School Programs:
New York and Hudson River Lore
America's First River
“The river that flows both ways” our Hudson, shaped America. Native peoples gathered here to trade. Henry Hudson lead the way for European settlement by the Dutch, English and then the world. General George Washington called the Hudson River the “key of America” during the fight for independence. The industrial revolution began in earnest with Robert Fulton’s Hudson River Steamboat.
Washington Irving became America’s first famous writer telling of a Headless Horseman galloping by the Hudson. The river’s fabled beauty inspired the Hudson River School of Painting, and the modern environmental movement.
Grades:
Fourth & Seventh, but adaptable for all
Program Length:
1 hour, with up to four 45 minute class workshops.
Summary:
Garbed in 1770’s clothes, Jonathan takes students for a tour in tales of New York along the Hudson. Stories span Native, Dutch and English colonial, revolutionary and 19th century times. There are many local geographic references. Curricular goals, like understanding important people and point of view are met as students are engaged imaginatively, through the art of the oral tradition.
Workshops show students how to turn primary source materials into historic fiction. A teacher guide is tailored to your goals.
Learning Objectives
The stories give students information on daily life, local legends, and historic events in New York from the 1500's through the 1800's.
The stories present the point of view of Native, colonial, revolutionary and other people along the river, changing over time.
The students reenact their locale’s land deed signing between Iroquois, or Lenape and European settlers.
Further, in workshops they'll remember their locale's place name origins through specially created skits. A vocabulary list of Colonial New York idioms and words launches student's historic fiction writing.
Students may encounter the region's captivating historic figures: Henry Hudson, Peter Stuyvesant, religious rights pioneer Anne Hutchinson, the pirate Captain Kidd, the Sachems' Katonah, Ponus, & Daniel Nimham, the girl who outrode 'Paul Revere' - Sybil Luddington, Generals George Washington, Benedict Arnold & Israel Putnam, James Fenimore Cooper's spy, Robert Fulton, Washington Irving, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, plus colorful imps, spirits, and more.
Your community's historic figures will be researched to create original local tales.
Workshops
- A 45 minute workshop may be given to one or two classes, up to four a day.
- The students learn local historic facts through original creative dramatics skits tailored to your community.
- We may concentrate on local lore skit making, historic fiction writing or local lore map making, depending on teacher and student interests.
- Basic historic and folklore research skills are introduced.
- Ways to write creatively, to make legends out of historic facts, using New York idioms & colonial expressions sheet, culminate the class workshop.