Growing Through Time: Rochester as the Flower City

WINTER, 2006-2007

As the success of the canal transformed Rochester from a village to a city, new industries began to take root. One of these was the nursery industry, a synergy of immigrant knowledge, manufacturing, printing, and local climate. As railroad expansion pushed flour production west, new products gained prominence in Rochester's economy.

During this expedition 3rd Graders explored the growth of local seed companies and how land use changed. They focused on how weather conditions change, and how weather is measured and reported within a climate. Students identified the cycles within plants, weather, and economies. They accumulated, sorted, and represented their new knowledge in an Atlas of Rochester's Land Use Over Time, focusing on the Flower City and including echoes of land use from previous expeditons.