Educational Materials

Welcome to the educational resources of the Mannahatta Project! These lesson plans are geared for upper elementary school students, but can be adjusted to match any grade level. The lessons emphasize science and social studies, and are ideal for learning across the disciplines. Within each zipped folder, you'll find the following: a lesson plan; a page of background information that provides more information about the research behind each plan; and a folder containing all the materials you'll need for the lesson's activities. We encourage you to download this curriculum, copy the materials, and make as much use of them as you can.

We'd love to hear your feedback on these lessons, and also to answer any questions you may have about them. If you have questions, comments, or would like to schedule a teacher training on incorporating the Mannahatta Project into your classroom or school, please contact Amanda Huron, at ahuron@wcs.org. And keep checking this page, as we will be adding more lessons in the coming months!

Downloads (.zip files):

Introductory Lesson (4MB)
Students use maps and images to understand the basic idea of comparing the natural history of 1609 Mannahatta with the urbanized present of Manhattan.  We recommend that this lesson be taught before any of the others, in order to give students a sense of the "territory" they'll be covering in future lessons.

Lession 1: Tracing Mannahatta (17MB)
Students trace historic natural features from old Manhattan, and layer them over the modern street grid in order to see how the land has changed over time.  Through this lesson, students understand how much information they can learn just from close examination of visual evidence.

Lession 2: Weaving a Mannahatta Muir Web (4MB)
Students use their bodies and ribbon to create a web of habitats, species and abiotic elements that were present on Mannahatta.  Through this lesson, they learn about the interconnectedness and interdependence of life.

Lession 3: My Life as a Water Droplet (5MB)
Students pretend they are water droplets moving through the water cycle -- first on the Mannahatta of 1609, and next on modern Manhattan.  This lesson teaches students about how humans have affected the movement of water, and what that can mean for the environment.

Lession 4: Field Trip: Uncovering Streams in Central Park (5MB)
This field trip, in which students "uncover" an ancient stream in Central Park, reinforces what students have learned in the first three lessons about mapping, habitats, species and water on Mannahatta.