An Integrated Curriculum for Second or Third Graders
 

Science

• Sedimentation experiment

• Erosion experiment

• Wetland migration discussion and visit to a wetland if possible

• Stream order

Math

• Addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division word problems

Geography

• Locate the river and states that surround it on classroom maps
• What are the main rivers that flow into the Mississippi River?
• Discuss creeks, streams, and rivers where you live and how they are similar to the Mississippi river
• What are some other bodies of water?
• What states does the Mississippi River flow through?
• Write a two page report on one of the states that borders the river

Reading/Language Arts

• Spelling and vocabulary words associated with rivers found  here

• Read short stories about the river from  reading list

• Write a poem about the Mississippi River

History/Social Science

• Discuss a picture of the different people occupying land near the river

• Write an essay about the importance of rivers and compare to the list given by the                                              Headwaters organization found  here

• Learn and sing "Get down, river" by the Bottle Rockets.  Find the score as well as other folk songs  here.

• Make a mask of your favorite animal in river environments

• Paper bag fish

• Read Wynton Marsalis: Gifted Trumpet Player

Optional

• Take a fieldtrip to a nearby stream or river and discuss the ways in which it is similar or different from the Mississippi River

   Math problems

1. If Jill's barge traveled 32 miles along the river in the morning and 25 miles in the afternoon, and Leo's barge 50 miles downriver during the day, who traveled further?

2. If Joyce's steamboat travelled 15 miles upriver in the morning and 10 miles downriver in the afternoon, how far did she stop from where she originally started?

3. If Jacob sails 5 miles along the river each day for a total of 5 days, how far has he sailed total?

4. If 9 ships sailed a total of 90 miles in one day, and each ship sailed an equal distance, how far did each ship sail?

5. If one paddleboat weighs 2 tons and another paddleboat weighs 5 tons, how much do they weigh together?

6. The riverboat Natchez has 238 passengers for a morning cruise and 142 passengers for an afternoon cruise.  How many passengers were there during the day all together?

7. If the ferry gives 16 rides in the morning and 20 in the afternoon, how many fewer rides did it give in the afternoon?

8. If three fish each lay ten eggs, how many eggs are there total?

9. If four tugboats of equal size weigh 36 tons together, how much does each tugboat weigh?

10. A fish swims 10 miles upstream Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday and 7 miles upstream on Thursday and Friday.  How many miles did the fish swim during the entire week?
 

State Reports

Name of state ________________________

Capitol _____________________________

Major cities _________________________

Population __________________________

Major landforms _____________________

Crops ______________________________

Industry ____________________________

Important historical events __________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________

How is your state influenced by the river?
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________

What are some other unique features of your state?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
 

Draw the state flag, state tree, and state flower on the next page.

bank            steamboat

barge           tributary

basin           tugboat

canal           wetland

channel

dam

ecology

erosion

flow

habitat

levee

meander

Mississippi

paddleboat

resource

sediment

Awmiller, Craig. Wynton Marsalis: Gifted Trumpet Player

Erickson, Paul.  Daily Life on a Southern Plantation

Gilliland, Judith Heide.  Steamboat! The Story of Captain Blanche Leathers

Holling Holling. Men of the Mississippi

Kalman, Bobbie.  Life on the Plantation

Lester, Julius.  From Slave Ship to Freedom

Prentzas, G.S.  New Orleans

Taylor, Mildred.  Mississippi Bridge
            This is a good book to read aloud in class and discuss.