States and New York High School Standard 3: Geography Sample Curriculum Ideas If teachers in New York City are still not convinced that they would have the time to take their students to commune with the Croton Waterworks in Westchester County, there is no need to forgo the experiential aspect of introducing students to the system. While bringing the Waterworks’ story into the classroom will effectively broaden students’ consciousness of historic infrastructure even sans field trips, it is possible for teachers to bring the class to the Waterworks without leaving the city. The following curricular idea would ideally feature a visit to the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir and gatehouses in Central Park, as well as encourage students to engage with and think critically about historic documents. This activity could be adapted to focus on other structures along the system’s path. A significant amount of such documentation is available; see our bibliography for further resources. Curricular Recommendations One Teacher’s Approach Carl Oechsner, who taught seventh grade social studies in Ossining for forty years, is well known in town for his memorable field trips to the Aqueduct. (Find out more about Oechsner and his classes in the Oral History section, starting on page __) According to Oechsner, “I think every child should be exposed to the Croton Aqueduct, even if it’s just…a week’s background in class, and put them on a bus, take them over and do a piece. You don’t have to do the whole thing, just take them for two or three miles. And there’s parks along the side, and you can actually sit down on the trailway and have a picnic lunch.” Oechsner hopes that more teachers in the communities along the Aqueduct’s path will take advantage of their proximity to this historic resource. “If they knew that other teachers have done this, and it is being done in some communities, and there are organizations like the Friends of the Old Croton Aqueduct, I think more and more teachers would do that.” Oechsner’s approach was to begin by teaching his students about the historic context—at the local, state, and national levels—of the Waterworks’ construction in the mid-nineteenth century. Introducing the Waterworks in conjunction with math, science, and English teachers, who also taught about the system through the lenses of their respective disciplines, Oechsner included discussions of the architectural styles of the period, the engineering aspects of the system, and notable characters who lived along the Aqueduct trail. He assigned research on these topics, which built up to the much-anticipated field trip to let students experience the structures they had been learning about. Encouraging the students to take photographs and mental notes along the way, he led them on a tour of a portion of the trail. Afterward, he divided the class into groups of four or five, who each developed a ten-minute presentation featuring maps, models, photographs, oral interviews, and articles. At the end of the five-week unit, the students presented their group projects to a panel of local officials, architects, engineers, naturalists, and parents. Because of this experience, many of Oechsner’s former students continue to contact him to reminisce and thank him for introducing them to the Croton Waterworks. City learning standards (drawn from the New York State standards and available at http:// schools.nyc.gov/academics/) to which lessons about the Waterworks could be applied: Section 4: Interpretation Curricular Recommendations 87 own visit? Why is it important today for people to know about and continue to visit the reservoir and gatehouses? Creative expression of their experience could feature photographs, illustrations, written descriptions, video, or audio. If your class completes this assignment, please let us know; we would love to feature their work on our website! Online Curriculum Resources For more information about the Croton Waterworks that might be useful in teaching about the system, visit our website: http:// crotonaqueduct.wordpress.com/. Friends of the Old Croton Aqueduct are also involved in Waterworks-related educational programming: http://www.aqueduct.org/. Other examples of infrastructure-centered curricula are available through such organizations as the National Canal Museum: http://www.canals.org/ educators/My_Curriculum. Curricular Recommendations 88 December 1872): 21-22. , http://tinyurl.com/ CentralParkReservoir1. After following the course of the Aqueduct down from the Old Croton Dam (replaced at the turn of the century by the New Croton Dam), the author recounts in these pages his guided tour of the South Gatehouse, complete with illustrations of the structure’s now-closed interior. —“Local Intelligence: The New Reservoir,” The New York Times, 30 June 1862, http://tinyurl. com/CentralParkReservoir2. The New York Times announces the completion of the South Gatehouse at the new Central Park Reservoir and invites the public to visit and marvel at this feature of the “Croton Aqueduct, which, with these latest connections, presents a specimen of engineering skill and Metropolitan enterprise, before which the old Roman aqueducts pale into insignificance.” Take students to Central Park to