Biography of a River

■ Pre o Post Biography of a River Subjects Language Arts Earth Science Social Studies (History, Economics, Geography) Objectives The students will be able to do the following: 1. Compare and contrast facts about the development, history, and importance of several rivers in the state. 2. Thoroughly research the history and development of one particular river. 3. Understand and describe the economic reasons that cause cities to establish near waterways. 4. Describe deltas and their formation. Materials Needed Internet access School or local library Delta informational handout (included) Background Information Rivers have played a vital role in the development of this country and others. From transportation to exploration, the importance of rivers is reflected in the many references that are made t them in literature and history, both national and personal. Today rivers need protection, and one way to fuel interest in preserving a rivers is to have students become familiar with their local rivers to that they feel an ownership to them. Writing a biography of a river is one way for students to combine research, interview skills, creative writing, history, and science into a single project. Keep this project fun and allow for creativity; however, set limits on what material is acceptable. If the writing is based on factual information the project will be more realistic. If there are not enough rivers or waterways within your county, use neighboring rivers or famous rivers within your state. Terms 1. cinquain: a poem of five line as follows: First line one word giving title Second line two words, describing title Third line three words, expressing an action Fourth line four words, expressing a feeling Fifth line one word, a synonym for the title 2. Epitaph: a short composition in prose or verse, written as a tribute to a dead person. 3. Delta: a deposit formed at the mouth of a river or a stream. Advanced Preparation (time: 5 minutes) Obtain State maps. A student(s) could create a list of all the rivers/streams in your county for extra credit. (You should be able to pick up free state maps from your local chamber of commerce or Welcome Center if your library doesn’t have enough for each group or pair.) Getting Started (time: 1 class period, plus research time) 1. Begin a general discussion of familiar rivers in your state, and then narrow the focus on just those waterways that are located in your county. Ask: a. Name some of the major rivers in our state? In your county? b. Who has ever seen/visited any of these rivers? c. During your visit, what did you do there? What kind of “shape” was the river in? d. Have any of your grandparents or parents told family stories about experiences on the rivers of your state? e. How many of the major rivers outside of your state, across the U.S., can you name? Do you know where these rivers are located? f. How did rivers help in the development of this country? Your state? Your county? g. In what ways are rivers important? (Don’t forget to discuss aesthetic value.) h. Discuss the background information sheet on deltas with the class. Are any of the rivers in your county forming deltas? How would an increased sediment load in the river due to erosion or agricultural runoff effect normal delta formation? (The delta would deposit more sediment than normal currents/wave action is able to move/remove, and you may develop sand bars in the channel, which could disrupt navigation.) What problems would this create? 2. Assign each student (or pair, or small group) a major river located within your county. If there are not enough rivers, you can use the lakes that are in your county. 3. The river biography should include the following: a. Birth Information: this includes how the river/lake was formed geologically, approximate time period, original course. b. Location and Description: include a drawn or copied map of the river noting the locations of its head and mouth, the major cities and types of land use along its course, its aquatic life, and other characteristics you feel are important (like describing what the general direction of flow for that river is). If you have so few rivers/streams in your county that you need to have a couple groups looking at various lakes, you could ask them to discuss what the origin of the water is. For example, is it spring fed, glacier oriented, or is it manmade? (You might want the students to take a closer look at the typical features of any river/lake. For example, they could make a drawing of a river and label features like the riverbank, bed channel, the natural levees, etc. c. Century Report: beginning with 1700 through the present, write a report to include: i. Historical events related to or occurring near the river. ii. Important people related to the river or locations near the river. iii. Contributions/uses of the river (industry, transportation, recreation, security, agriculture). iv. Changes to the river and surrounding area (dams, locks, water diversion for agriculture, pollution restrictions and fish advisories). For an updated list of the Michigan Fish Advisories look up http://www.michigan.gov/mdch. The heading you are looking for can be found under “Other Important Issues.” To find out whether a river you might be researching has been listed as an Area of Concern in the Great Lakes region, visit www.epa.gov/glnpo/aoc. d. Personal Interviews: If possible, interview two people who have had personal experiences with your river. Write about their thoughts, remembrances, experiences, and other information about the river and its importance in their lives. A great place to start looking for these people would be the local historical society or a retirement home. e. Death Announcement: Research what could cause the “death” of the river. Is your river still in fairly pristine shape, presently recovering from past contamination problems, or experiencing ongoing, current contaminations? Write an actual (or fictional) account of the events leading up to the death of your river and the consequences of this death for the local community, and perhaps the state. f. Epitaph: Write an epitaph for the river in the form of a cinquain. 4. Place all the information in a folder or report and illustrate the cover. Follow up Activity (time: 1 class period; two if all activities are pursued) 1. Ask each student or small group to give a five-minute presentation about his/her river, sharing the most significant facts and pointing out its location. 2. Have students be responsible for reading the biographies of at least two other rivers and write a comparison paper comparing their river with these two. 3. Research what makes a National Scenic River. Suggest the Wild and Scenic Rivers web site at www.nps.gov/rivers/. Are there any scenic rivers in your county? How many are there in your state? 4. Other extensions: a. Research the role of rivers in cultural stories and myths. b. Read descriptions of rivers in literature such as in Huckleberry Finn, the writings of J. Wesley Powell, the River Styx, and Cleopatra and the Nile. Also, read the articles listed in the Resource section published by the National Geographic Society. Compare these rivers with your local rivers. c. Have students research any songs written about their rivers or compose one themselves. Resources Carrier, Jim, “The Colorado - A River Drained Dry,” National Geographic. Washington, D.C. June 1991. Ellis, William, “The Mississippi: River under Siege,” National Geographic. Washington, D.C. November 1993. Jackson III, Harvey H., “Rivers of History. Life on the Coosa, Tallapoosa, Cahaba, and Alabama.” University of Alabama Press, 1995. Title and original concept for activity courtesy The Water Sourcebook. Water Environment Federation, Alexandria, VA, 1997. Adaptations by Cynthia L. Smith. BaySail's Environmental Education Director, Bay City, MI, 2000, Yates, Steve, Adopting a Stream - A Northwest Handbook. The Adopt-A-Stream Foundation, 1988. The Delta BACKGROUND INFORMATION The sketch below shows a view of a coastal feature that is seldom seen from this angle. This is an aerial view of a delta. If you were to see it from ground level, you would not be able to describe the shape unless you walked around the edges as well as across it. This delta is built up from sand and silt sediments. The plants on it started growing after the sediments began to accumulate. Some of the larger trees would probably be over a hundred years old. Notice that in the right side of the sketch, the delta appears to have been growing faster, and a sand bar has formed. Most of the sand and silt was carried down from the river. The ocean tides, currents, and wave action help to shape a delta. Ocean currents and wave action coming from about the same direction, like those responsible for causing the lopsided appearance of this delta, are at work along all coasts. Sometimes the currents flow parallel to the shore, and at other times they curve in or out. Usually they go in one general direction for months and months. At other times, they may change speed or direction. On the other hand, waves usually approach the shore at an angle that changes with the wind. Sometimes the wind blows out to sea. Teacher Sheet Ask students: 1. What is a delta? 2. What causes deltas to form? 3. What forms the shape of a delta? Not all forms of pollution are bad. Deltas are important. Water, picking up dirt and moving it around formed such important land masses as the Mississippi Delta and the Nile Delta.

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