NSS-G.K-12.5 ENVIRONMENT AND SOCIETY
NSS-EC.5-8.1 PRODUCTIVE RESOURCES
NSS-EC.5-8.3 ALLOCATING GOODS AND SERVICES
NSS-EC.5-8.5 VOLUNTARY EXCHANGE
NSS-EC.5-8.6 GAINS FROM TRADE
This video represents the position of the Midwest Area River Coalition on the proposed plan to expand the lock and dam system on the Mississippi River. According to the press materials on the video, "Agriculture & the River: A Current of Change" details the process of transporting the 100+ million tons that move along our rivers each year. A majority of these barges are carrying the agricultural products so vital to our regional and national economy. From American farms to destinations all over the world, this video details how those products traverse the 'third coast' of America, the Mississippi River system, keeping American agriculture one of the central tenets of America's economy.”
The proposed plan to expand the lock and dam system is one of the most contentious issues facing the river community today. Opinions differ widely on how an expanded lock and dam system would affect the living ecosystem, benefit farmers, impact world markets, and change the river for years to come. The issue is complex, and there will be no simple answers.
· Who in your community is involved in this issue, and how?
An online report on the “Environmental Advantages of Inland Barge Transportation” at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineer’s web site
http://www.mvr.usace.army.mil/navdata/PDF/EnvironmentalAdvantagesofInlandBargeTransportation.pdf
Inland Rivers Ports and Terminals web site, a group representing the barge industry
http://www.irpt.net/irpt.nsf/LinksView/EnvironmentalAdvantages?Opendocument
American Rivers web page with information on the environmental effects of commercial navigation on the river
http://amrivers.org/mississippiriver/misscommerce1.htm
American Rivers web page with comments on the USACE navigation study
http://amrivers.org/mississippiriver/corpsnavigationstudy.htm
NS.5-8.3 LIFE SCIENCE
NSS-G.K-12.5 ENVIRONMENT AND SOCIETY
Freshwater mussels are an important indicator species in the river’s ecosystem. In the late 1800's and early 1900's freshwater mussel shells were collected to make buttons. Raccoon, muskrat, and otter eat freshwater mussels, and mussels help clean the water in which they live. When a freshwater mussel eats it "breathes in" the water and filters out particles and tiny organisms in the water, leaving behind cleaner water.
Though the domestic button industry is no longer a major industry, freshwater mussels are still harvested here and shipped overseas to the Asian market where they are used to “seed” oysters in the cultured pearl industry. Today, freshwater mussels are threatened by pollution, dams, dredging, and invader species like the zebra mussel and the Asian clam.
Fun With Freshwater Mussels
http://www.uvm.edu/~pass/tignor/mussels/index.htm
Freshwater Mussel Lesson Plan
http://www.sdafs.org/nongame/musselworkshop.pdf
Environmental Education for Kids (EEK) from Wisconsin Dept. of Natural Resources
http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/caer/ce/eek/critter/watercritter/mussel.htm
Buglopedia
http://www.bugsurvey.nsw.gov.au/html/popups/bpedia_14_tol_fr-mu.html
Missouri Botanical Gardens Aquatic Critters
http://mbgnet.mobot.org/fresh/slide/intro.htm
Iowa Natural Resources Conservation Service
Christa Perkins
3002A Winegard Dr.
Burlington, IA 52601
(319)752-6395
NS.5-8.3 LIFE SCIENCE
NSS-G.K-12.2 PLACES AND REGIONS
NSS-G.K-12.3 PHYSICAL SYSTEMS
NSS-G.K-12.5 ENVIRONMENT AND SOCIETY
This video explores the diversity of Minnesota’s ecosystems, but has relevance for any area within the Upper Mississippi River Valley. Minnesota is home to three of the major biomes of the Upper Midwest- the coniferous forest, the boreal forest or Big Woods, and the tall grass prairie. Using beautiful imagery and original music, the video reveals the subtle beauty of each of the biomes, and the relationships between humans and the landscape over time.
MN DNR’s Ecosystem Education Program
http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/ecological_services/ecosystemed/index.html
Biomes web site from NASA’s Earth Observatory
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Laboratory/Biome/
A prairie restoration plan from the North Central Regional Education laboratories
http://www.ncrel.org/mands/FERMI/prairie/Prairie_Res/
Native prairie restoration site from the MN DNR
http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/prairierestoration/index.html
Prairie restoration site from the Illinois State Museum
http://www.museum.state.il.us/muslink/prairie/htmls/pr.html
Minnesota Dept. of Natural Resources
500 Lafayette Road
St. Paul, MN 55155
"Moving America's Harvest by Barge" CD-ROM provided by the American Soybean Association
NSS-G.K-12.5 ENVIRONMENT AND SOCIETY
NSS-EC.5-8.1 PRODUCTIVE RESOURCES
NSS-EC.5-8.3 ALLOCATING GOODS AND SERVICES
NSS-EC.5-8.5 VOLUNTARY EXCHANGE
NSS-EC.5-8.6 GAINS FROM TRADE
This CD-ROM is produced and distributed by the American Soybean Association (ASA), an industry trade group. Their marketing program, the Soybean Trade Expansion Program (STEP), produced the CD-ROM to educate the public about their position on the proposal to increase the size of the locks on the Mississippi River.
According to their web site, “Half the value of the U.S. soybean crop is exported each year, and more than 75 percent of U.S. soybean exports move to world ports via the Upper Mississippi and Illinois River systems.” The inland waterways of the U.S. are an important part of the economic system of the Upper Midwest, but using the rivers as highways carries an environmental cost. The conflicting use of the river is one of the most contentious issues facing us today, and in the near future.
