Teacher's Guide for FACES ^® New England

The first permanent English colony in North America was established in Jamestown, Virginia in 1607. Explain how New England got to be called America's birthplace.

Imagine that you have come across the Atlantic from England with your family to one of the new colonies. Write a letter to a friend in England about your life in your new home.

Look at the detailed map of New England in this issue. Locate the state capitols.

• What geographic feature do they have in common? 
• How did this contribute to the political and commercial development of these cities?

Let us look at the past, present, and future of New England's natural resources. Select three.

• Have these resources been put to use for generation after generation or just fairly recently?
• Are these resources becoming scarce or are they abundant? 
• How has each resource has contributed to New England's economy? The country's?
• How are companies and governments managing these resources?
• Name at least two government regulations or laws that affect these resources. (Note: These might be local, state, or national regulations or laws) Describe their impact on the resources you have selected.

Many traditional New England industries such as logging, fishing, and farming depend on the weather. Make a list of some of the occupations in these areas. Which job might you like to have? Now imagine that your hometown is experiencing an extreme weather event (you pick the climatological crisis!)

• How is your job affected?
• How about life at the company where you work?
• How are your neighbors affected?
• If you own the company, what kinds of decisions will you make to meet your business goals?

Lake Memphremagog and Lake Champlain are deep bodies of fresh water. (Depths of 300 to 700 feet are roughly equal to buildings that are 30 to 70 stories high). There have been sightings of massive underwater serpents in each lake. Write a short poem or ballad about Mephre or Champ.

New England is associated with cranberries, pumpkins, clams, and lobsters. What part of the country do you live in? Which foods are associated with that area? Write a page or two about the first time (or the last time!) you ate these foods with family or friends.

Some of America's oldest and most prestigious universities are in New England - Harvard in Massachusetts, Brown in Rhode Island, Dartmouth in New Hampshire, and Yale in Connecticut. 

• Which are the oldest and most prestigious universities in your part of the country?
• Why do you think people think of them this way? 
• Check out their web sites and record your impressions. 
• Explain why you might want to go to school here or would you prefer to go to school elsewhere.

The DJ for a sports team sets the tone and rallies the fans. 

• If you were the DJ for your favorite sports team, what would you be called? 
• What would be on your playlist? 
• What song or songs would you play when points were scored? When the referee or umpire made a bad call? 
• What goes into your decision when you make these choices? 
• Do you think the words or melody are more important?

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Updated: 11/21/09 04:08 pm
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