Bald Eagle Puppet

 

This resource can used to address the following National Education Standards:

 

NS.K-4.3 LIFE SCIENCE

 

What you should know:

 

The American Bald Eagle is a national icon, and an environmental success story. As early as the 1800’s, bald eagle populations were in decline. IN 1976, they were officially declared to be a nationally endangered species. Once endangered in all but Alaska and Hawaii, the bald eagle's status was changed to "threatened" in 1995, after the banning of DDT and the passing of laws to protect both eagles and their nesting trees. Today it is not uncommon to see eagles all along the river.

 

The puppets in the K-2 collection of resources are intended to be used as a way to introduce science and environmental concepts, tell stories of the river, as a narrator to read stories to students, or serve as an inspiration for students to write their own stories.

 

Questions to ask:

 

 

Suggested Web Sites:

 

National Eagle Center

http://www.eaglewatch.org/welcome.html

 

American Bald Eagle Information

http://www.baldeagleinfo.com/

 

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

 

Vendor Information

 

Folkmanis

Puppets on the Pier

Pier 39, Space H-4

San Francisco, CA 94133

http://www.puppetdream.com

Buttons of Native Mississippi River Mussels

 

This resource can used to address the following National Education Standards:

 

NSS-USH.K-4.2 THE HISTORY OF STUDENTS' OWN STATE OR REGION

 

NSS-EC.K-4.14 ENTREPRENEURS

 

What you should know:

 

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.

 

Questions to ask:

 

 

Suggested Web Sites:

 

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

 

Vendor Information

 

Blumenthal Lansing Company

1929 Main Street, Lansing, IA 52151

http://buttonsplus.com/

 

 

 

 

Calls of Minnesota's Frogs & Toads (audio CD) from Minnesota Frog Watch

 

This resource can used to address the following National Education Standards:

 

NS.K-4.3 LIFE SCIENCE

 

What you should know:

 

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.

 

Questions to ask:

 

 

Suggested Web Sites:

 

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.mp2-pwrc.usgs.gov/naamp/

 

Missouri Botanical Gardens Aquatic Critters

http://mbgnet.mobot.org/fresh/slide/intro.htm

 

Vendor Information

 

Center for Global Environmental Education

Hamline University

1536 Hewitt Ave. MS-A1760

St. Paul, MN 55104-1284

http://cgee.hamline.edu/


Catfish Puppet

 

This resource can used to address the following National Education Standards:

 

NS.K-4.3 LIFE SCIENCE

 

What you should know:

 

Catfish are an icon in the waters of the Mississippi River. As Mark Twain said, “"The catfish is a plenty good enough fish for anyone.” Minnesota has two catfish species--the channel and the much larger flathead--and three species of bullhead: black, brown, and yellow. Iowa has ten species of catfish- channel cats, bullheads and madtoms. The puppets in the K-2 collection of resources can be used as a way to introduce science concepts, tell stories of the river, as a narrator to read stories to students, or serve as an inspiration for students to write their own stories.

 

Questions to ask:

 

 

Suggested Web Sites:

 

Iowa Dept. of Natural Resources Catfish pages

http://www.state.ia.us/dnr/organiza/fwb/fish/iafish/catfish/catfishf.htm

 

Fishing for Channel Catfish

http://www.state.ia.us/dnr/organiza/fwb/fish/iafish/catfish/fishing/ccf-fish.htm

 

MN Dept. of Natural Resources Catfish page

http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/fish/catfish/index.html

 

Coloring book page for very young students

http://www.totcity.com/Parents/preschool/Coloring_book/In_the_ocean/catfish/catfish.html

 

Missouri Botanical Gardens Aquatic Critters

http://mbgnet.mobot.org/fresh/slide/intro.htm

 

Vendor Information

 

Folkmanis

Puppets on the Pier

Pier 39, Space H-4

San Francisco, CA 94133

http://www.puppetdream.com

 

Dakota Indians Coloring Book

 

This resource can used to address the following National Education Standards:

 

NL-ENG.K-12.2 UNDERSTANDING THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE

 

NL-ENG.K-12.1 READING FOR PERSPECTIVE

 

NL-ENG.K-12.9 MULTICULTURAL UNDERSTANDING

 

 

What you should know:

 

The people of the Dakota nation lived along the rivers of the Upper Mississippi River Valley for centuries before Europeans moved into the area. Their knowledge of, and respect for, the land is woven through every aspect of their culture. The coloring book of Dakota life is written in both English and in the Dakota language. Consider contacting a native speaker of the Dakota language and inviting them to come to your classroom to read the book in the language, and talk with your students about the culture of the Dakota people.

