Rivers of Life
Recommended Resources
VIDEOS
Cadillac Desert
 A Nova documentary video. Available through the PBS web site (http://www.pbs.org).
Newton's Apple, Floods
• Video recommended audience K-9, video cost $19.95, teacher’s guide available at no
additional cost on request or on Newton’s Apple Website. Videotape can be ordered by
calling 1-800-228-4630, ask for Newton's Apple Show #1207.
• How do people control the flooding of the rivers? Do these methods of control sometimes
make matters worse? David experiences the powerful force behind a flood on the
Mississippi River and learns how floods change the landscape.
Flood
 A Nova documentary video. Available through the PBS web site (http://www.pbs.org).
From Streets to Stream: Reducing Pollution from Urban Yards
 13 min. $25 for purchase. Video can be ordered by calling Shelley Shreffler at (651) 6445436.
 This video couments non-point source pollution impacts.
History Beyond the Walls: Tracing Zebulon Pike's Travels in the Mississippi Headwaters
• 29 min. $10.00 for rental and $24.95 for purchase. Video can be ordered by contacting the
Institute for Minnesota Archaeology, 3300 University Ave. SE, Suite 204, Minneapolis, MN
55414. (612) 623-0299.
• This video traces history though diary and archaeology.
We All Live Downstream
• Individual use $25.00, Institution use $39.95. Video can be ordered by contacting The Video
Project, 5332 College Ave., Suite 101, Oakland, CA, 94618. (510) 655-9050.
• Video on toxic pollution in Mississippi River. Greenpeace explores toxic pollution through
individuals and communities affected by it.
Time Travels
• 20 min. FREE. Order from Minnesota Agriculture in the Classroom, MN Department of
Agriculture, 90 West Plato Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55107
• An overview of the history of agriculture in Minnesota
1
Rivers of Life
BOOKS
Elementary Students
River Life: A Close up Look at the Natural World of a River
• Barbara Taylor, $9.95, ages 4-8
• Larger than life photographs with clear labels explaining different body parts.
A River Ran Wild: An Environmental History
• Lynne Cherry, $14.95, ages 6-11
• The history of how the Nashua River went from its original pristine state to becoming
polluted, and then how a group of people worked together to restore it.
Pond and River
• Eyewitness $16.00
• Closeups of freshwater plants and animals. The Eyewitness books provide hundreds of
exceptional, clear photographs, coupled with concise, detailed information. Here are three
related to the study of water.
Letting Swift River Go
• Jane Yolen, Illustrated by Barbara Cooney , 32 pages, Little Brown, 1992, $15.95
• The Quabbin Reservoir, created to fill the need for freshwater in the growing Boston area,
covers a valley once home to villages of families who had lived there for generations. The
story takes the form of a young woman's reminiscences of growing up in the Swift River
Valley. Readers not only see what life was like there, but also the extensive process of
relocating people--and sometimes their houses and graveyards--and preparing the site.
Steamboats on the Mississippi (American Heritage Junior Library)
• Ralph K Andrist, Troll Assoc (Lib), 1988, List: $14.95 -- Amazon.com Price: $14.95 ISBN:
0816715300
Protecting Rivers & Seas
• Kamini Khanduri, $4.50 (p) ages 6-9
• Presented here with many facts and illustrations on each page is a simple introduction to the
conservation of the world's water and the wildlife that depend on it.
Riverkeeper
 George Ancona, $14.95 ages 6-12
• This is the story of John Cronin, riverkeeper of the Hudson River. Hired by the Hudson River
Fishermen's Association, Cronin patrols the river and works as an advocate for the health of
theriver. A fascinating account, illustrated with black and white photos.
Drip Drop: Water's Journey
• Eve and Albert Stwertka $5.95 (p) ages 7-9
• As this book traces the journey a drop of water makes, it answers many other water questions
along the way. It explains how water is formed, how it travels, and how it is cleaned and
2
Rivers of Life
made safe to use. Included are simple experiments and projects that clarify the discussion.
Light-hearted and informative.
The Stream Team on Patrol
• John G. Shepard, Illustrated by Craig Parent, Abdo and Daughters, 1993 ISBN# 1-56239207-7
• "Armed with special knowledge and keen observation skills", students are assigned to
explore and help save a stream that's under attack. They learn about what a watershed is and
wide variety of creatures that are involved with the stream in fascinating ways.
A Postcard Journey Along the Upper Mississippi
 Robert Stumm, Templegate Publishers. Springfield, IL
 A historic look at the Mississippi River, from the headwaters to Cairo, IL, through images
captured on postcards.
High School Students
America by Rivers
• Tim Palmer, 349 pages, Island Press, 1996, $26.95
• Photographer and writer Tim Palmer presents a comprehensive tour of the whole of
America's river systems. The book is filled with important new information as well as data
gathered from hundreds of published sources. Chapters address the characteristics of rivers in
distinct regions of the country and each chapter highlights one river with a detailed view
from the water. Eighteen maps guide the reader across the country and 100 photos illustrate
the splendor of Palmer's fascinating subject.
