Above: Mississippi River photo slideshow
Above: Winona Shipping Station - Early 1920's
Above: United States Map marking Winona.
Above: Article "Winona's Founder: A man 'on the make'" and Photo of Captain Orrin Smith, Founder of Winona in 1851
Above: Maps from Mississippi River Comprehension Passage showing 1) Headwates, Upper Mississippi, and the Lower Mississippi; and 2) The Mississippi River BasinLesson 1: Introduction to the Mississippi River
Theme: The Mighty Mississippi
Sixth Grade
Time: 45 minutes
Theme/Title of the day’s lesson with a brief description:
Introduction to the Mississippi River: The students get to see photos of the Mississippi River throughout the United States, read a brief history of the river, and draw a map of the states the Mississippi River flows through or borders, pointing out where Winona is.
Materials/resources needed:
Mississippi River photo slideshow
Photo of the Winona Shipping Station from the early 1900s
The Mighty Mississippi reading comprehension passage
The Mighty Mississippi reading comprehension questions
4 Large Pieces of Tagboard
United States Map/Map labeling Winona
Markers/Colored Pencils
Photo of Captain Orrin T. Smith
Article “Winona’s Founder: A man ‘on the make’”
Goal(s) for today’s lesson:
The student will identify and locate major physical and cultural features that played an important role in the history of the United States.
Objectives for today’s lesson:
1. The students will demonstrate their reading comprehension skills by answering questions and participating in an activity in reference to the Mighty Mississippi passage.
2. The students will locate, name, and draw a map of the ten states that the Mississippi River runs through or borders.
3. The students will locate where Winona is on their completed maps of the Mississippi River route.
Procedures
a. introductory experiences:
-A slideshow of pictures of the Mississippi River area will be shown (without telling them what it is) and the students will be asked to think to themselves of what feature is being shown. Pictures will begin starting further south, showing some of the main features of the Mississippi River, and slowly move north until very local features are shown that the students might recognize (1900s Winona Shipping Station). (1 minute)
-Students will be asked to give their ideas of what they thought the photos were of. If nobody says the Mississippi River, ask them if they can think of a river near to us that is long enough to run through some of the environments shown in the slideshow. Ask questions to guide the students to the correct answer. (1 minute)
-Ask the students if they can describe some of the physical features the photos showed and if they know of where the Mississippi runs, and what importance it may have played in the history of the United States and Winona. Listen to students’ response, and if none are given, tell them they will be learning more about these things during their study of the Mississippi River in the next three weeks. (1 minute)
b. developmental experiences:
1. Tell the students that there is a lot of history to the Mississippi River and it held a very important role in the history of the United States, as well as Minnesota and they will be learning about some of these things. Pass out the Mighty Mississippi reading comprehension passage, as well as the reading comprehension questions. (1 minute)
2. Read the passage as a class, moving from one student to the next in their rows. Tell the students that while they are reading/listening, to think about how the Mississippi has had an affect on the way things are today. (5 minutes)
3. Recap on some of the main points of the passage (has an important part in commerce even today, provides a habitat for many species, and it runs through 10 different states). Ask the students to mention anything they found interesting or did not previously know about the Mississippi River. Tell the students to quietly complete the comprehension questions, using the passage as a reference if necessary. (8 minutes)
4. Tell the students they will now be drawing a partial map of the United States, only drawing and labeling the states that the Mississippi River runs through or borders, as well as the Mississippi River itself (final product is shown on the Mississippi River comprehension passage handout). Tell the students that each of them, individually, will also write one thing they found interesting about the Mississippi River on their tag board for their final product. Tell the students to get with their “Week 1 Buddies” (groups are posted on the board- 4 groups of five.) Each group will pick up a large piece of tag board and a map of the United States, and will bring their coloring utensils to their week 1 work stations to complete the activity. Tell the students each person in the group should draw and label 2 of the 10 states. (15 minutes)
5. Once the posters are finished, ask the students if the Mississippi River runs near us (Winona). (Obvious yes, but clarify for those why may not know) Tell the students to remember what they read in the comprehension passage and ask what types of things the Mississippi River has/still does provide for Winona. (answers will be transportation, commerce, drinking water) Show the photo of the Winona Shipping Station from the early 1900s, explaining that it played an important role in Winona; it supplied the town with goods and supplies, and was also used to ship goods, such as timber, out of town. Explain that it not only brought us goods once we were here, but is also how and why we settled here. Show the photo of Captain Orrin T. Smith, explaining that he chose our location, and founded Winona. Read article “Winona’s founder: A Man ‘on the make’” Ask for some possible reasons for Captain Smith choosing this location. (easy access, pretty, or anything they can think of). Show the map that has Winona labeled and have the students label Winona on their completed maps. (9 minutes)
c. Culminating Experiences:
Ask the students to share their posters with the class, each student telling the class which interesting fact they wrote on their poster. Hang the posters on the wall and collect the comprehension questions from the reading. (4 minutes)
Assessments used during lesson:
1. Observe and listen to the students’ thoughts after viewing the photo slideshow.
2. Observe and listen to the students’ thoughts and ideas after reading the Mississippi River passage.
3. Observe and listen to the students thoughts of interesting facts from their posters.
4. Read and look at the responses to the comprehension questions for the reading.
Mississippi River Comprehension Passage:
The Mighty Mississippi
Through the heart of North Americas runs a great river. You may have heard it called “The Mighty Mississippi”, “Big River”, or even “Old Man River”. No matter what you choose to call it, the Mississippi River is one of the greatest rivers in the world. It is over 2300 miles long, making it the second longest river in the United States. The Mississippi River begins as a tiny
stream at Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota and ends in the Gulf of Mexico on the coast of Louisiana. At least thirty-one states form the river basin and water from these states drains into the Mississippi. The Mississippi River Basin covers about 41% of the United States! The River is divided into these segments: the Headwaters, the Upper Mississippi River, and the Lower Mississippi River. Along its path it supports thousands of lakes, tributaries, large rivers, floodplains, wetlands and estuaries.
A Little Big River History
The Mississippi has a unique history. The North American Indians called it “Messipi” which means “Big River”. The first white man to reach the river was Hernando de Soto in 1541. He called the river “Rio de Espiritu Santo” or “River of the Holy Spirit”. In the 1600s, the French
discovered the river and claimed the entire river for France. The French called the river “Louisiana” named after their king Louis XIV.
In the two hundred years that followed, the United States became a nation and claimed the area for itself. The Mississippi and its connecting rivers became major transportation routes. People, goods, livestock, and timber were transported to towns that were springing up all along the river. The land surrounding the river was very fertile and was used to grow crops and raise livestock. In the 1800s, the river was alive with steamboats and barges. A unique culture sprang up from life on the river. Much of that culture is recorded in the writings of Mark Twain. Twain wrote stories about life on the Mississippi River. You may have read his story about a boy that traveled down the river called Huckleberry Finn.
Commerce Today
Today, the Mississippi is still an important part of life in the United States. Over 12 million people rely on the river for their daily drinking water and the river is still used for transportation and commerce. The flow of water in the river is regulated by a series of 27 locks and dams on the upper Mississippi. Built in the 1930s, they were designed to maintain a channel for ships and barges to travel. The dams make the river deeper and wider but do not stop the flow of water.
Ocean going ships can move upstream as far as Baton Rouge, Louisiana and smaller ships and barges can go up stream as far as Minneapolis, Minnesota. Coal, petroleum products (gas and oil), sand, gravel, salt, chemicals,
grain and livestock are transported along the river. Shipping at the lower end of the Mississippi includes iron, steel, rubber, paper, wood,
and coffee. The headwaters segment is not used for shipping. The
lakes that are formed by dams are used for recreational boating and fishing.
