Gallery Trail: Crawford Lake: Layers in Time
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About
Just outside Toronto, Ontario lies a significant site offering a unique, comprehensive 1,000-year record of human impacts - local, regional, and global: Crawford Lake near Milton, Ontario.
The lake has intrigued scientists for decades, and research on sediments at the bottom of the lake has identified it as having the best record of humanity's impact on the planet. This has led to the lake's selection as a "golden spike" (definitive marker showing where one epoch ends and another begins) candidate for a proposed new geological time period defined by human-caused climate change - the Anthropocene.
Showcasing Indigenous belongings and settler objects, examples of local and introduced plants, historical documentation, related artworks, core samples, and more, Crawford Lake: Layers in Time offers an engaging, compelling look at the record of human life on Earth. The exhibition illustrates how everything from early agriculture to modern nuclear weapons testing has left its mark on this unassuming Canadian lake - and on the Earth at large - encouraging us to consider what record our activities and the decisions we make today will be left behind for future generations to uncover.
Use this Gallery Trail with an onsite or virtual visit to help structure and record your students’ learning in the exhibition, whether you’re visiting the exhibition at ROM, or learning virtually. Teachers who wish to learn from the comfort of their classroom, or who wish to review the exhibition after your trip to the museum, can register for free access to the Crawford Lake virtual exhibition, an annotated virtual tour.
Finish off with the Crawford Lake: Visions of the Future activity.
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Fast Facts
In a legend about Crawford Lake, horses lie undisturbed at the lake bottom, until awakening at sunset.
There are two pieces of rare Trinitite on display. Trinitite is fused silica sand; this glassy residue was formed when the desert sand at the Trinity nuclear test site in New Mexico was fused by the intense heat of the world's first nuclear detonation on July 16, 1945. The Trinity test was the first detonation of a nuclear weapon. The site was named "Trinity" after a poem by John Donne.
In 2023, Crawford Lake, Ontario, was chosen as a site with the clearest record of profound human-caused changes to the Earth, a time period—from the 1950s to now—informally known as the Anthropocene.
Please note
If remixing or modifying, please credit “adapted from a resource by ROM.”
Curriculum Connections
The Arts
- Visual Arts
Language
- Comprehension: Understanding and Responding to Texts – Critical Thinking in Literacy
- Literacy Connections and Applications – Applications, Connections, and Contributions
Mathematics
- Algebra – Patterns and Relationships
- Data – Data Literacy
- Number – Number Sense
Science
- Life Systems – Habitats and Communities
- Earth and Space Systems – Rocks and Minerals
- Matter and Energy – Light and Sound
Social Studies
- People and Environments
The Arts
- Visual Arts
Language
- Comprehension: Understanding and Responding to Texts – Critical Thinking in Literacy
- Literacy Connections and Applications – Applications, Connections, and Contributions
Mathematics
- Data – Data Literacy
Social Studies
- People and Environments
The Arts
- Visual Arts
Language
- Comprehension: Understanding and Responding to Texts – Critical Thinking in Literacy
- Literacy Connections and Applications – Applications, Connections, and Contributions
Mathematics
- Algebra – Patterns and Relationships
- Data – Data Literacy
- Number – Number Sense
Science
- Life Systems – Biodiversity
- Matter and Energy – Electircal Phenomena, Energy, and Devices
Social Studies
- Heritage and Identity: Communities in Canada, Past and Present
- People and Environments
The Arts
- Visual Arts
Language
- Comprehension: Understanding and Responding to Texts – Critical Thinking in Literacy
- Literacy Connections and Applications – Applications, Connections, and Contributions
Geography
- Physical Patterns in a Changing World – Inquiry: Investigating Physical Features and Processes
History
- New France and British North America, 1713–1800 – Understanding Historical Context: Events and Their Consequences
Mathematics
- Algebra – Patterns and Relationships
- Data – Data Literacy
- Number – Number Sense
Science
- STEM Skills and Connections – Coding and Emerging Technologies
- Life Systems – Interactions in the Environment
The Arts
- Visual Arts
Language
- Comprehension: Understanding and Responding to Texts – Critical Thinking in Literacy
- Literacy Connections and Applications – Applications, Connections, and Contributions
Geography
- Global Inequalities – Economic Development and Quality of Life
- Global Settlement: Patterns and Sustainability – Application: Interrelationships between Settlement and the Environment
Mathematics
- Algebra – Patterns and Relationships
- Data – Data Literacy
- Number – Number Sense
Science
- Earth and Space Systems – Water Systems
The Arts
- Integrated Arts
English
- Literacy Connections and Applications – Applications, Connections, and Contributions
- Comprehension: Understanding and Responding to Texts – Critical Thinking in Literacy
Mathematics
- Data – Collection, Representation, and Analysis of Data
- Mathematical Thinking and Making Connections – Making Connections
Science
- Biology – Sustainable Ecosystems and Climate Change
- Chemistry – Relating Science to Our Changing World
Geography
- Physical Geography and Physical Processes in Canada
The Arts
- Integrated Arts
English
- Reading and Literature Studies
- Media Studies
First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Studies
- First Nations, Métis, and Inuit in Canada
- Historical Inquiry and Skill Development
Science
- Biology – Sustainable Ecosystems and Climate Change
- Chemistry – Chemical Reactions
Geography
- Physical Geography and Physical Processes in Canada
The Arts
- Exploring and Creating in the Arts
English
- Reading and Literature Studies
- Media Studies
First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Studies
- Contemporary First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Issues and Perspectives
Interdisciplinary Studies
- Implementation, Evaluation, Impacts, and Consequences
Media Studies
- Media and Society
- The Media Industry
Environmental Science
- Scientific Solutions to Contemporary Environmental Challenges
- Human Health and the Environment
- Sustainable Agriculture and Forestry
- Human Impact on the Environment
Science
- Biology – Diversity of Living Things
- Biology – Plants in the Natural Environment
- Chemistry – Chemical Reactions
Geography
- Natural and Human Systems
The Arts
- Exploring and Creating in the Arts
English
- Reading and Literature Studies
- Media Studies
First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Studies
- Contemporary Indigenous Issues and Perspectives in a Global Context