American Soybean Association’s web site
An article on the environmental costs and benefits of industrial agriculture from the Union of concerned Scientists
http://www.ucsusa.org/food_and_environment/sustainable_agriculture/page.cfm?pageID=350
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) navigation education web pages
http://education.usace.army.mil/navigation/navigate.html
USACE study of navigation on the Mississippi River
http://www2.mvr.usace.army.mil/umr-iwwsns/
American Rivers web site, commenting on the USACE navigation study
http://www.americanrivers.org/mississippiriver/corpsnavigationstudy.htm
American Soybean Association
Soybean Trade Expansion Program
Jill Wagenblast
(800) 688-7692
http://www.soygrowers.com/step/barge.htm
NSS-G.K-12.3 PHYSICAL SYSTEMS
NSS-G.K-12.5 ENVIRONMENT AND SOCIETY
NSS-G.K-12.2 PLACES AND REGIONS
NS.5-8.3 LIFE SCIENCE
NSS-EC.5-8.1 PRODUCTIVE RESOURCES
“Renewing the River: Rebuilding Habitat on the Upper Mississippi River” details the ambitious plan to “draw down” the river to encourage the regrowth of shore plants, and emulate the historic fluctuations in the flow of the river. Before the construction of the locks and dams system, the river flow would seasonally fluctuate, flooding, then drying out, hundreds of miles of shoreline habitat for fish, migrating birds, and resident populations of water fowl. When the locks and dams were constructed, they held the river at unnaturally high and consistent flows, to accommodate barge and recreational boating traffic.
The video profiles a project in Pool 8, between LaCrosse and Genoa, WI, that drew down the waters over 18 inches over 40 days in 2001. The project was a remarkable collaborative effort between government, industry, and local citizens, to see if habitat could be restored without any major negative effects to human interests along the river. Though the results were mixed, the video tells an important story about cooperation and compromise.
Minnesota DNR
http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/index.html
Wisconsin DNR
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Articles from the LaCrosse Public Library’s Digital Library Collection, on the river habitat
http://lplcat.lacrosse.lib.wi.us/digitalproject/naturalbeauty.htm
Minnesota Dept. of Natural Resources
500 Lafayette Road
St. Paul, MN 55155
NSS-G.K-12.3 PHYSICAL SYSTEMS
NSS-G.K-12.5 ENVIRONMENT AND SOCIETY
NSS-G.K-12.2 PLACES AND REGIONS
NSS-EC.5-8.1 PRODUCTIVE RESOURCES
NSS-EC.5-8.2 EFFECTIVE DECISION MAKING
NSS-EC.5-8.3 ALLOCATING GOODS AND SERVICES
NSS-EC.5-8.4 POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE INCENTIVES
NSS-EC.5-8.6 GAINS FROM TRADE
NSS-EC.5-8.16 GOVERNMENT IN THE ECONOMY
NL-ENG.K-12.3 EVALUATION STRATEGIES
This video, from the Upper Mississippi River Conservation Committee, makes a strong case for compromise as industry, recreation and environmental interests pursue their often-conflicting agendas in the Upper Mississippi River Valley. The video looks back in time through the history of development along the river to explore how industry developed at the expense of the ecological river, and looks forward to explore how to find a balance among the competing interests. Sedimentation, water quality, commercial navigation, hydropower, recreation and what the future might hold are all considered.
What are the major interests competing for use of the river?
What services do these interests require, and what services do they offer?
How would you prioritize these interests, and why?
What kinds of solutions can you come up with to achieve a “balance of integrity?”
Who in your area is working on these issues?
Upper Mississippi River Conservation Committee
http://www.mississippi-river.com/umrcc/
Report- “A River that Works and a Working River” on the conflicting interests vying for the river
http://www.mississippi-river.com/umrcc/pdf/A%20RIVER%20THAT%20WORKS.pdf
Great River Greening, St. Paul, MN
http://www.greatrivergreening.org/
River Action, Davenport, IA
Upper Mississippi River Conservation Committee (UMRCC)
John Duyvejonck
4469 48th Ave. Ct.
Rock Island, IL 61201
http://www.mississippi-river.com/umrcc/
Click here to access the teacher's guide as a PDF
If It does not appear, you will probably need to install Acrobat Reader, available from the "Acrobat" folder on this disc. This document can also be accessed from the folder titled "Wicipi" on this disc.
NSS-G.K-12.4 HUMAN SYSTEMS
NSS-G.K-12.5 ENVIRONMENT AND SOCIETY
NL-ENG.K-12.1 READING FOR PERSPECTIVE
NL-ENG.K-12.2 UNDERSTANDING THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE
The Dakota people are some of the original people of the Upper Mississippi River Valley, and have a long and proud relationship to the river. Wacipi Powwow is a powerful documentary of the traditional Dakota gathering, a celebration of family, community and culture. In this video, members of the Dakota nation tell their own stories, sing their songs, dance traditional dances and offer an intimate look at deeply held values and beliefs of the Dakota nation. The video is colorful, joyous, and exciting to watch. The subjects on this video include:
· What are the purposes of, and reasons for, the powwow?
· How do you celebrate the kinds of things the Dakota celebrate in their powwow?
· How are the beliefs and traditions of the Dakota similar to your traditions?
· What are some of the struggles the Dakota have faced?
· How are these struggles similar or different to the struggles you face?
TPT’s web site supporting Wacipi Powwow, with information on many of the traditions explored in the video.
http://www.tpt.org/powwow/index.html
An online report from the Mahkato Mdewakanton Association on the background of the annual powwow in Mankato.
http://www.turtletrack.org/MahkatoWacipi/Press/July272002.htm
See also the Mahkato Mdewakanton Association’s page on Mahkato Education Day.
http://www.turtletrack.org/MahkatoWacipi/Education.htm
The Gathering of Nations Powwow web site
http://www.gatheringofnations.com/
Twin Cities Public Television, Inc. (TPT)
172 East Fourth Street
St. Paul, 55101
http://www.tpt.org/powwow/index.html
NSS-USH.5-12.4 ERA 4: EXPANSION AND REFORM (1801-1861)
NSS-USH.5-12.5 ERA 5: CIVIL WAR AND RECONSTRUCTION (1850-1877)
The Steamboat the War Eagle was the lead boat in the original Excursion of 1854, carrying many of the politicians and dignitaries involved, including President Millard Fillmore. In later years, it was called the President’s Boat. In 1870, the steamboat, burned and sank, killing five people in the awful conflagration. The LaCrosse County Historical Society published this pamphlet as part of their effort to raise and restore the remains of the War Eagle.
