Wonders of the Water:
Thematic Learning with the
Mississippi River
Heath E. Capello
University of Mississippi
January 27, 2006
So you have Questions…
 What’s the big idea?
 How can thematic learning help me?
 How do I apply this information?
The Idea
Why Study the Mississippi River?
 Its Pervasiveness
The Father of Waters
http://www.epa.gov/msbasin/culture.htm
The Father of Waters
 River Length: 3,705 km (2,302 mi)
 Basin Area: 3.2 million km2 (1.2 million
mi2) or 41% of the conterminous United
States
 Population along the Mississippi Corridor:
12 million people live in the 125 counties
parishes.
 Amount of water discharged to the Gulf:
612,000 ft3/s (4.6 million gal/s) (EPA
2003)
Why Study the Mississippi River?
 Its Pervasiveness
 Its Location
Location, Location, Location
 Mississippi
 Opportunity to have students
learn more about something
that is a part of their state and
history
 Environmental stewardship and
watershed awareness
Why Study the Mississippi River?
 Its Pervasiveness
 Its Location
 The Environment
A watershed in trouble
 Watershed – the entire surface
drainage area that contributes
water to a river or lake.
 Tributary – a body of water that
contributes materials to a larger
body
A watershed in trouble
A watershed in trouble
 Hypoxia
 Wetland loss
 Water quality
 Navigation and channelization
The Theme
Why use Thematic Learning?
 Wiggins and McTighe (1998)
– Is it worth being familiar with?
– Is it important to know and do?
– Does it create “enduring” understanding?
 Tomkins
– Integrate across curricular areas to explore
and explain the answer to questions
Why use Thematic Learning?
 Provides students with a familiar
base
 Adds comfort to challenging material
 Integrates core subjects
 Allows students to draw connections
between related materials
 Opens eyes to the big picture
 Acts as a foundation for critical
thinking and inquiry based learning
The Application
Brainstorming
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Problem statement
Think Time
Brainstorming
Think Time
Reflection
Conclusion
Today’s Two Activities
 What’s in your Watershed?
 Fun with Phytoplankton
What’s in your Watershed?
 Science
 Geography
 Stewardship
Fun with Phytoplankton
 Biology
 Mathematics
 Physics
Extensions: Gulf Hypoxia
http://www.epa.gov/msbasin/taskforce/hypoxia.htm
http://www.smm.org/deadzone/causes/
Extensions: Aquatic Food Web
http://www.mindfully.org/Food/Food-Web.gif
Extensions: Technology
 Have students create a PowerPoint that
answers some of the following
questions:
– What are some of the most important
environmental concerns about the river?
– What are some of the literature, music, and
art that has been inspired by the river?
– What historical events have occurred along
the river?
Useful Websites
 General Biology:
http://www.kensbiorefs.com/index.ht
ml
 Mississippi River and Hypoxia:
– http://www.epa.gov/msbasin/
– http://www.smm.org/deadzone/top.html
 Science and Math Projects:
– http://smartweed.olemiss.edu/nmgk8/
Sources and Acknowledgements
 The Environmental Protection Agency. 2005 July 28.
Mississippi River Basin & Gulf of Mexico hypoxia
Culture/History. Accessed 2006 January 19.
<http://www.epa.gov/msbasin/culture.htm>.
 National Research Council. 1992. Restoration of
Aquatic Ecosystems. Washington D.C.: National
Academy Press.
 Michelsen, Merridee. 2004. Personal communication.
 Wiggins, G. and J. McTighe. 1998. Understanding by
Design. Alexandria, VA:Association for Supervision
and Curriculum Development.
 Smith, Jennifer. 2004. Personal communication.
What questions do you have?
hecapell@olemiss.edu