 

Questions to ask:

 

 

 

Suggested Web Sites:

 

The Dakota Language Homepage

http://www.alliance2k.org/daklang/dakota9463.htm

 

MN Reservations

http://www.kstrom.net/isk/maps/mn/mnrezmap.html

 

Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux (Dakota) Community Cultural Resource Programs

http://www.shakopeedakota.org/crp/crp.html

 

Prairie Island Dakota Honoring Our Elders Wacipi Celebration Photos

http://prairieisland.org/Winter2002/winter2002.htm

 

 

Vendor Information

 

Minnesota Historical Society Press

345 Kellogg Blvd. West

St. Paul, MN 55102-1906

http://www.mnhs.org/

 

 

Discover a River

 

This resource can used to address the following National Education Standards:

 

NS.K-4.3 LIFE SCIENCE

 

NS.K-4.4 EARTH AND SPACE SCIENCE

 

NS.K-4.1 SCIENCE AS INQUIRY

 

NS.K-4.6 PERSONAL AND SOCIAL PERSPECTIVES

 

What you should know:

 

This book was generously donated to the River Exploration Trunks by Eastern National, which provides educational materials to more than 130 bookstores in the National Park Service.

 

According to their web site, “Discover a River is, “filled with activities about national river parks and their inhabitants. Educational activities include identifying wildlife and modes of transportation, examining river formations, preventing damage to ecosystems and learning about food chains.” This book can help educators introduce important basic concepts related to rivers and how the river system works. Though it is not specific to the Mississippi River, the concepts addressed in “Discover a River” are core to the study of every river.

 

Questions to ask:

 

·       What kinds of wildlife live along your river?

·       How do people, animals and goods move along the river?

·       How are rivers formed, and how does a river form the land?

·       What kinds of damage can human activities cause along a river?

·       What is a food chain and where do people fit into it?

 

Suggested Web Sites:

 

The National Park Service web site

http://www.nps.gov/

 

Mississippi National River & Recreation Area

http://www.nps.gov/miss/

 

The Midwest region web site of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

http://midwest.fws.gov/

 

Vendor Information

 

Eastern National

470 Maryland Drive, Suite 1

Fort Washington, PA 19034

http://www.eparks.com/

Follow the River

 

This resource can used to address the following National Education Standards:

 

NS.K-4.3 LIFE SCIENCE

NS.K-4.4 EARTH AND SPACE SCIENCE

NL-ENG.K-12.2 UNDERSTANDING THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE

 

NL-ENG.K-12.1 READING FOR PERSPECTIVE

 

 

What you should know:

It is hard to imagine how big the Mississippi River Basin, or watershed, really is. Beginning as a tiny stream in northern Minnesota, it winds its way south and becomes one of the world's greatest river systems, draining all or parts of 31 states and 2,350 square miles by the time it reaches the Gulf of Mexico. 400 species of wildlife live in or along the river, and forty percent of North America's duck, goose, swan, and wading bird populations rely on the river as a migration corridor. “Follow the River” is a simple, easy to read introduction to the river for young students and beginning readers.

 

 

Questions to ask:

 

 

Suggested Web Sites:

 

Big Muddy Adventures

http://www.bigmuddyadventure.com/index.htm

 

42eXplore is a web site with topics-based lessons plans. Very rich, and well researched.

http://www.42explore.com/missriv.htm

 

Vendor Information

 

Newbridge Educational Publishing

PO Box 800

1 Beemen Road

Northborough, MA 01532

http://www.newbridgeonline.com/

 

Fresh Water Mussel Activity Book and Learning Resource USFW

 

This resource can used to address the following National Education Standards:

 

NS.K-4.6 PERSONAL AND SOCIAL PERSPECTIVES

 

NS.K-4.3 LIFE SCIENCE

 

NSS-G.K-12.5 ENVIRONMENT AND SOCIETY

 

What you should know:

 

This booklet, from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, is part of a collection of resources on the freshwater mussel. 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.

