LESSON #6: Reading the Forested Landscape
Focusing Question:
How have forests changed over time?
Vermont Standards addressed:
| 4.5 aa | Students understand continuity and change and that perceptions of change are based on personal experiences, historical and social conditions, and the implications of the change for the future |
| 6.4 dd | Students identify major historical eras and analyze periods of transition in various times in their local community and Vermont by discovering how changes in farming affected forests patterns in Vermont |
| 6.8 | Students analyze the factors and implications associated with the historical and contemporary movements and settlements of peoples and groups in various times in their local community and in Vermont by describing the impact of migration on physical systems (forests) |
Length of Lesson:
Two block periods of 70 - 80 minutes each or four 40 minute class periods
and follow-up activity during a field trip to Grove Hill / Maplecrest
Farm
Resources/Materials:
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William Jaspersohn's How the Forest Grew |
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Slides: Reading the Forested Landscape, adapted from Tom Wessels (includes lecture on the history of deforestation / sheep farming / and forest recovery in Vermont) |
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Stonewalls, Stumps, and Foundations adapted from Northern Forest Curriculum |
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Our Forested History -A Legacy of Stewardship -a list of nearly 40 dates / events of historical significance to make a timeline |
Procedure:
| Day one |
70 min.block: Teacher reads aloud William Jaspersohn's story How the Forest Grew, students take notes regarding indicator species and tree species as well as wildlife to emerge at each successional stage in reforestation. |
| See outline for lecture and slide presentation | |
| Students will use their notes on succession to prepare an annotated drawing of each stage entitled Nothing Succeeds Like Succession. | |
| Day two | Lesson plan - Stonewalls, Stumps, and Foundations |
Assessment:
Students will:
| 1. | Produce annotated drawings of a landscape undergoing the five stages of succession |
| 2. | Create a vision drawing of how they would like to leave Vermont's landscape in 50 years |
| 3. | Create a timeline which indicates an understanding of the historical time frame of forest use, deforestation, and reforestation in Vermont (forest loss and recovery) within the wider view of national and international historical events |
Teacher will:
| 1. | Evaluate the annotated drawings of forest succession based on a checklist of indicator species for each stage |
| 2. | Assess the timeline using a task specific Rubric |