NIE ACTIVITY
GEOGRAPHY CONNECTIONS
This year-long series is presented in collaboration with the Connecticut Geographic Alliance.
NORMANDY, TAKE 5 USING THE NEWS
FRANCE LOCATION - Normandy is located on the
While Normandy may be known for its beautiful cliffs lining the beaches, those cliffs have
become a hazard. Earlier this July, one of the faces of the cliffs broke off and crashed
Normandy is not a city, or nation, but actually a English Channel, one of the closest points
region in Northern France. The territory had been between England and the mainland of down onto the sand like an avalanche, while tourists were nearby walking! Mayors of the
Europe. This is why it has often been a focal local towns in Normandy have had to issue statements warning visitors to be aware and
disputed between France and England until it
point of military strategy. look out. You can see a video of one of the cliffs collapsing here:
officially became France’s property around 1450 http://www.thelocal.fr/20130719/video-normandy-cliff-plunges-onto-beach
after the Hundred Years’ War. This region is most PLACE -The coast of France at Normandy
famous because of the Normandy invasions during is largely made up of beautiful beaches and
World War II, called D-Day. This day, June 6, 1944
tall cliffs. DID YOU KNOW?
is when the Allied powers, mainly the United States HUMAN-ENVIRONMENT INTERACTION- • The Cliffs of Normandy appear white against the sea? The reason for this is the cliffs are
The landowners of the Normandy region actually a soft chalky limestone. The whiteness of the soft stone is why people call it the
and England, reclaimed France from the Germans made use of the farmland by breaking it up Alabaster Coast, although not made of alabaster at all!
who had been controlling it. Normandy today is into segments of open field separated by • Normandy played a very important role in World War II. The invasion of the Normandy beaches
turned the tide of war in favor of the Allied Powers, mainly the US and England. After this
known for its incredible views of cliffs, beaches, and trees and hedges called bocage.* invasion, the Allies marched straight towards Berlin and defeated Germany.
expansive farmland. MOVEMENT- Normandy is by no means • Normandy was the largest amphibious attack, or attack by both land and sea at the same
time, in all history.
Kailee Donovan a typical “tourist trap” with restaurants and • Today, the Normandy beaches are both a memorial to soldiers who fought there as well as
Social Studies Teacher at Simsbury High School shops, but is often visited because of the a place of recreation for locals. Old bunkers are still sitting on the beaches! Can you imagine
memorials and cemeteries dedicated to D-Day. playing on the beach then turning around and seeing an old World War II bunker??
REGION - Normandy is most famous for its
agricultural production of cattle and horses,
as well as cider. MAPPING ACTIVITY
Picture of Bocage: http://en.wikipedia. Look at a map of Northern France -
org/wiki/File:Bocage_boulonnais.jpg (http://www.madingleyamericancemetery.info/uk-france-cemeteries.htm)
Imagine you are a French general trying to protect France against an invasion.
Curricular Connections: Which town would you expect an enemy from England to try to invade? The Allies tried to
“fake out” the Germans who were controlling France and make the Germans think they
Kailee Donovan CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.6-8.8 Distinguish were going to invade Calais.
among facts, reasoned judgment based on
research findings, and speculation in a text. Why does Calais seem like most likely point at which an army/navy would invade France?
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.4 Determine What types of defense structures would you build on the cliffs and the beaches in Normandy for
the meaning of words and phrases as they are defense? Build a model of a bunker or other structure the French could build to prevent invasion.
used in a text, including vocabulary specific to
domains related to history/social studies.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.5 Describe how ONLINE RESOURCES:
a text presents information (e.g., sequentially, Geography of Normandy: http://www.gitesandmore.co.uk/Geography%20of%20Normandy.htm
comparatively, causally). American Cemetery at Normandy: http://www.abmc.gov/cemeteries/cemeteries/no.php
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.6 Identify D-Day: http://www.army.mil/d-day/
aspects of a text that reveal an author’s point
of view or purpose (e.g., loaded language,
inclusion or avoidance of particular facts).
For students who are blind, learning disabled or print challenged, visit CRIS Radio at
Kailee Donovan http://www.chrisradio.org and click Kids On-Demand for a free audio version of Geography Connections.