 

Questions to ask:

 

·       What are the characteristics of the freshwater mussel?

·       What is the role of the freshwater mussel in local ecosystems?

·       What is the role of the freshwater mussel in local food webs?

·       What species of freshwater mussels live in your area?

·       Who collected the mussel shells to make buttons?

·       What happened to the “meat” of the mussel after the shells were collected?

·       Who in your local community works with freshwater mussel populations?

 

 

Suggested Web Sites:

 

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

 

Vendor Information

 

Cynthia Samples

Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge

51 E. 4th Street, Room 111

Winona, MN 55987

 

Frog Transformer

 

This resource can used to address the following National Education Standards:

 

NS.K-4.3 LIFE SCIENCE

 

What you should know:

 

This plush toy is one of a cluster of resources that introduce students to important environmental and scientific concepts.

 

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 pollywog/frog transformer plush toy can help you and your students explore the changes this important organism undergoes during its life cycle.

 

Questions to ask:

 

 

Suggested Web Sites:

 

Minnesota Dept. of Natural Resources Frog Pages

http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/reptiles_amphibians/frogs_toads/saving.html

 

A Thousand Friends of Frogs

http://cgee.hamline.edu/frogs/

 

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

 

Vendor Information

 

Crocodile Creek

2211 Roosevelt Rd.

Valparaiso, IN 46383

http://crocodilecreek.com/

 

From Tadpole to Frog

 

This resource can used to address the following National Education Standards:

 

NS.K-4.3 LIFE SCIENCE

 

What you should know:

This book is one of a cluster of resources that introduce students to important environmental and scientific concepts.

 

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 book can be used along with the Frog Transformer plush toy, and the Calls of MN Frogs and Toads CD as students explore this key member of the community of animals that live along the river.

 

Questions to ask:

 

 

Suggested Web Sites:

 

Ohio History Central

http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/ohc/nature/animals/reptile/tadpole.shtml

 

Minnesota Dept. of Natural Resources Frog Pages

http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/reptiles_amphibians/frogs_toads/saving.html

 

A Thousand Friends of Frogs

http://cgee.hamline.edu/frogs/

 

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

 

Vendor Information

 

Lerner Publishing Group

1251 Washington Avenue North

Minneapolis, MN 55401

http://lernerbooks.com/

 

Great Mississippi Music CD

 

This resource can used to address the following National Education Standards:

 

NA-M.K-4.6 LISTENING TO, ANALYZING, AND DESCRIBING MUSIC

 

NA-M.K-4.8 UNDERSTANDING RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN MUSIC, THE OTHER ARTS, AND DISCIPLINES OUTSIDE THE ARTS

 

NA-M.K-4.9 UNDERSTANDING MUSIC IN RELATION TO HISTORY AND CULTURE

 

What you should know:

Music has always been part of the lore of the river. From the earliest songs of the native peoples who lived and worked along the river, to the songs of the voyageurs, right up to the present day, music is an important mode of expressing the history and culture of the river. Charlie McGuire is America’s Singing Ranger, and this CD features his songs about America’s river.

 

Questions to ask:

 

 

 

Suggested Web Sites:

 

The Mississippi National River and Recreation Area’s web page about Charlie McGuire, including the lyrics to most of the songs on the “Great Mississippi Music CD.”

http://www.nps.gov/miss/charlie/

 

Fun Music-related Links for students

http://www.asd.wednet.edu/EagleCreek/Engell/kidlinks.htm

 

Larry Long’s river music web page.

http://www.communitycelebration.org/ark/mississippi.html

 

PBS’ “River of Song” web site

http://www.pbs.org/riverofsong/

 

John Hartford’s music site.

http://www.johnhartford.com/index2.html

 

Vendor Information

 

Jefferson National Parks Association

714 N 2nd Street

St. Louis, MO 63102-2519

http://www.nps.gov/miss/charlie/

 

 

Mark Twain and the Queens of the Mississippi

 

This resource can used to address the following National Education Standards:

 

NSS-USH.K-4.2 THE HISTORY OF STUDENTS' OWN STATE OR REGION

 

NSS-USH.K-4.1 LIVING AND WORKING TOGETHER IN FAMILIES AND COMMUNITIES, NOW AND LONG AGO

 

NSS-G.K-12.4 HUMAN SYSTEMS

 

NSS-G.K-12.5 ENVIRONMENT AND SOCIETY

 

NSS-G.K-12.6 THE USES OF GEOGRAPHY

 

What you should know:

 

“Mark Twain and the Queens of the Mississippi” is a young reader’s history of the writer, Samuel Clemens, and the river he loved. Told in simple terms with engaging yet complex illustrations, the book introduces readers to the earliest Native cultures along the river, takes them through the steamboating era and the Civil War, providing a context for further investigations into more specific inquiries.