Steamboats.com is a site dedicated to paddlewheel riverboats
Online demonstration of how a steam engine works
http://twaintimes.net/boat/sbpage3a.htm
An incredible Steamboat web site from Germany
Steamboats.org offers an interactive tour of a virtual steamboat
http://www.steamboats.org/eexplore.htm
LaCrosse Historical Society
Robert Taunt
608.785.9635
taunt.robert@lacrossecounty.org
A River That Works and A
Working River The Upper Mississippi River Conservation Committee
NSS-G.K-12.2 PLACES AND REGIONS
NSS-G.K-12.3 PHYSICAL SYSTEMS
NSS-G.K-12.4 HUMAN SYSTEMS
NSS-G.K-12.5 ENVIRONMENT AND SOCIETY
NSS-G.K-12.6 THE USES OF GEOGRAPHY
NSS-EC.5-8.1 PRODUCTIVE RESOURCES
NSS-EC.5-8.2 EFFECTIVE DECISION MAKING
NSS-EC.5-8.3 ALLOCATING GOODS AND SERVICES
NSS-EC.5-8.7 MARKETS AND MARKET PRICES
NS.5-8.1 SCIENCE AS INQUIRY
NS.5-8.3 LIFE SCIENCE
NS.5-8.6 PERSONAL AND SOCIAL PERSPECTIVES
NL-ENG.K-12.3 EVALUATION STRATEGIES
This report by the Upper Mississippi River Conservation Committee details how this “nation has benefited from natural and economic resources of the Upper Mississippi River System (UMRS)”. It also discusses how the country continues to compromise that “natural resources system, or ecosystem” and discusses the necessary and recommended corrective policies and actions to return the UMRS to a healthy state.
· How are communities effected by these changes and issues, in what ways, and to what degrees?
Upper Mississippi River Conservation Committee:
http://www.mississippi-river.com/umrcc/
Online copy of the report: “A River That Works and A Working River” The Upper Mississippi River Conservation Committee
http://www.mississippi-river.com/umrcc/pdf/A%20RIVER%20THAT%20WORKS.pdf
Big River: links to Upper Mississippi River resources:
http://www.big-river.com/index.html
http://www.big-river.com/bigriverlinks.html
Sierra Club, North Star Chapter, with comments and reports on ecological effects of river traffic and locks and dams:
http://www.northstar.sierraclub.org/
http://www.northstar.sierraclub.org/mr_mississippi_river.htm
Upper Mississippi River Conservation Committee
4469 48th Avenue Court
Rock Island, IL 61201
309.793.5800 ext. 522
NSS-G.K-12.5 ENVIRONMENT AND SOCIETY
NS.5-8.3 LIFE SCIENCE
NS.5-8.6 PERSONAL AND SOCIAL PERSPECTIVES
Besides being a charismatic animal that naturally excites the interest and concern of students of all ages, frogs are a critical bio-indicator species. The health of frog populations gives us important information about the health of the ecosystems in which they live. At present, frog populations around the world are in decline, and the incidence of malformities is on the rise. Frog populations are threatened by habitat loss and degradation, loss of atmospheric ozone, disease, increase in pollution, and overuse of pesticides. This activity guide offers lesson plans to help your students understand the role of the frog in the ecosystem, and why it is such an important species.
· What are the characteristics of frogs?
· Where does a frog fit into the food chain? What does a frog eat, and what eats a frog?
· What frogs live in your area?
· Why are frogs considered to be an “indicator” species?
· Who in your area works with frog populations?
A Thousand Friends of Frogs
http://cgee.hamline.edu/frogs/
Minnesota Dept. of Natural Resources Frog Pages
http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/reptiles_amphibians/frogs_toads/saving.html
North American Amphibian Monitoring Program
http://www.im.nbs.gov/amphibs.html
Missouri Botanical Gardens Aquatic Critters
http://mbgnet.mobot.org/fresh/slide/intro.htm
An online article from Scientific American about frog deformities
http://www.sciam.com/print_version.cfm?articleID=000D5DCC-CA4A-1E1C-8B3B809EC588EEDF
Center for Global Environmental Education
Hamline University
1536 Hewitt Ave. MS-A1760
St. Paul, MN 55104-1284
Big River Reader: An Anthology of Stories about the Upper Mississippi, from the First Four Years of Big River
NL-ENG.K-12.1 READING FOR PERSPECTIVE
NL-ENG.K-12.2 UNDERSTANDING THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE
NSS-G.K-12.5 ENVIRONMENT AND SOCIETY
The Big River Reader is published by Big River, a magazine devoted to the “Upper Mississippi River, for people who live, work and play on the river.” This edition of the Big River Reader was reprinted especially for the River Exploration Trunks. The Big River magazine, and the stories in the Big River Reader, are gleaned from sources along the river between the Twin Cites and Davenport, IA, the same reach of the river that saw the boats in the original Excursion of 1854, and will see the 2004 Grand Flotilla. These stories offer a rich local context for information, story ideas, inquiry questions and native knowledge for teachers in schools all along the river.
· What can you see, hear, smell, taste and feel along a river?
· How do people use natural resources along the river where you live?
· What kinds of experiences have you had on the river that could become bigger stories?
· What are the most interesting animals, plants, occupations, people, or experiences you have seen along the river? Why?
Big River Magazine’s web site
National Geographic's annual conservation public-awareness campaign
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/geographyaction/
The Rivers of Life online “River Voices” Gallery, with stories from a wide variety of river authors, along with suggestions for student writing assignments
http://cgee.hamline.edu/rivers/Resources/Voices/toc.htm
River of Words is an environmental art and poetry program created to promote watershed awareness, literacy, and the arts
Big River Magazine
Reggie McLeod, Editor
111 Riverfront, Suite 204
P.O. Box 204
Winona, MN 55987
NSS-EC.5-8.3 ALLOCATING GOODS AND SERVICES
NSS-EC.5-8.1 PRODUCTIVE RESOURCES
NSS-G.K-12.4 HUMAN SYSTEMS
NSS-G.K-12.5 ENVIRONMENT AND SOCIETY
The button on this card is from the Blumenthal Lansing Button Company, and is part of a cluster of resources about freshwater mussels and the button industry. The button industry was once one of the major industries in river towns south of Red Wing, and some of the button companies survive to this day. Freshwater mussels need clean water to survive. In the late 1800’s and early 1900’s as St. Paul, MN grew, and the amount of raw sewage dumped into the river increased, freshwater mussel populations had a difficult time reproducing in the polluted waters south of the metropolitan area. Pollutants settled to the bottom of the river channel around the Red Wing area, and south of there, mussel populations thrived. The button, and the history of the company that makes the buttons are included to give your students an opportunity to touch a part of the living history of industry on the river.