A Canoe Voyage up the Minnay-Sotor
• George William Featherstonhaugh, 1847
The River Curriculum Project
• Dr. Robert Williams, Southern Illinois University, (618) 692-3788, rwilliams@siue.edu
• The Illinois Rivers Project is a interdisciplinary learning experience that integrates river
learning with chemistry, biology, earth science, geography, language arts, and math. The
project's initial major goal was to promote scientific literacy through getting students
involved in collecting and analyzing water samples from various test sites. Students report
their findings to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as well as with each other through Soiled
Net, a telecommunications network that links all the participating schools. In conjunction
with the water testing project, students are now tracking the progress of the Zebra Mussel.
Middle school students and teachers are also being paired with participants in the Rivers
project to conduct research and testing of groundwater quality
Mississippi Solo : A River Quest
• Eddy L. Harris, HarperCollins, 1989, Paperback, 250 pages, List: $12.50 -- Amazon.com
Price: $11.25 -- You Save: $1.25(10%) , ISBN: 0060972475
3
Rivers of Life
•
Never having canoed before, and with the loan of a friend's boat, Eddy L. Harris sets out to
row the length of the Mississippi River--alone. Beautifully captured is the river's culture, the
character of its people, as well as a man's remarkable spirit.
Canoing with the Cree
• Eric Sevareid, Minnesota Historical Society, 1968, ISBN 0-87351-152-2
• In 1930, two boys Eric Sevareid and his friend Walter Port, took off on a canoe trip of a
lifetime from the Minnesota River at Fort Snelling to Hudson Bay. Without the benefit of
radio or motor for the canoe, they arrived at York Factory on Hudson Bay, just before winter
freeze up. This book is a wonderful account of their experiences; the people that helped them
and the lanscape and wildlife that surrounded them.
Rising Tide : The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and How It Changed America
• by John M. Berry, John M. Barry, Simon & Schuster, 1997, Hardcover, 512 pages. List:
$30.00, Amazon.com Price: $27.00, You Save: $3.00 (10%) ISBN: 0684810468
Field Manual for Water Quality Monitoring: An Environmental Educaiton Program for Schools
 Mark K. Mitchell and William B. Stapp. Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company, 1997. ISBN 07872-3730-2.
 This manual is used in many national and international watershed programs linked through
the Global Rivers Environmental Education Network (GREEN).
Last Oasis: Facing Water Scarcity
 Sandra Postel (Worldwatch Institute). W.W. Norton and Company, 1997. ISBN 0-39331744-7.
 This book is a part of the Worldwatch Environmental Alert Series and is featured on the PBS
series “Cadillac Desert”.
Lifelines: The Case for River Conservation
 Tim Palmer. Island Press, Washington, DC. ISBN 1-55963-220-8
 “The health of our nation is reflected in the health of our rivers.” This book will look at the
conditions of world rivers.
Water: A Natural History
 Alice Outwater. Basic Books, NY, 1996. ISBN 0-465-03779-8.
K-12
Teaching about Hazardous and Toxic Materials
• ERIC - Education Resource Information Center, 1985, Item # T-114, $10.00 + shipping
• This is a teacher's guide that is grouped by grade levels.
4
Rivers of Life
Adopt a River, Join the Clean Rivers Team
• Minnesota Clean Rivers Project, Kit designed for citizen groups undertaking river clean-up
projects. To receive the kit, contact the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Box 52500 Lafayette Rd., St. Paul, MN 55155.
Wildlife of the Rivers
• William H. Amos, Abrams Publishing, 1981
• General Reference Book
Prehistory of the Central Mississippi Valley
• by Charles H. McNutt (Editor), Univ of Alabama Pr (Txt), 1996, Paperback, 313 pages, :
$48.75 -- Amazon.com Price: $48.75 , ISBN: 0817308075
• Lying between two major population centers of the American Bottom to the north and the
Lower Yazoo Basin to the south, Mississippi's Central Valley received its share of cultural
influences from these two centers. But the region also had its own distinctive cultural
developments. Contributors to this volume present eight updated culture histories for the
various subareas of the Central Valley, providing some coordination between the culture
sequences of the American Bottom and Lower Yazoo Basin.
La Salle : Explorer of the North American Frontier
• by Willard Wood (Translator), Anka Muhlstein, Arcade Pub, 1994, Hardcover, 244 pages,
List: $22.95 -- Amazon.com Price: $20.66 -- You Save: $2.29(10%)
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (Books of Wonder)
• Barry Moser (Illustrator), Mark Twain, William Morrow & Co, 1989, List: $22.00 -Amazon.com Price: $19.80 -- You Save: $2.20(10%) , ISBN: 068807510X
Life on the Mississippi (Penguin Classics)
• Mark Twain, Penguin USA, 1989
• Paperback, 450 pages List: $8.95 -- Amazon.com Price: $8.05 -- You Save: $0.90(10%)
ISBN: 0140390502
Mississippi River Tales
 Frank McSherry, Jr., Charles G. Waugh, Mortin Harry Greenberg, eds., Little Rock: August
House, 1988.