 

Questions to ask:

 

 

 

Suggested Web Sites:

 

Online interactive memory game focusing on Mark Twain

http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/railton/timeline/index.html

 

All things Twain, from the University of Virginia

http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/railton/index2.html

 

Online games for young students, from the Mark Twain House web site

http://www.marktwainhouse.org/justforkids/

 

Extensive list of Twain quotations

http://www.twainquotes.com/quotesatoz.html

 

Vendor Information

 

Follette Educational Services, Division of Simon and Schuster

Simon and Schuster, Special Markets

1230 Avenue of the Americas

9th floor

New York, NY 10020

http://simonandschuster.com/

 

 

Minn of the Mississippi

 

This resource can used to address the following National Education Standards:

 

NS.K-4.3 LIFE SCIENCE

 

NL-ENG.K-12.1 READING FOR PERSPECTIVE

 

NSS-G.K-12.2 PLACES AND REGIONS

 

NSS-G.K-12.3 PHYSICAL SYSTEMS

 

NSS-G.K-12.5 ENVIRONMENT AND SOCIETY

 

NSS-G.K-12.6 THE USES OF GEOGRAPHY

 

What you should know:

 

Minn of the Mississippi is a classic book about the river. As Minn, the three-legged turtle, journeys down the river, the book offers an opportunity to teach geography through literature, life sciences, human impact on the environment, and many other concepts. Because there is so much information in the book, it might be best utilized as a read-aloud book, with lots of discussions to check for understanding.

 

Questions to ask:

 

 

 

 

Suggested Web Sites:

 

Read Aloud Lesson Plan

http://kancrn.kckps.k12.ks.us/read_alouds/ss/minn.htm

 

Supplemental Internet Sites for use with the books of Holling C. Holling (Scroll down the page to find Minn of the Mississippi.

http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Grove/6932/holling.html

 

Online MapMachine from National Geographic

http://plasma.nationalgeographic.com/mapmachine/

 

Vendor Information

 

Houghton Mifflin

222 Berkeley Street

Boston, MA 02116-3764

http://hmco.com/

 

Mississippi River Unit; Grades 2 and 3

 

This resource can used to address the following National Education Standards:

 

NSS-USH.K-4.1 LIVING AND WORKING TOGETHER IN FAMILIES AND COMMUNITIES, NOW AND LONG AGO

 

NS.K-4.3 LIFE SCIENCE

 

NS.K-4.1 SCIENCE AS INQUIRY

 

What you should know:

 

The teachers at Trempeleau Elementary School in Trempeleau, WI put together this interdisciplinary unit for their 2nd and 3rd grade students that encompasses most, if not all, of the Multiple Intelligences described by Howard Gardner. (For an article describing Gardner’s learning theory, go to http://www.ericfacility.net/ericdigests/ed410226.html) The unit includes major concepts explored, lesson plans in math, reading, science, geography, social studies, etc. and is included as an excellent example of how much content can be explored using the river as a context. Though you could implement this unit as written, the unit is intended to serve as a guide as you develop your own inquiries into the complex relationships we have with the Mississippi River.