River Ecosystems
The Mississippi River, along with its lakes, tributaries and wetlands days.
provide a habitat for hundreds of species of animals, fish and birds.
The River is the largest continuous system of wetlands in North the
America. It has wetland, open water, and floodplain habitats. A large percent of North America's duck, goose, swan, and wading bird populations use the river every year as they migrate south for the winter.
Danger on the River
Mississippi River, the river also has a dangerous side. Flooding is the number one natural disaster in the United States. Most flooding on the Mississippi is caused by too much rain falling in too short an amout of time. The water rises about the banks and flows into the land around it. Sometimes, dams and levies can break causing flooding. The quick rising muddy water destroys homes, businesses, crops, livestock and sometimes even human life.
The River in Danger
Hundreds of years of human use have changed the Mississippi River. The locks and dams have changed the natural course of the river and have affected the natural ecosystem. Much of the
floodplains and wetlands areas have been destroyed by farming and housing developments.
Water, full of pesticides, chemicals and waste, runs into the river from cities and farms. These changes have added to flooding problems and cause hypoxia. Hypoxia occurs when there is not enough oxygen available in the water for marine life to live. This is a problem in the Gulf of Mexico where the water from the Mississippi ends up.
The Mississippi River is a very important part of North America. It is responsible for a more prosperous economy and for a large percentage of the ecology of the United States. The Mighty Mississippi deserves our respect and our attention as we search for ways to preserve the river and river basin for the future.
DID YOU KNOW...
The Mississippi is home to...
-241 fish species, 37 mussel species, 45 amphibians, 50 mammals, and 40% of the nation's migratory birds
-In 2002 Martin Strel swam the entire length of the river.
-A raindrop falling in Lake Itasca would arrive at the Gulf of Mexico in about 90 days.
-At the headwaters of the Mississippi, the average speed of the water is near 1.2 miles per hour. -At New Orleans, the speed of the river is about 3 miles per hour.
-At its headwaters, the Mississippi is less than 3 feet deep. In New Orleans, it is over 200 feet deep.
Mississippi River Comprehension Questions
PAGE 1
Name_______________________________________________ Date________________________
The Mighty Mississippi Worksheet
The Mississippi River begins at ________________________ in Minnesota.
_____________________ was the first white man to discover the Mississippi.
The Indian name for the river is Messipi which means “________________________”.
The flow of water on the Mississippi is regulated by _______________ locks and dams.
______________________ wrote stories about life on the Mississippi River.
The Mississippi River is the longest river in the world.
T F
Flooding is a big problem for people who live near the Mississippi.
T F
10% of the birds in the U.S. use the Mississippi River when they migrate.
T F
Coal and livestock are two products that are transported on the river.
T F
The Mississippi River has the largest continuous area of wetlands in the U.S.
T F
PAGE 2:
Name_______________________________________________ Date________________________
List some of the products that are transported on the Mississippi River
Explain one problem that the Mississippi River faces today.
From your answer above, explain how you think we can stop the problem?
Answer Key
The Mississippi River begins at LAKE ITASCA in Minnesota.
HERNANDO DE SOTO was the first white man to discover the Mississippi.
The Indian name for the river is Messipi which means “BIG RIVER.”
The flow of water on the Mississippi is regulated by 27 locks and dams.
MARK TWAIN wrote stories about life on the Mississippi River.
The Mississippi River is the longest river in the world. - FALSE
Flooding is a big problem for people who live near the Mississippi. – TRUE
10% of the birds in the U.S. use the Mississippi River when they migrate. -FALSE
Coal and livestock are two products that are transported on the river. - TRUE
The Mississippi River has the largest continuous area of wetlands in the U.S. –TRUE
List some of the products that are transported on the Mississippi River
Answers will vary: Coal, grain, livestock, iron, steel, coffee, rubber..
Explain one problem that the Mississippi River faces today.
Answers will vary: Floodplains being destroyed, Hypoxia, Pollution
From your answer above, explain how you think we can stop the problem?
Answers will vary.
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