Early River Transportation, Henry Hudson, Pirates and Maps Unit: Life along the Hudson River: Exploring Nature and Culture Destination(s) Hudson River Maritime Museum (845) 338-0071 50 Rondout Landing Kingston, NY 12401 www.hrmm.org County Ulster Grades 1st Grade,2nd Grade Author Lenae Madonna, formerly, Poughkeepsie Day School Summary Building on previous trips and lessons, students visit the Hudson River Maritime Museum to learn about the evolution of transportation on the Hudson and how it has affected communities along the river. They expand this study with an exploration of Hudson River pirates. Students learn math, science, social studies, and language arts' concepts. Hands-on work and documentation through pictures and writing help consolidate learning. Students read and write in journals to provides continuity between lessons. Question How did people travel on the River in the past?
How and when did Europeans first explore the Hudson River? What is an explorer? How did pirates contribute to the settlement of communities along the river? What part did and do maps play in discovery and travel on the river? Content Understanding(s) Early modes of transportation, i.e., dugout canoes, sloops, and steamboats Birch bark canoes were the earliest form of transportation used by local Native Americans. 'Canoe' originated from the word 'kenu' - meaning dugout. Sloops and schooners, originated in Europe, and were the main form of transportation on the river in the 19th century, playing an important part in the development and growth of the State of New York. Sloops have one mast, schooners two. The Clearwater is a sloop. Robert Fulton invented the steamboat. These ships, as well as sloops and ice boats, were used for pleasure and industry. The creations of the Erie Canal helped improve boat techology and the development of commerce in New York. Henry Hudson's voyage to find a northwest route to Asia and susbsequent travels Piracy on the Hudson River Concept Understanding(s) The availability of transportation sustains life and encourages community development along rivers Climate and the season affect transportation choice; for instance, 100 years ago sailboat, horseback, and walking were the ways to get from the Hudson Valley to NYC but in the winter ice boats were used Explorers and exploration Maps and map making
Vocabulary Sail Explorer Map Pirate Canoe Aft Motor Raft Sloop Schooner Steamboat Jolly Roger Compass rose Stern Tiller Bow Rudder Starboard Centerboard Lighthouse Anchor Dock Whaling ship Deck Dugout canoe Paddleboat Barge Ferry Hold Tugs Motorboat Paddle Buoy Mast Port Cabin Hull Suggested Time Frame(s) Plan on most of a day for the Museum trips. Pre- and post-visit activities are adjustable to time available.
Narrative PRE-VISIT ACTIVITIES Using books in the resource list, and/or your textbook, introduce ice boating, tugboats, and steamboats. Many of the post-visit activities (see below) could be done before the visit. SITE VISIT Children view artifacts, photographs, and a range of boats. The history of steamboats is especially thorough. The Museum's collection includes paintings, prints, photo, and ephemera, vessel blueprints, artifacts such as ice-harvesting tools, important pieces of Hudson River vessels that have long since disappeared, and a variety of ship models. HRMM's collection of small craft includes a 100 year-old shad boat, a life boat from the steamboat Mary Powell,a lighthouse tender, and several ice yachts. It is the only museum in New York State exclusively preserving the maritime history of the Hudson River, its tributaries, and the industries that developed around it. Indoor and outdoor exhibits on maritime history, a gift shop, waterfront special events, and boat rides to the historic Rondout Lighthouse are available. POST-VISIT ACTIVITIES Journal writing about the museum experience. Recycled Boat Museum. Ask children to bring in recyclables such as milk cartons or jugs, Styrofoam, string, plastic, fabric for sails, etc. Then, have students sort through materials and make a "recycled boat." Next, have children write about their boat - they can explain how it works, label its parts, and/or write stories about their boats. To help students create their stories, ask questions such as, "What is the name of your boat?
Where is your boat going? What/who is your boat carrying? What kind of boat is it?" You can share these in a Boat Museum in a hallway or your classroom with boats and their stories beside each other. Turn a corner of the classroom into a "sloop." Help children design and create the sloop with sheet sails, steering wheel, homemade fishing poles made with magnets to attract "Hudson River fish" (create the fish out of paper and paper clips), paper portholes, etc. The space can be used for dramatic play and developing performances to share. Invite a speaker to talk about iceboats or tugboats. (See resource list.) Have the captain of the Clearwater speak about the sloop. Learn about about knots and knot tying. See resource list for books on this topic and/or invite a member of the Clearwater staff, or other expert, to teach students about knots. Family members may be a good resource, here. Continue studying steamboats. (See resource list for books on this topic.) Pirate Day. The history of pirates on the Hudson River is a wonderful adjunct to boat study and an interesting and exciting subject for children. Invite students to dress up as pirates. Have popcorn "booty," play pirate games, write pirate stories, make spyglasses (see attachment) and do the grid and map activities below. Grids and treasure maps. Introduce grids with letters on the horizontal and numbers on the vertical axis. Have children walk steps in the correct direction to find a hidden treasure. Map out a section of the classroom or hallway and label the square tiles for each point. Have the children walk the tiles, i.e., K8 to find the Pirate treasure. Have children create their own treasure maps; see attachment. When finished, take a tea bag dipped in water and drag it across the paper to make it look "old."
Tin Foil Boat experiment. See attachment. Unsinkable egg activity. See attachment. Make a map of the classroom on the board together. Make a map and key for an area of your school, such as the playground, or the whole school. To prepare, let children walk around with clipboards and paper. Create a map of the Hudson River with towns and cities on both sides. Make a boat time line. Supplies Used See activities. What Should Students Know At The End of This Lesson See essential questions and understandings. What Should Students Be Able To Do at the End of This Lesson See essential questions and understandings. How do you assess student learning? Journal and story writing Results of any of the above activities used, e.g., mastery of grids and maps Participation in group discussion Pictorial representations
Site Tips Ask direct questions, such as, "How did people travel on the river?" Observe children in the dramatic play area (sloop corner) The Hudson River Maritime Museum in Kingston is open late April through October. The basic school program is $5 per person and lasts about two hours. For a fee, you can add components such as a boat ride to the lighthouse, a trolley ride, and a boat-making workshop. Details: educator-hrmm@hvc.rr.com, 845-338-0071, http://www.hrmm.org Chaperone Information One adult free for every 10 children.