For Educators Teacher Instructions
Using the historic overview of Oakwood Cemetery as your guide, below are four
student activities for the classroom. Activities #2 and #4 can also be used on
a field trip to Oakwood Cemetery or to your own community’s local cemetery.
The information for the activities was obtained from the cemetery records of
Oakwood Cemetery (Troy Cemetery Association) and the Rensselaer County
Historical Society (RCHS) archives. RCHS can be reached via the web at:
www.rchsonline.org or e-mail info@rchsonline.org or by phone
518-244-6846 or 518-272-7232.
When visiting a cemetery please apply these guidelines to your visit:
Students should be respectful of the cemetery. These are, after all,
hallowed grounds. Be cognizant that a burial may be going on nearby, and
keep voices to an appropriate level. Despite the fact that rural cemeteries
are park-like settings, they are not playgrounds.
Students or chaperones should never climb or sit on the gravestones.
Along with being disrespectful to the person buried in the grave beneath,
gravestones are extremely heavy and can tip over on a person, potentially
causing a serious injury.
Please do not allow gravestone rubbings. The stones are fragile, both
from age and from the consequences of acid rain. Bring a digital camera to
record information and to photograph interesting cemetery stone shapes, icons
or epitaphs.
Recommend that students wear sturdy shoes or sneakers. Wet grass,
uneven ground and chuckholes are not conducive to students wearing flip flops.
Rural cemeteries tend to be near woods, and many deer and wildlife roam
through cemeteries. Remind students to check for ticks when they return home.
Supplies needed:
Clipboards, pencils, survey sheets, digital camera(s) if possible,