· Who used these buttons?
· Who collected the shells?
· What was done with the “meat” of the mussels collected for buttons?
· What do freshwater mussels need to survive?
· What kinds of freshwater mussels live in your area?
· Who in your community works with freshwater mussel populations?
· What industries in your community use the natural resources of the river? How?
History of John Boepple-Father of Muscatine's Pearl Button Industry
http://www.muscatine.k12.ia.us/was/History/pearlbuttons/contents.htm
Fun With Freshwater Mussels
http://www.uvm.edu/~pass/tignor/mussels/index.htm
Environmental Education for Kids (EEK) from Wisconsin Dept. of Natural Resources
http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/caer/ce/eek/critter/watercritter/mussel.htm
Buglopedia
http://www.bugsurvey.nsw.gov.au/html/popups/bpedia_14_tol_fr-mu.html
Blumenthal Lansing Company
1929 Main Street, Lansing, IA 52151
NS.5-8.1 SCIENCE AS INQUIRY
NS.5-8.3 LIFE SCIENCE
Besides being a charismatic animal that naturally excites the interest and concern of students of all ages, frogs are a critical bio-indicator species. The health of frog populations gives us important information about the health of the ecosystems in which they live. At present, frog populations around the world are in decline, and the incidence of malformities is on the rise. Frog populations are threatened by habitat loss and degradation, loss of atmospheric ozone, disease, increase in pollution, and overuse of pesticides. The CD, “Calls of Minnesota's Frogs & Toads” can help you and your students learn to identify different types of frog species by the calls they make. Volunteers in the MN Frog Watch, a citizen-monitoring network that annually surveys frog populations in MN, use this CD to learn to identify frogs by the sounds of their calls.
· What are the characteristics of frogs?
· Where does a frog fit into the food chain? What does a frog eat, and what eats a frog?
· Why do frogs call?
· What frogs live in your area?
· Who in your area works with frog populations?
A Thousand Friends of Frogs
http://cgee.hamline.edu/frogs/
Minnesota Dept. of Natural Resources Frog Pages
http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/reptiles_amphibians/frogs_toads/saving.html
North American Amphibian Monitoring Program
http://www.im.nbs.gov/amphibs.html
Missouri Botanical Gardens Aquatic Critters
http://mbgnet.mobot.org/fresh/slide/intro.htm
Center for Global Environmental Education
Hamline University
1536 Hewitt Ave. MS-A1760
St. Paul, MN 55104-1284
Earth Force: Low Cost Water Monitoring Kit
NS.5-8.1 SCIENCE AS INQUIRY
NS.5-8.3 LIFE SCIENCE
NSS-G.K-12.5 ENVIRONMENT AND SOCIETY
The quality of our waters is a reflection of the quality of our lives. Without clean water, there is no hope of good health, a vibrant economy, a healthy ecosystem, plentiful food, or any of the other factors that contribute to the quality of life for residents of a community, a watershed, or a nation. There is no substitute for clean water.
Testing and evaluating the quality of your water is the first step in improving the quality of local waters. Around the nation and around the world, citizen-monitoring networks are forming to take responsibility and control of monitoring water. By engaging your students in simple water monitoring protocols, you give them the knowledge they need to have a voice in the growing discussion of how clean we want our waters to be.
· How clean is our water, and how clean is clean enough?
· Is the water clean enough for native populations of fish?
· Can we drink the water right out of the nearby river or stream? Why, or why not?
· Where does our drinking water come from?
· What factors in our community influence the quality of the water?
· How could we clean up our water?
· What might happen to your community if the water became more polluted?
Global Rivers Environmental Education Network (GREEN) resources page
http://www.green.org/resources/
Earthforce, a national service-learning organization
River Network, a citizen water-monitoring network
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Water
Global Rivers Environmental Education Network (GREEN)
1908 Mount Vernon Avenue, Second Floor
Alexandria, VA 22301
Earth Trails: Mississippi River multimedia software package & posters- Iowa Public TV
NL-ENG.K-12.4 COMMUNICATION SKILLS
NL-ENG.K-12.5 COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES
NL-ENG.K-12.7 EVALUATING DATA
NL-ENG.K-12.8 DEVELOPING RESEARCH SKILLS
NT.K-12.1 BASIC OPERATIONS AND CONCEPTS
NT.K-12.2 SOCIAL, ETHICAL AND HUMAN ISSUES
NT.K-12.3 TECHNOLOGY PRODUCTIVITY TOOLS
NT.K-12.6 TECHNOLOGY PROBLEM- SOLVING AND DECISION-MAKING TOOLS
NSS-G.K-12.5 ENVIRONMENT AND SOCIETY
“Earth Trails: Mississippi River” is a flexible, integrated learning tool that gives students control of their learning in a challenging technology package. This multimedia product combines the best of problem-based learning, inquiry-based learning, interdisciplinary education and technology integration to guide students through investigations of issues and information about the Mississippi River. Produced by Iowa Public Television, the product is supported by extensive web sites for both students and teachers.
This product is especially good for those students who respond enthusiastically to technology challenges, who are individually motivated, and who like to produce, rather than consume, media.
“Earth Trails: Mississippi River” turns your students into multimedia producers who investigate an issue around the river, then write and produce multimedia presentations to represent their findings. The support sites include useful guidelines on how to write a story, descriptions of quality writing, and profiles exemplary stories produced by students.
Iowa Public Television’s support site for students
http://www.interactive.iptv.org/
Iowa Public Television’s support site for teachers
http://www3.iptv.org/mississippi/
GPN Media
PO Box 80669
Lincoln, NE 68501-0669
NSS-G.K-12.5 ENVIRONMENT AND SOCIETY
NS.5-8.3 LIFE SCIENCE
The activities in this guide are original activities developed for teaching using the Mississippi River as a context, or have been adapted from Project Wild Aquatic or Project WET. The guide contains background information, activities and lesson plans, extensions and is a comprehensive guide to teaching with the river as a focus.
