Schuyler House Scavenger Hunt
Saratoga National Historical Park
1165KB
Grade Level:
Middle School: Sixth Grade through Eighth Grade
Subject:
Literacy and Language Arts,Social Studies
Lesson Duration:
60 Minutes
State Standards:
Full list of New York State Social Studies Practices & Key Ideas, for Grade 6 through Grade 8, included in the Lesson Plan downloadable document.
Thinking Skills:
Remembering: Recalling or recognizing information ideas, and principles. Understanding: Understand the main idea of material heard, viewed, or read. Interpret or summarize the ideas in own words. Applying: Apply an abstract idea in a concrete situation to solve a problem or relate it to a prior experience. Analyzing: Break down a concept or idea into parts and show the relationships among the parts. Creating: Bring together parts (elements, compounds) of knowledge to form a whole and build relationships for NEW situations. Evaluating: Make informed judgements about the value of ideas or materials. Use standards and criteria to support opinions and views.
Essential Question
What did the life of an upper-class 18th century family look like?
Objective
Schuyler House Scavenger Hunt is a lesson designed for Grades 6-8. Students will be able to compare the domestic life of an upper-class 18th century family with what they know of their own modern life in the 21st century. Through the scavenger hunt of the Schuyler House, students will examine how an 18th century family experienced life, Philip Schuyler’s role in the local and regional economy, and how the life of the Schuyler family compared with that of their enslaved servants.
Background
Located along New York’s Hudson River, the country home stands along the path taken by British General John Burgoyne’s army as they marched south toward Albany, NY from Canada during the American War of Independence. As Burgoyne’s British forces retreated after the Battles of Saratoga in the Fall of 1777, the previous home that stood on the estate was burned. Schuyler quickly made plans to rebuild in late 1777 and the estate would continue to play an important role in the local and regional economy.
Preparation
Before completing this lesson, students will have examined the creation English colonies in North America (Jamestown, Plymouth, etc.), New York’s 17th century roots as New Netherland, and the development of the patroon system in New York’s Hudson River Valley through political, economic, social, and cultural contexts. This lesson serves as a digital complement to an on-site visit to Saratoga National Historical Park. It can be completed either in preparation for, in reflection of, or as an alternative to a physical trip to the park.
Materials
Procedure
1. The teacher should begin the lesson by activating students’ background knowledge of daily life in the late 18th-century. Through small group or whole class discussion, the teacher should guide students to identify some ways life in the late 18th century was different from their life today. Some guiding questions to consider asking are: How was life at home different for Americans 250 years ago? What are some things in your home that did not exist 250 years ago? What things might people have used instead of… lights, electricity, running water, etc.? Depending upon student responses, the teacher may also wish to point out that there were also numerous ways that life was different regarding family customs and social expectations, and that these customs and expectations could vary among different social classes and/or a person’s status as free or enslaved.
2. Next, the teacher will introduce the task for students by telling students they will complete a Scavenger Hunt of an 18th-century home using a 360° Virtual Tour. Use this link to view the tour. The teacher will introduce the Schuyler Family, Philip, Catherine, and eight children (out of 15) that lived to adulthood, as an upper-class family well position in New York Society. The teacher will distribute the Scavenger Hunt Worksheet (either paper or digital) and review the directions with the class. Teacher note: The infant mortality rate in the late 1700s was 50%. Even wealthy families experienced a high infant mortality rate in that time.
3. Students will then be provided the link to access the 360° Virtual Tour of the Schuyler House. As students follow the guidelines within the Scavenger Hunt and complete the corresponding questions, the teacher will remain on hand to help students with navigating the tour including pointing out the location of the interactive icons in each room. Many of the items you will see are antiques. Some items are high-quality copies of artifacts, including some based on originals found in archaeology on the property.
4. After completing the Scavenger Hunt of the Schuyler House, the teacher will conclude the lesson by asking student volunteers to share their responses to question #8 and question #9. With this review, some further discussion might ensue, and the teacher can provide some relevant clarification on questions students may have. The teacher will then instruct students to turn in the Scavenger Hunt worksheet (either paper or digital).
5. In closing the lesson, the teacher will provide each student an index card to complete the lesson’s exit ticket. Students will then complete a quick writing exercise based on the following prompt: “Comparing your own home life with that of the Schuyler family, what things are similar? What things are different?" The teacher will then collect the index card from students as they exit the classroom.
Assessment Materials
For Assessments, see Lesson Plan downloadable document
The Schuyler House Scavenger Hunt Assessment guidelines are included in the downloadable Lesson Plan document. They are flexible for varied educator needs.
In line with the lesson’s objective, students will finish the lesson by completing a writing exercise asking them to compare their life with that of the Schuyler family. Further, by collecting and evaluating the Scavenger Hunt worksheet, the teacher can make direct connections to students’ comprehension in alignment with the lesson objectives.
Supports for Struggling Learners
There are several alterations that could be applied to this lesson as the teacher sees fit to adjust for time or student ability. Primarily, the teacher may choose for students to complete the Scavenger Hunt independently or with their partner. In a smaller class setting, or a class setting in which students do not have individual devices to use when exploring the 360° Schuyler House tour, it is recommended that the teacher lead students through the tour using a Smartboard or projector, stopping, and reading aloud significant items on the tour that pertain to the objective of the lesson.
Enrichment Activities
Included as part of the Activity Packet downloadable document. These are intended not just for the excelling learner, but for all learners, as engaging multiple learning styles and fields improves and deepens the learning experience for any student.
Contact Information
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Tags: saratoga curriculum saratoga national historical park battles of saratoga american revolution american revolutionary war history lesson plan schuyler house
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service