 

Questions to ask:

 

 

Suggested Web Sites:

 

Missouri Botanical Gardens Aquatic Critters

http://mbgnet.mobot.org/fresh/slide/intro.htm

 

Science experiments from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)

http://education.usace.army.mil/clubhouse/experiments.html

 

Resource page from Edwin Lyons, Senior Archaeologist with the USACE in the New Orleans District

http://www.edwinlyon.com/RiverLinks.htm

 

Information on the inquiry process, and a database of projects by other educators

http://www.inquiry.uiuc.edu/inquiry/process.php3

 

Vendor Information

 

24231 4th Street
PO Box 277
Trempealeau, WI 54661
Phone (608) 534-6394

http://www.getschools.k12.wi.us/Trempcomplex/TrempElem/principal/telem.htm

 

Mississippi National River and Recreation Area of the National Park Service Posters (MNRRA NPS Posters)

 

This resource can used to address the following National Education Standards:

 

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

 

NS.K-4.3 LIFE SCIENCE

 

NSS-USH.K-4.2 THE HISTORY OF STUDENTS' OWN STATE OR REGION

 

What you should know:

 

These large, colorful posters highlight various locations within the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area, both in the present, and throughout history. They offer a strong visual representation of the cultural history of the people and the land within the MNRRA boundaries.

 

Questions to ask:

 

 

Suggested Web Sites:

 

Big River Journey Art Gallery

http://www.nps.gov/miss/programs/brj/gallery.html

 

Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site

http://medicine.wustl.edu/~mckinney/cahokia/cahokia.html

 

Interactive Tour of Cahokia Mounds Historic Site

http://www.siue.edu/CAHOKIAMOUNDS/

 

The Mississippi National River and Recreation Area site about Lambert’s Landing

http://www.nps.gov/miss/maps/model/lambert.html

 

Vendor Information

 

Mississippi National River and Recreation Area (MNRRA)

111 E. Kellogg Blvd

St. Paul, MN 55101-1256

651-290-4160.

http://www.nps.gov/miss/

Muscatine, Iowa Shells in a Bag

 

This resource can used to address the following National Education Standards:

 

NSS-USH.K-4.2 THE HISTORY OF STUDENTS' OWN STATE OR REGION

 

NSS-EC.K-4.1 PRODUCTIVE RESOURCES

 

What you should know:

 

This sample of a mussel shell midden 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

 

Questions to ask:

 

 

 

Suggested Web Sites:

 

 

The University of Iowa’s Museum of Natural History site:

http://www.uiowa.edu/~nathist/Site/explorers%20and%20expeditions/button_industry.html

 

Short history of the button industry

http://www.greatriver.com/pearls.htm#musc

 

American Museum of Natural History

http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/pearls/fresh/button.html

 

The Field Museum of Natural History

http://www.fmnh.org/museum_info/press/press_pearls_midwest2.htm

 

 

Ojibwe Indians Coloring Book

 

This resource can used to address the following National Education Standards:

 

NL-ENG.K-12.2 UNDERSTANDING THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE

 

NL-ENG.K-12.1 READING FOR PERSPECTIVE

 

NL-ENG.K-12.9 MULTICULTURAL UNDERSTANDING

 

What you should know:

 

The Ojibway people call themselves "Anishinabe" which, in their language, means "one of the people," "original people," or "original man." The people are also called the Chippewa, especially in Minnesota. The Ojibway, along with other Native people, lived along the Mississippi River for generations before European peoples came. The history of the Ojibway, the Dakota, the Fox and the Sauk nations is a critical piece of the history of the Upper Mississippi River Basin. This book is written in both English and the language of the Anishinabe.

 

Questions to ask:

 

 

Suggested Web Sites:

 

Recommended K-2 books about Native Americans

http://www.oyate.org/catalog/preschool.html

 

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

http://www.waswagoning.com/

 

Stories and poems of the Ojibway

http://www.indians.org/welker/chippewa.htm

 

Vendor Information

 

Minnesota Historical Society Press

345 Kellogg Blvd. West

St. Paul, MN 55102-1906

http://www.mnhs.org/


Ojibway Music From Minnesota: A Century of Song for Voice and Drum

 

This resource can used to address the following National Education Standards:

 

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

 

What you should know:

 

The music on this CD represents Ojibway musical forms, from the traditional to the contemporary. There is "Dreamsong" recorded in 1910, other drum songs from the past 50 years, a story called "Wenabozho and the Ducks" by James Littlewolf, and two contemporary songs by Keith Secola, an Ojibway musician from Minnesota. Included in the CD set is a booklet with information on the structure and background of Ojibway music. Music is important to every culture, and the music of the Ojibway is included in this collection to encourage educators to include all the ways of knowing and understanding into an inclusive classroom.

