectacle Island's North drumlin dominates the foreground. Boston's skyline can be seen in the distance. The park's logo with tag line minutes away, worlds apart empashises the stark contrast between the city and islands.

    Boston Harbor Islands

    National Recreation Area Massachusetts

Lesson Plans: Boston Harbor Islands Orientation

The Orientation to Boston Harbor Islands lesson plans provide teachers with introductory materials to help prepare for an expedition to the Boston Harbor Islands, either in conjunction with the Harbor Connections program, or independently following their own course of study.

Introduction to the Boston Harbor Islands with Survey
Students are introduced to the natural and cultural history of the Boston Harbor Islands through their responses to an interactive survey as they begin to understand the relationship between the harbor, the city, and local communities.

» Introduction to the Boston Harbor Islands (PPT - 7.9Mb)
» Boston Harbor Islands Survey (PPT - 11.4Mb)

Navigation and Chart Making
Students become familiar with the geography of the harbor and the principles of navigation in a hands-on activity in which they identify landmasses and navigational channel markers on their own nautical charts.

» Making Your Own Navigational Chart (PPT - 1.6Mb)
» How to Make a Nautical Chart (PDF - 19kb)
» Navigation Chart (PDF - 2.75Mb)

Orienteering and Compass Making
Students become familiar with the principles and tools employed in orienteering through a compass-making demonstration that focuses on the basic skills they will put to use during an expedition to the harbor.

» Compass Making (PPT - 634kb)
» Making Simple Compasses (PDF - 400kb)

Did You Know?

Soldiers of the 54th Massachusetts Infantry

The 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Regiment, depicted in the movie “Glory,” made a heroic return to Massachusetts via their discharge station at Gallops Island, part of Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area. More...