A guide such as this can seem a bit overwhelming at first. There is so much information in this resource it might be hard to find your way around in it. But, if you are in need of an active, hands-on lesson plan, this is a great place to start.
Wisconsin DNR’s Education web site
http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/kidstuff/
Minnesota DNR’s Education web site
http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/es/index.html
Iowa DNR’s Education web site
http://www.iowadnr.com/education/index.html
Illinois DNR’s Education web site
http://dnr.state.il.us/lands/education/index.htm
Project WILD
Project WET
Jeff Janvrin
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
101 S Webster St
PO Box 7921
Madison Wisconsin
53707-7921
NL-ENG.K-12.9 MULTICULTURAL UNDERSTANDING
NL-ENG.K-12.2 UNDERSTANDING THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE
NL-ENG.K-12.1 READING FOR PERSPECTIVE
“Jane Gibbs, The Little bird That Was Caught” is the true story of a girl who lived many years ago. Jane was taken from her family, traveled hundreds of miles to a wilderness, and raised in a Dakota village on the shores of what we now call Lake Harriet, in Minneapolis. She learned to speak two languages, was raised in two sets of traditions, under two very different sets of rules.
Jane Gibbs’ story offers insights into early relationships between white missionaries and their culture, and the culture of the Dakota in Minnesota.
· How might it feel to be so far from your home and family, as Jane was?
· Jane grew up learning two very different sets of rules, traditions, games, and languages. What kinds of rules did she have to learn, and how are they similar to the rules you have to learn?
· What kinds of games did Jane play in her two worlds?
· What were some of the challenges and obstacles Jane and her families had to overcome? How were the challenges and obstacles different for her two families?
Ramsey County Historical Society’s web site on the Gibb’s Farm Museum of Pioneer and Dakota life. Excellent site, highly recommended
http://www.rchs.com/gbbsfm2.htm
PBS site for “Painting the Dakota”, a film about artist and military officer Seth Eastman's life and the traditions of the Dakota he painted.
http://www.pbs.org/ktca/setheastman/
An online multimedia project from Dakota Meadows Middle School, Mankato, MN, about the Dakota Conflict of 1862
http://www.isd77.k12.mn.us/schools/dakota/conflict/history.htm
Ramsey County Historical Society
323 Landmark Center
75 West Fifth Street
Saint Paul, Minnesota. 55102
Land of the Spotted Eagle by Luther Standing
Bear
NL-ENG.K-12.9 MULTICULTURAL UNDERSTANDING
NL-ENG.K-12.2 UNDERSTANDING THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE
NSS-USH.K-4.1 LIVING AND WORKING TOGETHER IN FAMILIES AND COMMUNITIES, NOW AND LONG AGO
NL-ENG.K-12.1 READING FOR PERSPECTIVE
NSS-USH.K-4.2 THE HISTORY OF STUDENTS' OWN STATE OR REGION
Luther Standing Bear was raised in the traditional ways of his people, the Lakota. He was away from the Pine Ridge Sioux Reservation in South Dakota for sixteen years before returning in 1931. Soon after his return he wrote, “Land of the Spotted Eagle.”
The story is sad, in many ways; the author looks at his people, and their relations with the government of the whites. From his perspective, his peoples’ lands were stolen, and his culture, language and rituals denigrated. Though these times represent a difficult part of our historical relationship with the native people of the Upper Mississippi River basin, it is important to hear their perspective.
The book is advanced for students in grades 3-5, but is included as a resource for teachers. It can be read aloud, in whole or in part, to give students a first-person account of growing up in the Lakota tradition and culture.
· Describe several ways that the Lakota culture is different than your culture.
· Describe several ways that Lakota culture is the same as your culture.
· What games do the children of the Lakota play, and how are they similar to games you play?
· What do the children of the Lakota like to eat, and how are these foods and treats similar to yours?
· What kinds of celebrations do the Lakota have, and how are they similar to yours?
Other stories shared by Dakota and Lakota men and women, from the University of Nebraska Press online
http://www.blackelkspeaks.unl.edu/LakotaLives.html
Voices From the Western Frontier- Newspaper articles about the Lakota nation
http://www.rootsweb.com/~nalakota/indexhome.html
Lakota na Dakota Wowapi Oti Kin (Lakota Dakota Information Home Page)
http://puffin.creighton.edu/lakota/index.html
Lakota and Dakota Lives- Books by and about the Lakota and Dakota people
http://www.blackelkspeaks.unl.edu/LakotaLives.html
University of Nebraska Press
233 North 8th St
Lincoln NE 68588-0255
NL-ENG.K-12.9 MULTICULTURAL UNDERSTANDING
This audio CD is a recording of the songs, dances and stories of a two-day Wacipi, or powwow, held in Southern Minnesota; an event of forgiveness and reconciliation. In 1862, at the height of the Dakota Conflict, 38 men were hanged by representatives of the U.S. government. The two-day powwow, held as part of the 1987 Year of Reconciliation, marked a turning away from animosity, to a healing process between cultures. This recording commemorates this important event in modern relations between the Dakota and the American nations.
The web site of the Mahkato Mdewakanton Association, honoring the 38 Dakota executed
http://www.turtletrack.org/MahkatoWacipi/index.htm
Web site for “From the Top,” dedicated to young classical musicians.
http://www.fromthetop.org/default.html
An online multimedia project from Dakota Meadows Middle School, Mankato, MN, about the Dakota Conflict of 1862
http://www.isd77.k12.mn.us/schools/dakota/conflict/history.htm
Learn more about Charles Eastman, a Dakota whose family was killed in the great conflict of 1862
http://www.worldwisdom.com/Public/SlideShows/SlideShow.asp?SlideShowID=3&SlideDetailID=3
American Composer Forum
332 Minnesota Street, E-145
Saint Paul, MN 55101
NSS-G.K-12.2 PLACES AND REGIONS
NA-VA.5-8.3 CHOOSING AND EVALUATING A RANGE OF SUBJECT MATTER, SYMBOLS, AND IDEAS
NA-VA.5-8.4 UNDERSTANDING THE VISUAL ARTS IN RELATION TO HISTORY AND CULTURES
NA-VA.5-8.5 REFLECTING UPON AND ASSESSING THE CHARACTERISTICS AND MERITS OF THEIR WORK AND THE WORK OF OTHERS
NA-VA.5-8.6 MAKING CONNECTIONS BETWEEN VISUAL ARTS AND OTHER DISCIPLINES
In the 1870’s, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers were preparing to resurvey the Mississippi River, in order to create new maps of the twisting, complex waterway. To facilitate the mapping, Henry Peter Bosse was hired to photograph the river, documenting the dynamic system. The river Bosse photographed is essentially the same river that Mark Twain navigated as a steamboat captain.
