Academy Curricular Exchange
Columbia Education Center
Social Studies

TITLE:  LIFE ON THE MISSISSIPPI PAST AND PRESENT

AUTHOR:  Tim Mercer; St. Gerard, LA

GRADE LEVEL/SUBJECT:  3     (adaptable to others)

OVERVIEW:  With the Mississippi River nearby, students will learn and
appreciate the river for its past and present contributions.  The area is
dependent upon this mighty river for its very existence.

OBJECTIVE(s):  To familiarize students with the importance of the river
with its transportation, drinking water, food, commercial purposes, and
travel.

RESOURCES/MATERIALS:
maps of the world
maps of North America
maps of the United States
globes
compass
drawing paper
colored pencils
rulers
the history of De Soto
the history of the Louisiana Purchase
dictionaries
class encyclopedia
diagrams and pictures of ships found on the river
Life on the Mississippi by Mark Twain
Huckleberry Finn
Songs and words of Old Man River
Rope
Pictures of floodplains, spillways, locks, ports, and levees
Addresses of the Department of Tourism and Commerce of: Minnesota,
Wisconsin, Iowa, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi,
Louisiana

ACTIVITIES AND PROCEDURES:
  Given a map the students will label the Mississippi River and the states
that border it.
  Given a map students match the names of the states with their capitals.
  Students write a letter to the states that border the River (Department
of Tourism and Commerce) asking for information.
  Students compile all the information obtained into a class book.
  Given a map of North America students locate the river.
  Given a map of the United States students locate the river.
  Given a globe students locate the river.
  Given a world map, students locate and label North America by its shape.
  Given a world map, students locate and label the United States by its
shape.
  Using a compass, students label North, South, East, and West in the room.
  Using a map and its key, students locate North, South, East, and West.
  Students create a map of the United States with its main water bodies
and rivers.
  Given the other rivers of the world length, students compare their
distance to the Mississippi River.
  Given the name and history of Hernando De Soto, students identify him as
the discoverer of the Mississippi River.
  Given the history of the Louisiana Purchase, students identify that $27
million dollars as the purchase price of the river and the land surrounding
it that later became known as the Louisiana Territory.
  Given a dictionary, students identify the difference between a land mile
and a nautical mile.
  Given a map, students measure the distance in nautical miles from one
point on the river to another.
  Given the definition of "knots", students become familiar with the term
"knot" and its relation to "nautical mile."
  Given the facts, students learn the terms - mark twain, crest, Corp of
Engineers, and sea level.
  Given diagrams of the following ships, students become familiar and
identify the following river related ships - steamboat, tugboat, tanker,
barge, freighter, and paddlewheeler.
  Given pictures and definitions, students label floodplains, spillways,
Gulf of Mexico, locks, ports, and levee on a map.
  Using a rope marking fathoms (6ft.) measure the depth of the room, 1st
floor to the ground, 2nd floor to the ground, and the 3rd floor to the
ground.
  Given the song "Old Man River", students become familiar and identify the
words.
  Read the book, "Life on the Mississippi" by Mark Twain as a class project.

TYING IT ALL TOGETHER:  The class will take a field trip to the river and
ride on a paddlewheeler and a tugboat.  Visit the Port of Baton Rouge and
the Louisiana Archives.  They will view the river traffic and identify the
ocean going ships found, since Baton Rouge is the furthermost inland port
of these vessels.

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