 

As the web sites listed below indicate, Native American music, just like all of Native American culture, is alive and well, and can offer a fascinating link to many different ways of knowing the world around us.

 

Questions to ask:

 

·       What kinds of feelings does this music make you feel?

·       How are these songs similar, and different from other songs you are learning?

·       Can you write a song that sounds similar to the songs on this collection?

·       What kinds of instruments do you hear in these songs?

·       What kinds of dance might go well with the music on this CD?

 

 

Suggested Web Sites:

 

Education resources from the Shakopee Dakota

http://www.shakopeedakota.org/crp/edu_vid.html

 

Listing of additional Ojibway music, from the Turtle Island Productions

http://www.turtle-island.com/music.html

 

Native American Radio on the web

http://www.nativeradio.com/index2.cfm

 

Information on the children’s book, “A Gathering of Nations: A Powwow Experience” a book about the history of the powwow.

http://www.gatheringofnations.com/educate/index.htm

 

Vendor Information

 

Minnesota Historical Society Press

345 Kellogg Blvd. West

St. Paul, MN 55102-1906

http://www.mnhs.org/

 

The Sacred Harvest: Ojibway Wild Rice Gathering

 

This resource can used to address the following National Education Standards:

 

NL-ENG.K-12.2 UNDERSTANDING THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE

 

NL-ENG.K-12.1 READING FOR PERSPECTIVE

 

NL-ENG.K-12.9 MULTICULTURAL UNDERSTANDING

 

NSS-USH.K-4.2 THE HISTORY OF STUDENTS' OWN STATE OR REGION

 

What you should know:

 

The tradition of gathering wild rice is more than a means of getting food; wild rice is considered to be a sacred gift to the Ojibway people from the Creator. In this book, a young boy goes with his father for his first harvest, to learn the methods of gathering the wild rice, and the stories his people tell of the gift that makes survival possible in the cold northern lands of Minnesota.

 

This book is all about relationships- the relationship the Ojibway have with the natural world, the relationship between the generations of a family, and the relationship between time-honored tradition and the modern world.

 

Questions to ask:

 

 

 

Suggested Web Sites:

 

Minnesota Wild Rice Management Planning Project

http://www.minnesotawildrice.org/

 

Food and recipes from Nativetech: Native American Technology and Art

http://www.nativetech.org/food/

 

Tools and resources from the Ojibway Language Society

http://www.ojibwemowin.com/aabajichigan.html

 

Vendor Information

 

Lerner Publishing Group

1251 Washington Avenue North

Minneapolis, MN 55401

http://lernerbooks.com/

 

Tugboats BIG BOOK

 

This resource can used to address the following National Education Standards:

 

NL-ENG.K-12.2 UNDERSTANDING THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE

 

NSS-USH.K-4.2 THE HISTORY OF STUDENTS' OWN STATE OR REGION

 

NSS-EC.K-4.3 ALLOCATING GOODS AND SERVICES

 

NSS-EC.K-4.5 VOLUNTARY EXCHANGE

 

NSS-EC.K-4.6 GAINS FROM TRADE

 

What you should know:

 

The Mississippi River has been called, “A working river and a river that works.” The river that works is the ecological river; a rich and complex ecosystem that ebbs and flows with flood and drought, offers a flyway for many of North America’s migrating birds, and a flow-way for the hundreds of species of plants and animals that live along in her waters and along her banks. The working river is a highway that moves America’s harvest, and supports an enormous industrial system.

 

Tugboats are an important part of life on the working river. As they push and pull cargo vessels along the channels and into and out of ports, tugboats are the “engines” that make industries along the river go. This book offers young readers an introduction to the working river and to the powerful boats that make river transport possible.