The book, “Mississippi Blue,” is a compilation and commentary on both Bosse and his photographs of the river. Along with the photographs, the author has included several articles from periodicals published between the 1870s and the early 1900s. The articles provide a cultural context to the photographs, and offer a glimpse into the times and events of the photographer.
“Mississippi Blue” was generously donated to the River Exploration Trunks by the author, Charles Wehrenburg. The book is one of two recent books profiling the works of Bosse.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers site on Henry Peter Bosse’s photographs
http://www.mvr.usace.army.mil/bosse/bosse.htm
Chemistry and Art- the cyanotype process
Twin Palms Publishing
PO Box 10229
54 1/2 East San Francisco St.
Santa Fe, NM 87501
Mississippi River Brochure and Trail Guide - Mississippi National River and Recreation Area (MNRRA) of the National Park Service (NPS)
NSS-G.K-12.1 THE WORLD IN SPATIAL TERMS
NSS-G.K-12.2 PLACES AND REGIONS
NSS-G.K-12.5 ENVIRONMENT AND SOCIETY
NSS-G.K-12.6 THE USES OF GEOGRAPHY
The Mississippi River Brochure and the Trail Guide of the Minneapolis/Saint Paul Area are easy-to-use, compact references that describe the trails and roads running through the nationally significant gorge area of the Upper Mississippi River.
MNRRA is a unique in the National Park system. The Mississippi River Brochure illustrates the fact that the Recreation Area has no definitive boundaries, but is a patchwork of public and private lands along a 72-mile stretch of river. The Trail Guide offers a section-by-section tour of the area on both sides of the river.
The Mississippi National River and Recreation Area web site
Audubon’s Upper Mississippi River Campaign web site
http://www.audubon.org/campaign/umr/
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s “Surf Your Watershed” site
Mississippi National River and Recreation Area (MNRRA)
111 E Kellogg Blvd
St. Paul, MN 55101-1256
NSS-G.K-12.1 THE WORLD IN SPATIAL TERMS
NSS-G.K-12.2 PLACES AND REGIONS
NSS-G.K-12.5 ENVIRONMENT AND SOCIETY
NSS-G.K-12.6 THE USES OF GEOGRAPHY
The large, colorful posters can be used in conjunction with several other resources in your trunk. Published by the National Park Service, the posters are large, easy-to-read and offer a visual tool to enhance your exploration of the history of the river. Each of the four posters in the set looks at a different part of the river system- the ecosystem, the cultural history and the industry of the area. Use the posters as exemplars for student assessment, to add visual interest to your classroom, or as resources for a scavenger hunt.
The Mississippi National River and Recreation Area web site- maps section
http://www.nps.gov/miss/maps/index.html
A short history of Little Crow, of the Kaposia band, written by his son, Ohiyesa, (Charles Eastman)
http://www.indigenouspeople.net/littcrow.htm
History of Lambert’s Landing, from the MNRRA web site
http://www.nps.gov/miss/maps/model/lambert.html
History of Fountain Cave, from the MNRRA web site
http://www.nps.gov/miss/maps/model/fountain.html
Mississippi River history from the Padelford Packet Boat Co.
http://www.riverrides.com/pages/About_Us/about_riverhistory.html
Mississippi National River and Recreation Area (MNRRA)
111 E Kellogg Blvd
St. Paul, MN 55101-1256
Muscatine, Iowa Shells in a Bag
NS.5-8.6 PERSONAL AND SOCIAL PERSPECTIVES
NS.5-8.3 LIFE SCIENCE
This sample of mussel shell middens is part of a broad collection of resources on the freshwater mussel. The cooperative, volunteer efforts of many people from river towns between Lansing, IA and Muscatine, IA were tapped in order to locate and gather the shells included in your trunk. While once these shells lined the riverbanks, serving as a reminder of the once thriving button industry, the shells have become much more rare. Redevelopment efforts in towns along the Mississippi have buried or crushed most of these shells. Because these are river artifacts, there is no vendor listed.
The button industry was once a major part of the economy of many towns along the river. The shells you have demonstrate how buttons blanks were cut out of the mussel shells. Freshwater mussels are an important indicator species, thriving only in unpolluted waters. The health of freshwater mussel populations has much to tell us about the health of the river. Currently, pollution, dams, dredging, and invader species like the zebra mussel and the Asian clam threaten freshwater mussels.
Fun With Freshwater Mussels
http://www.uvm.edu/~pass/tignor/mussels/index.htm
Freshwater Mussel Lesson Plan
http://www.sdafs.org/nongame/musselworkshop.pdf
Environmental Education for Kids (EEK) from Wisconsin Dept. of Natural Resources
http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/caer/ce/eek/critter/watercritter/mussel.htm
Buglopedia
http://www.bugsurvey.nsw.gov.au/html/popups/bpedia_14_tol_fr-mu.html
Missouri Botanical Gardens Aquatic Critters
http://mbgnet.mobot.org/fresh/slide/intro.htm
NSS-EC.5-8.3 ALLOCATING GOODS AND SERVICES
NSS-EC.5-8.6 GAINS FROM TRADE
NSS-EC.5-8.7 MARKETS AND MARKET PRICES
NSS-EC.5-8.14 ENTREPRENEURS
NL-ENG.K-12.1 READING FOR PERSPECTIVE
“The World of Corn” is an industry brochure from the National Corn Growers Association that profiles some of the individuals working in the production of corn in the U.S. along with industry figures on U.S. corn production and consumption. It is part of a collection of resources on industries related to the river.
