Lesson Plans Topic Maps and Local History Focus Question X Boundaries   Technology and Science X Natural Environment and People   Nongovernmental Groups   Cultures, Races and Ethnic Groups   Material Wants and Needs   Politics   Self-Expression Era   Beginnings to 1623 Different Worlds Meet   1623-1763 Colonization and Settlement   1763-1820s Revolution and the New Nation   1801-1861 Expansion and Reform   1850-1877 Civil War and Reconstruction X 1870-1900 Development of the Industrial United States   1890-1930 Emergence of Modern America   1929-1945 Great Depression and World War II   1945-early 1970s Postwar United States X 1968-present Contemporary United States Social Studies Standards Geography 10, 11, 13, 14, 15; History 16 Grade Level   Elementary   High School X Middle/High School   Middle   Elementary/Middle   All What Students Learn Through the use of both old and recent maps, students will learn about the history of their town. They will observe and make connections between geography and human activity over time and gain knowledge of changes in borders and roads and the influence of individuals and families in local history. Procedures Provide students copies of the assignment (Using Maps to Study Town History) and town maps from 1892 and if possible, from 1986. (If the 1986 edition of Delorme Publishing Company's New Hampshire Atlas and Gazetteer is unavailable, you will have to choose another recent map and make adjustments to the lesson. The 1986 edition contains road and place names and includes human features, like farms and cemeteries, which are missing from more recent editions of this resource.) Guide students through the assignment, encouraging observation over quick completion. (Allow students to complete the assignment for homework if necessary.) This activity is well suited to extended study, too. Students might research important town buildings - taverns, the oldest home in town, the town meeting house, libraries, their own homes, etc. They may also research town or family graveyards or the establishment and development of the town: important people, events, roads, and building projects, for example. (See the Guide for Researching Buildings and Towns.) Materials Included in the Lesson An assignment sheet Using Maps to Study Town History and a help sheet Guide for Researching Buildings and Towns. Bibliography Most entries listed below, as well as other teacher resources, are available through the New Hampshire Historical Society's Tuck Library and its museum store. New Hampshire Atlas & Gazetteer. Freeport: Delorme, 1986. [This resource is available in later editions, too. The teacher happens to prefer this edition. See notes above.] Old Maps of Belknap County, New Hampshire in 1892, The. Fryeburg: Saco Valley Printing, c1985. Old Maps of Carroll County, New Hampshire in 1892, The. Fryeburg: Saco Valley Printing, c1988. Old Maps of Cheshire County, New Hampshire in 1892, The. Fryeburg: Saco Valley Printing, c1990. Old Maps of Coos County, New Hampshire in 1892, The. Fryeburg: Saco Valley Printing, c1989. Old Maps of Grafton County, New Hampshire in 1892, The. Fryeburg: Saco Valley Printing, c1989. Old Maps of Merrimack County, New Hampshire in 1892, The. Fryeburg: Saco Valley Printing, c1981. Old Maps of Rockingham County, New Hampshire in 1892, The. Fryeburg: Saco Valley Printing, c1981. Old Maps of Rural Hillsboro County, New Hampshire in 1892, The. Fryeburg: Saco Valley Printing, c1981. Old Maps of Strafford County, New Hampshire in 1892, The. Fryeburg: Saco Valley Printing, c1985. Old Maps of Sullivan County, New Hampshire in 1892, The. Fryeburg: Saco Valley Printing, c1989. Assessment Tools and Techniques Follow up the activity with a full class discussion based upon students' completion of the assignment sheet. Prime the discussion as necessary with such questions as the following: Has the town changed significantly? Have borders changed? Roads? What are "important" family names? Why have things changed (or not changed)? What is different economically or socially over the past 100 years? If you wish, follow this lesson with a research project (see the help sheet Guide for Researching Buildings and Towns). The project may take any of several forms: a paper, a poster, or a class "museum," for example. Credit This is an adaptation of a lesson created by Rose Marie Marinace, a participant in the New Hampshire Historical Society's 2000 Summer Institute for Teachers. Introduction | Topics | Lessons | Curriculum | Teacher Exchange For more information, please contact the New Hampshire Historical Society (mfoynes@nhhistory.org) - Who Are We? - What's New? - Museum - Library - Publications - Membership - Museum Store - School Programs - Programs & Events - Questions & Feedback - Home - Copyright © 2007 New Hampshire Historical Society. Last Modified December 11, 2001.