American Centuries

Pocumtuck Valley
Memorial Association

American Centuries > Lessons > History Lessons By Teachers > The Legend of the Great Beaver

The Legend of the Great Beaver

Details

Author
Patricia Colson-Montgomery
Topic/Subject Area
Land, Environment, Geography; Native American
Historical Era
Early Indigenous and European contact, 1565–1619
Grade Level
Elementary (K–5)
Creation Date
2010
Last Revision Date
2024

Related items

About This Lesson

Summary and Objective

Students will understand that legend often has a basis in fact by illustrating the connection between the legend of the Great Beaver and the geography of Mt. Sugarloaf.

Materials & Resources

Collection Items
Websites

Teaching Plan

  1. Begin by showing students some images of Mt. Sugarloaf from the American Centuries collection. Discuss what the area was like 15,000 years ago. Explain that there was once a post-glacial lake (Lake Hitchcock) stretching from northern Vermont to southern Connecticut. A species of now-extinct giant beavers the size of black bears lived during that period.
  2. Have students listen to the story of Beaver-Tail Hill as told by Marge Bruchac on the Creation and Deeptime Stories page.
  3. Show students the image entitled “Sugarloaf from Meadows”/ “Millriver Plains” from the American Centuries online collection. Examine the shape of Mt. Sugarloaf and have students explain how a beaver might be seen in its outline.
  4. Connect the story of the giant beaver to the actual formation of Glacial Lake Hitchcock. Guide students into understanding that just as the giant beaver built the dam that blocked up the river, so did an actual giant ice dam in CT back up the river thus forming Glacial Lake Hitchcock.
  5. Distribute an outline view of Mt. Sugarloaf. This can be made by tracing Sugarloaf’s outline in the image “Sugarloaf from Meadows”/ “Millriver Plains”.
  6. Have students use the outline of Mt. Sugarloaf to illustrate the events of the legend.
  7. Extension Activity: Have students create a topographic model of the Pocumtuck Range.