 

 

Questions to ask:

 

 

 

Suggested Web Sites:

 

Theodore Tugboat official web site, with games and activites

http://www.theodoretugboat.com/start/

 

Theodore Tugboat site from PBS station KCTS, featuring interactive games for young students

http://www.kcts.org/kids/fun/tugboat/index.asp

 

Vendor Information

 

Newbridge Educational Publishing

PO Box 800

1 Beemen Road

Northborough, MA 01532

http://www.newbridgeonline.com/


The River Road

 

 

This resource can used to address the following National Education Standards:

 

NL-ENG.K-12.2 UNDERSTANDING THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE

 

NSS-USH.K-4.2 THE HISTORY OF STUDENTS' OWN STATE OR REGION

 

NSS-EC.K-4.3 ALLOCATING GOODS AND SERVICES

 

NSS-EC.K-4.5 VOLUNTARY EXCHANGE

 

NSS-EC.K-4.6 GAINS FROM TRADE

 

What you should know:

 

The Mississippi river is, among other things, a moving highway of water. People use this “liquid highway” for many things- to move goods for industry, to play on, to live along and to work along. This book introduces young readers to the many ways we use the river as a highway. The book is a great companion reader to the two Big Books in your trunk, Tugboats, and Follow the River.

 

Questions to ask:

 

 

 

Suggested Web Sites:

 

Big Muddy Adventures

http://www.bigmuddyadventure.com/index.htm

 

42eXplore is a web site with topics-based lessons plans. Very rich, and well researched.

http://www.42explore.com/missriv.htm

 

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Science Experiments for Young engineers

http://education.usace.army.mil/clubhouse/experiments.html

 

United States Geological Survey Education Pages

http://www.usgs.gov/education/index.html

 

Vendor Information

 

Newbridge Educational Publishing

PO Box 800

1 Beemen Road

Northborough, MA 01532

http://www.newbridgeonline.com/


Wastewater Treatment for Youngsters 8-80 (K-12)

 

This resource can used to address the following National Education Standards:

 

NS.K-4.6 PERSONAL AND SOCIAL PERSPECTIVES

 

NSS-G.K-12.5 ENVIRONMENT AND SOCIETY

 

What you should know:

 

The Metropolitan Council publishes this CD-ROM. According to their web site, “Wastewater Treatment for Youngsters provides a simplified look at wastewater treatment and is designed to give the viewer a general idea of how the process works. In addition, it is our hope that the viewer will gain a greater understanding of how wastewater treatment relates to water resource management.”

 

 

Questions to ask:

 

 

 

Suggested Web Sites:

 

 

Online version of the CD-ROM, from the Metropolitan Council

http://www.metrocouncil.org/environment/Kids/index.htm

 

Wastewater treatment education tools from the Water Environment Federation

http://www.wef.org/publicinfo/interactive.jhtml

 

Vendor Information

Metropolitan Council Data Center

230 E. 5th St.

St. Paul, MN 5510

http://www.metrocouncil.org/index.htm

 

Water Resources Education Poster Series: USGS and USACOE

 

 

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.

 

 

Suggested Web Sites:

 

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

 

 

Vendor Information

 

U.S. Geological Survey

Branch of Information Services

Box 25286

Denver Federal Center

Denver, CO 80225

Phone- 1-888-ASK-USGS

 

 

 

WEF: The Water Sourcebook: A Series of Classroom Activities for Grades K-2

 

What you should know:

 

The Water Environment Federation Water Source Books are comprehensive sourcebooks for water-related lesson. The lesson have been written, tested, evaluated and revised by teams of classroom teachers, and reviewed for accuracy by both educators and water resource specialists. There are lesson plans and assessments for all content areas, organized in the following categories:

 

Introduction to Water

Drinking and Wastewater Treatment

Surface Water

Groundwater

Wetlands and Coastal

 

The introduction to the Sourcebook states, “All of the activities include “hands-on” components and are designed to blend with existing curricula in the areas of general sciences, language arts, math, social studies, art, and in some cases, reading or other areas. Each activity details (1) objectives, (2) subjects(s), (3) time, (4) materials, (5) background information, (6) advance preparation, (7) procedure (including activity, follow-up, and extension), and (8) resources. Fact sheets and a glossary section are included at the end of the guide to help equip teachers to deal with concepts and words used in the text that may be unfamiliar.”

 

Suggested Web Sites:

 

Water Environment Federation

http://www.wef.org/WefStudents/index.jhtml

 

Project WET- Water Education for Teachers

http://www.projectwet.org/

 

USGS Water Education

http://water.usgs.gov/education.html

 

EPA’s Groundwater and Drinking Water Education Pages

http://www.epa.gov/safewater/kids/

 

Vendor Information

 

Water Environment Federation

601 Wythe Street

Alexandria, VA 22314-1994

http://www.wef.org