HOUSATONIC  RIVER  RESTORATION  
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Housatonic River Unit

 

Housatonic River Final Project Introduction

 

Focusing Question: How can you look at the Housatonic River and the surrounding watershed and flood plains through the eyes of a settler in 1733?

 

Standards:

Language Arts:

2.4 Integrate relevant information gathered from group discussions and interviews for reports.

3.11 Use appropriate techniques for oral persuasion.

13.22 Identify evidence used to support an argument.

19.23 Write multi-paragraph compositions that have clear topic development, logical organization, effective use of detail, and variety in sentence structure. 

20.4 Select and use appropriate rhetorical techniques for a variety of purposes, such as to convince or entertain the reader.

23.10 Organize information into a coherent essay or report with a thesis statement in the introduction, transition sentences to link paragraphs, and a conclusion.

 

Length of Time Needed to Complete: One class period to present project.  Two weeks to complete project.

 

Resources/Materials: Assignment page, notebooks, large white paper (18”x24”)

 

Procedure:

After the introduction to the Housatonic River Unit, teacher will clearly explain the culminating activity, a comprehensive group project.  You should discuss the idea of viewing the unit through the eyes of a settler in 1733.  Have the students imagine they are Bostonians in the year 1733 that have been sent on an expedition to the Berkshires and the Housatonic River. 

 

Explain to the students that their job in this project is to convince fellow Bostonians that they should move west to the Housatonic River.  Student projects will be judged on their ability to fulfill the task of persuading other Bostonians to come to the wilderness of the Berkshires. 

 

Give your students the assignment page that clearly defines the task associated with the Housatonic project.  Then, go over each aspect of the project carefully to ensure that students understand what they are responsible for doing.  It is essential that the students understand that they each have to write a persuasive essay and they each have complete one of the visual projects.  It is also important that the students understand that they are working in groups on this project, and, consequently, they will need to collaborate on each other’s projects. 

 

After explaining the expectations of the project, you should show students any examples of the visual displays that you may have from previous years.  This allows the students to understand clearly what is expected of them on the visual portion of the assignment. 

 

Afterwards announce the four students that are in each group and explain the timetable for completing the projects.  At the end of the presentation of the project assignment, allow students as much time as they need to ask questions.

 

Assignment:

Students will work in groups of four.  The project will consist of four parts:

1.      Persuasive essay that convinces Bostonians to settle on the Housatonic River.

2.      Visual Display:

a.       Brochure

b.      Math shapes in nature

c.       Advertisement poster

d.      Map of a selected portion of the river

3.      Oral presentation to peers.

4.      Oral presentation to elementary classroom.

 

Assessment:

  1. What are the students going to do to show you what they learned? Students will produce a constructed response in the form of a product they will construct.
  2. What tool/scoring guide/reference point will you use to measure their progress? Teacher will use a task-specific rubric.
  3. How will you communicate back to them how they are doing? Teacher will conference with students along the way on their projects and provide comments on the various rubrics.