author: Neville Morgan Barry

unit's subject: American Literature, Biology, and American History

school: Somerset High School, Somerset, MA

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I am Haunted by Waters

This 10 week course includes one lesson in English, 1 lesson in History, and 1 lesson in Biology. The unit’s focus is water, namely the rivers that separate the towns of Somerset and Fall River. This unit is an attempt to create an interdisciplinary elective course next year. Water will be examined through Macleans’ “A River Runs Through It” and other literature, through examination of rivers’ roles in American History (namely, industrial revolution and post-industrial times), and through learning about river ecosystem in the school’s own backyard. The overall goal of this unit is that students will become more aware of their environment by becoming active stewards of their community.

author: Pat Bonnet

unit's subject: Special Education

school: Lexington High School, Lexington, MA

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This is My Place

The three lessons plans submitted are a subsection of the unit on observation and reporting.  The course is designed for primarily learning-disabled students. Lesson one is the inaugural activity of observation and reporting with the content focus being on observation of place - "my place." Lesson two teaches the students to orally report on an observation using literature as an example. Lesson three involves an in-class analysis of the Thoreau excerpt, along with a short slide/lecture on Thoreau, leading to an independent reading and analysis assignment of a second example of Thoreau’s descriptive writing.

author: Robert Sargent Fay

unit's subject: English (Personal and Analytical Essay), History

school: Landmark College, Putney, VT

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A Sense of Place - A Sense of Wonder

The Curriculum Unit is designed to encourage students to develop a love of writing and to promote their skills in personal and analytical essay writing. The course is constructed in such a way as to offer a variety of challenging presentations, readings, and compositions and project assignments. The plan is to motivate students to write often, inside and outside of the classroom, to share their compositions with classmates and other readers, to seek support and assistance from faculty members and other students, and to use technology as an aid in the writing process.

author: Jonathan Hartt

unit's subject: English, Interdisciplinary

school: Maimonides School, Brookline, MA

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Where’s Walden?

An Interdisciplinary Unit on Perspective, Place, and the Meaning of Home

Designed for use in 11th grade American Literature as part of a semester spent on the American Renaissance, this multidisciplinary unit combines local history, art, and science in the study of place. Using Thoreau’s experiences and writings, we will explore the meaning of “the wild,” self-reliance, and living in community. This unit will also emphasize hands-on, field-based learning with the goal of fostering stewardship as well as scientific and artistic inquiry. Students will hike local areas and draw and journal in response to close observation. The quarter culminates in the Journal of Place and a researched presentation that they will make to a non-junior class.

author: Katie Hillstrom

unit's subject: English

school: Winchester High School, Winchester, MA

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Thoreau: Exploring Sense of Place in Society

The second semester of the 10th grade year is entitled “American Dream”.  The Thoreau Unit will be introduced near the beginning of the semester, since Thoreau was one of our earliest recognized American writers.  We will explore all of these ideas related to Thoreau:  sense of place, the outsider, freedom, and what it means to “live deliberately,” be successful, etc. (American Dream ideas), which will serve as a doorway to understanding what it means to have a “place” in society vs. being an outsider. The ideas developed during these lessons will be used to guide students through the rest of the literature associated with the “American Dream” concept.

author: Gail Holland

unit's subject: English, Interdisciplinary

school: Doherty Memorial High School, Worcester, MA

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Urban Wilderness

This unit combines the usual “genre-based” study of literature required by my high school for tenth graders with place-based education.  The lessons are spaced across the course of the school year to take advantage of the changing seasons and to give students plenty of time to explore the area.  The unit begins with several prose readings which introduce the idea of knowing a place and then becomes more specific as we focus our attention on our campus (a public park), and our neighborhoods.  Several “field trips” to the hill behind the school, guest speakers, and a stewardship project add some variety to the unit.  Students will use the readings and field experiences to produce a variety of writings required by the system-wide English Language Arts portfolios.

author: Frank Mandosa

unit's subject: American Literature, Music Appreciation, Foods

school: Medfield High School, Medfield, MA

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The Flowering of New England

The four lessons of this unit focus on Thoreau’s transcendentalist approach to life and Walden, or Life in the Woods, as well as a modern-day practical approach to public speaking skills. The lessons will touch upon the art of paying close attention, choosing the ideal place, music appreciation, food choices awareness, and more. The unit is designed for students with learning disabilities.

author: Peter Sedlak

unit's subject: American Literature, Transcendentalism

school: Brookline High School, Brookline, MA

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Walden – A Sense of Place

This 3-4 week unit takes an interdisciplinary approach to teaching about Henry David Thoreau and Walden, in particular. Via journaling and close reading, students will understand Thoreau’s ideas on nature and transcendentalism and, in the process, develop a better sense of a special place to them. The unit will focus on the questions: How does place, particularly a natural place, influence our sense of self? What does it mean for us to be civilized humans in nature? You can use this to enhance a more traditional reading of Walden or to supplement another unit on writing or thinking.

author: Teresa Sutton

unit's subject: English Literature, Interdisciplinary

school: John Jay High School, Hopewell Junction, NY

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Directing the Eye: Interior and Exterior Landscapes

Henry David Thoreau believed that one did not need to search the world over to learn about life or to gain insight into oneself.  Individuals have endless regions to explore in their own backyards and within themselves.  Part 1 of this unit allows students to turn their own eyes inward and explore their developing beings and the area close to their homes.  Part 2 allows students to learn all about the Historic Hudson River Valley, where they live.  Both parts give students an opportunity to do service.  In Part 1, the stewardship is directed toward the self.  Learning self-nurturing is an important step in maturing, whether you grow up in a home that helps you develop a strong sense of self-esteem and belonging or not.  In Part 2, the stewardship is directed towards the larger community.  Students will learn that they can do something positive to help their community and the environment.

author: Miranda Whitmore

unit's subject: English, History, Art

school: Medfield High School, Medfield, MA

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Documenting Medford

Inspired by Thoreau’s connection to his hometown of Concord, students will learn more about their hometown and pick “special” personal/communal/natural spaces to document through writing and photos. Given the knowledge that both cities and nature are constantly interacting and changing, students will venture to capture Medfield in its current shape and quality. Medfield is a small town that prides itself on its long history. Students will present their work together in a public space. It will serve as a gallery for their study of place and allow Medfield residents to share in the celebration of their unique town.

author: Caroline Yunta

unit's subject: English as a Second Language

school: Lowell high School, Lowell, MA

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Thoreau – A Model for Today?

This unit would be for an Intermediate ESL class, which could include grades 9-12 and speakers of several non-English languages.  The Intermediate level concentrates on expanding English vocabulary, emphasizing correct grammar usage, and writing with fluency.  This unit will incorporate those three components by studying who Thoreau was, what he stated in his writings relative to the use of time and resources, and the answering of the essential question “What’s Wrong With Materialism?” from each student’s point of view.