National Corn Growers Association
The American Corn Growers Association
The costs and benefits of industrial agriculture, from the Union of Concerned Scientists
http://www.ucsusa.org/food_and_environment/sustainable_agriculture/page.cfm?pageID=350
National Corn Growers Association
1000 Executive Parkway, Suite 105
St. Louis, MO 63141-6397
NSS-G.K-12.2 PLACES AND REGIONS
NL-ENG.K-12.9 MULTICULTURAL UNDERSTANDING
NSS-G.K-12.4 HUMAN SYSTEMS
NSS-G.K-12.5 ENVIRONMENT AND SOCIETY
This packet of maps contains reproductions of five maps that were hand drawn between 1685 and the 1870s. They show the progression of knowledge acquired as European cultures explored North America, and as those cultures developed a mechanism with which to compute longitude.
The maps offer a glimpse into how North America was uncovered, how understandings changed, how treaties were negotiated, and how our nation grew. There is an enormous amount of detail in these maps. Consider scanning them, and enlarging sections of them to learn more about the handwritten notations on the maps.
It is highly recommended that you laminate your maps to increase their life expectancies.
Northern Plains Archive Project web site
http://www.hiddenhistory.com/home1.htm
The David Rumsey Historic Map collection web site has over 8,800 historic maps online
The Darkwing Atlas Project from the University of Oregon
http://www.uoregon.edu/~atlas/
Historical Maps and charts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
http://chartmaker.ncd.noaa.gov/csdl/ctp/abstract.htm
Historic map collections from the Library of Congress
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/gmdhtml/gmdhome.html
Index of map image sites, hosted by the WWW-Virtual Library
http://ihr.sas.ac.uk/maps/webimages.html
Northern Plains Archive Project
http://www.hiddenhistory.com/home1.htm
Ojibway Music From Minnesota: A Century of
Song for Voice and Drum
NA-M.K-4.6 LISTENING TO, ANALYZING, AND DESCRIBING MUSIC
NA-M.K-4.9 UNDERSTANDING MUSIC IN RELATION TO HISTORY AND CULTURE
NL-ENG.K-12.9 MULTICULTURAL UNDERSTANDING
NSS-USH.K-4.2 THE HISTORY OF STUDENTS' OWN STATE OR REGION
Music is an important part of every culture, and the Ojibway is no exception. To European ears, Ojibway music might sound unfamiliar, but the songs are complex, distinctive and evocative. Because music is such an important part of our relationship to rivers, the music of the Ojibway is one of a collection of audio CDs that capture early music, and trace the development of Ojibway songs over time.
Minnesota Historical Society ordering information for “Ojibway Music From Minnesota: A Century of Song for Voice and Drum”
http://www.mnhs.org/market/mhspress/0132.html
Turtle Island Productions music web site
http://www.turtle-island.com/music.html
PBS’ “River of Song” web site, featuring articles about river music, and the music itself, including music from the Ojibway
http://www.pbs.org/riverofsong/music/e1-articles.html
Online listing of Native American Music, from Swarthmore College
http://www.swarthmore.edu/Library/underhill/Music/natives.html
Online publication exploring traditions of Native powwows, from the University of Illinois Press
http://www.press.uillinois.edu/epub/books/browner/ch1.html
Minnesota Historical Society Press
345 Kellogg Blvd. West
St. Paul, Minnesota 55102-1906
http://www.mnhs.org/market/mhspress/0132.html
NSS-G.K-12.1 THE WORLD IN SPATIAL TERMS
NSS-G.K-12.2 PLACES AND REGIONS
NSS-G.K-12.3 PHYSICAL SYSTEMS
NSS-G.K-12.4 HUMAN SYSTEMS
NSS-G.K-12.5 ENVIRONMENT AND SOCIETY
NSS-G.K-12.6 THE USES OF GEOGRAPHY
The Science Museum of Minnesota has created these custom maps for each of the schools receiving a trunk from the Grand Excursion, Inc. Using data from the U.S Geological Survey, provided by the Dept. of Natural Resources in each of the four states participating in the Grand Excursion, the maps show the area around each school in both topographical and aerial views.
The aerial photography dates from 1991. Schools built after 1991 will not appear on the maps, but you should be able to find the location of your school building and any buildings that surround it that were constructed prior to 1991.
Science Museum of Minnesota
Online aerial and satellite photography
USGS site on reading topographical maps
http://mac.usgs.gov/isb/pubs/booklets/symbols/
Science Museum of Minnesota
120 W Kellogg Boulevard
St. Paul, MN 55102
NS.K-4.3 LIFE SCIENCE
NS.K-4.5 SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
NS.K-4.6 PERSONAL AND SOCIAL PERSPECTIVES
This CD-ROM is an interactive technology product that explores the life cycle of the bald eagle. It is especially good for young readers or ESL and ELL students. Though much of the CD-ROM is text-based, all of the text is read aloud on the CD, making it easy for less-proficient readers to follow.
The CD is divided into stages in an eagle’s life, and traces the life cycle of this national icon from egg to adult. This resource was donated by the organization that funded the production, the Modern Woodmen of America Insurance Company.
National Eagle Center
http://www.eaglewatch.org/welcome.html
American Bald Eagle Information
The Raptor Center of the University of Minnesota
http://www.raptor.cvm.umn.edu/
Live Online Eagle-Cam
http://www.wa.gov/wdfw/wildwatch/eaglecam/index.html
Northeast Utilities System- Eagle Information, Video clips, Sounds, Photographs, etc.
http://www.nu.com/eagles/default.asp
Modern Woodmen of America
1701 1st Avenue
P.O. Box 2005
Rock Island, IL 61204-2005
http://www.modern-woodmen.org/
NL-ENG.K-12.1 READING FOR PERSPECTIVE
NL-ENG.K-12.2 UNDERSTANDING THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE
NL-ENG.K-12.9 MULTICULTURAL UNDERSTANDING
This book is a series of essays by Anishinabe author Gerald Vizenor that explore the complex experience of being an Anishinabe in modern America. Vizenor looks at the turbulence of the 1970s on the reservations of the north, the violence of the clashes between Native Americans and the government of the U.S. and what it means to live outside of the dominant culture.