The Minnesota: Forgotten River
• Evan Jones, 1962
Save Our Streams (Curriculum project)
• Izaak Walton League, 707 Conservation Lane Gaithersburg, MD 20878, (800) BUG-IWLA
• Save our Streams (SOS) is the grassroots river and stream protection program of the Izaak
Walton League of America. Individuals and groups adopt a stream and agree to become it's
guardian for a year or more. Stream adopters protect their stream by checking water quality,
looking for signs of trouble, and taking action to solve pollution problems. This program is
adaptable to just about any youth or civic organization, and can also be used in the
5
Rivers of Life
classroom. The IL has put together a SOS kit, that contains survey forms, macroinvertibrate
identification cards, as well as a teacher's manual on integrating SOS into the classroom and
includes lessons on watershed dynamics, water monitoring and land use planning. The
manual comes with IBM compatible software for managing water monitoring data.
Global Rivers Environmental Education Network (GREEN)
• 721 East Huron St. Ann Arbor, MI 48104, (313) 761-8142, green@green.org
• GREEN is an innovative, action-orientated approach to education, based on an
interdisciplinary watershed education model. GREEN's mission is to improve education
through a global network that promotes watershed sustainability through classroom activities
that revolve around two key content areas: 1. water quality monitoring, and 2. understanding
charges and trends within the whole watershed. They offer a catalog of various water quality
monitoring manuals and guides, equipment, as well as other problem solving/action taking
curriculum and global environmental resources. They have a very helpful website that
includes a listing of their projects and a listing of watershed education resources on the
internet. They also have put together a manual for low cost water quality monitoring.
Poetry
The Brook
• Alfred Tennyson, illustrations by Charles Micucci, 32 pages, Orchard, 1994, $14.95
• The rhythms of Tennyson's familiar poem mimic a babbling brook as it tells of its travels
past villages and farms, over stones and around bends, on its way to the river. "For man may
come and man may go" states the refrain, "but I go on forever". Micucci has illustrated this
set of versus, taken from Tennyson's longer poem of the same name, in period style, recalling
simpler times when a nearby brook was the everyday setting of leisure-time activities.
Splish Splash
• Joan Bransfield Graham, illustrated by Steve Scott, 32 pages, Ticknor and Fields, 1994
$13.95
• Concrete poems suggest the characteristics of their subject matter through typography and
layout. Here square blocks of type are "ice cubes..cattering about the cold" and "River"
begins with small words, far away, that increase in size as they advance on the page toward
the reader.
6
Rivers of Life
Energy Resources
The Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Clearinghouse
P.O. Box 3048
Merrifield, VA 22116
(800) DOE-EREC (363-3732)
Fax: (703) 893-0400
This free service has information on renewable energy and saving energy. It is funded by the
U.S. Department of Energy.
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Center for Science Education
1617 Cole Boulevard
Golden, CO 80401
(800) NEW-ENGY (639-3649)
This center has student and teacher information and videos on renewable energy.
Renew America
1400 16th Street, NW, Suite 710
Washington, DC 20036
(202) 232-2252
This group offers information on renewable energy and the environment.
National Energy Education Development Project
1920 Association Drive, Suite 414
Reston, VA 22091
(800) 875-5029
This group offers energy education program materials for grades 4 to 12.
National Energy Information Center
Energy Information Administration
1000 Independence Avenue, SW, Room 1F-048
Washington, DC 20585
(202) 586-8800
This group offers energy information for a wide range of audiences.
7
Rivers of Life
Books on Energy
These books have more information on energy. This list does not cover all the books available on
energy, nor does any mention of a book mean that we recommend it. To get these books, go to
your public or school library or local bookstore. Ask the bookstore how much the book costs
before you order it.
For Students
Alternative Sources of Energy, by Warren Brown, Chelsea House Publishers, 1994.
Energy Alternatives, by Barbara Keeler, Lucient Books, 1990.
Energy Resources: Toward a Renewable Future, by D.J. Herda, F. Watts Publisher, 1991.
Experimenting with Energy, by Alan Ward, Chelsea House Publishers, 1994.
Facts on Future Energy Possibilities, by Hugh Johnstone, F. Watts Publisher, 1990.
Facts on Water, Wind, and Solar Power, by Guy Arnold, F. Watts Publisher, 1990.
Fueling the Future, by Janet Pack, Childrens Press, 1992.
Rads, Ergs, & Cheeseburgers: The Kid's Guide to Energy & the Environment, by Bill Yanda, J.
Muir Publications, 1991.
Renewable Energy: A Concise Guide to Green Alternatives, by Jennifer Carless, Walker and Co.,
1993.
For Teachers
Science Projects in Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency, American Solar Energy Society,
National Energy Foundation, 5160 Wiley Post Way, Suite 200, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801)
539-1406, 1990.
Teach with Energy! Fundamental Energy, Electricity and Science Lessons for Grades K-3,
National Energy Foundation, 5160 Wiley Post Way, Suite 200, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801)
539-1406, 1990.
Teach with Energy! Fundamental Energy, Electricity and Science Lessons for Grades 4-6,
National Energy Foundation, 5160 Wiley Post Way, Suite 200, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801)
539-1406, 1992
8