Native Voices web site, a source for books on Native American culture
Anishinabe culture page from MN State University
http://emuseum.mnsu.edu/history/mncultures/anishinabe.html
National Museum of the American Indian, from the Smithsonian Museum
Anishinabe Language web site
Minnesota Historical Society Press
345 Kellogg Blvd. West
St. Paul, Minnesota 55102-1906
NL-ENG.K-12.1 READING FOR PERSPECTIVE
NL-ENG.K-12.2 UNDERSTANDING THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE
NL-ENG.K-12.9 MULTICULTURAL UNDERSTANDING
“The Good Path” is a beautifully written book that looks at Ojibwe culture, history, traditions, and most interestingly, the value system that guides traditional Ojibwe life. Written from within the Ojibwe world-view, the authors explain in the introduction that stories told in the oral tradition reflect the storytellers influence. Rather than refer to these stories and “myths” or “legends” the Ojibwe believe each of the stories told represent a fraction of the truth.
“The Good Path” is part of a collection of resources in your trunk that explore the historical and cultural connections to the river, and encourage students to look at cultural diversity and biodiversity as positive attributes of natural and human systems.
Ojibway Culture, from the Turtle Island Anishinabe
http://www.turtle-island.com/ojibculture.html
Legends and short stories from the Lake of the Woods Ojibway Cultural Centre
http://www.schoolnet.ca/aboriginal/kenora/index-e.html
An Ojibway History
http://www.runningdeerslonghouse.com/webdoc220.htm
Waswagoning - Recreated Ojibway Village
Stories and poems of the Ojibway
http://www.indians.org/welker/chippewa.htm
Afton Historical Society Press
PO Box 100; Afton, MN 55001
NL-ENG.K-12.1 READING FOR PERSPECTIVE
NL-ENG.K-12.2 UNDERSTANDING THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE
NL-ENG.K-12.3 EVALUATION STRATEGIES
NL-ENG.K-12.8 DEVELOPING RESEARCH SKILLS
NL-ENG.K-12.9 MULTICULTURAL UNDERSTANDING
NL-ENG.K-12.11 PARTICIPATING IN SOCIETY
NS.5-8.1 SCIENCE AS INQUIRY
NS.5-8.3 LIFE SCIENCE
NS.5-8.6 PERSONAL AND SOCIAL PERSPECTIVES
NSS-G.K-12.1 THE WORLD IN SPATIAL TERMS
NSS-G.K-12.2 PLACES AND REGIONS
NSS-G.K-12.3 PHYSICAL SYSTEMS
NSS-G.K-12.4 HUMAN SYSTEMS
NSS-G.K-12.5 ENVIRONMENT AND SOCIETY
NSS-G.K-12.6 THE USES OF GEOGRAPHY
NSS-EC.5-8.1 PRODUCTIVE RESOURCES
NSS-EC.5-8.2 EFFECTIVE DECISION MAKING
Created and produced by Hamline University’s Center for Global Environmental Education, “Waters to the Sea” is a rich interactive tool that explores how humans have used the lands of the Upper Mississippi River Valley through time, and how those activities have changed the lands and waters. According to their web site, “Waters to the Sea” contains “three virtual river journeys, led by historic guides, (that) take you from prehistoric times up to the present through prairie, deciduous forest, and coniferous forest ecoregions. Videos, QuickTime VR movies, and engaging multimedia activities examine a variety of land-use themes in each watershed. Visits to a virtual water quality lab correlate land uses with water quality.”
The CD-ROM offers more than five hours of interactivity, so is best used in stages to introduce new concepts, like food webs or the water cycle, or to reinforce students’ understandings.
Hamline University’s Center for Global Environmental Education web site supporting “Waters to the Sea.”
http://cgee.hamline.edu/waters2thesea/index.htm
Online interactive eco-games from the James Ford Bell Museum of Natural History
http://www.bellmuseum.org/ecogames.html
Watershed Action, an online watershed-based service-learning project guide
http://cgee.hamline.edu/watershed/action/index.htm
Center for Global Environmental Education
Hamline University
1536 Hewitt Ave. MS-A1760
St. Paul, MN 55104-1284
What you should know:
This poster is one of a series of nine posters, created to introduce the following water-related topics: Oceans, Watersheds, Hazardous Waste, Wetlands, Water Use, Wastewater Treatment, Navigation, Ground Water and Water Quality. Your trunk includes one of these nine posters. Each poster can be used to introduce or address a wide variety of standards and discipline areas.
The posters are available at no charge from the USGS, and the U.S. Environmental Protection agency. To order the other posters in this series, see Vendor Information, below.
On the back of each poster is additional information for teachers on related topics, tidbits of content information and background on the issue depicted on the poster, questions to explore, and possible actions to take to address the concerns connected to each issue. The posters are a fun, colorful way to engage students’ interest in a water-related topic, and focus a deeper inquiry.
U.S. Geological Survey’s education web site
http://www.usgs.gov/education/index.html
Water curriculum resources from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
http://www.epa.gov/teachers/curriculumwater.htm
U.S. Geological Survey
Branch of Information Services
Box 25286
Denver Federal Center
Denver, CO 80225
Phone- 1-888-ASK-USGS
Please note: Each of the different activities in the Water Sourcebook for grades 6-8 is correlated to multiple national education standards in the areas of math, science, language arts, social studies and the arts. To see the correlation chart, go to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s site at http://www.epa.gov/safewater/kids/wsb/68corr.pdf
The Water Sourcebooks are a co-production of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Water Environment Federation. Along with an introduction to general concepts about water, these guides for educators offer grade-level appropriate lessons and activities in the areas of Drinking and Wastewater Treatment, Surface Water, Groundwater, Wetlands and Coastal waters, correlations to nationals education standards, and fact sheets about water.
The lessons focus on “the water management cycle using a balanced approach showing how it affects all aspects of the environment.” The Water Sourcebooks are also available online. See below for the web site URL.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s web site for the Water Sourcebooks
http://www.epa.gov/safewater/kids/wsb/
The Water Environment Federation’s education web site
Water Environment Federation
601 Wythe Street
Alexandria, VA 22314-1994