Questions and Answers:
1. What forms of transportation did you see is being used in picture 145? (boats, cars, and trucks)
2. What is migration and can you give me a few examples of things that would migrate? Example:
look at picture 160 for help. (Migration is moving from one place to another; ex. Birds, whales,
people, etc)
3. From looking at picture 133 why do you think it is call a towboat? ( Because it helps pull boats
along like the one in the picture)
4. Where did the explorers and settlers come from? (Mainly from Europe)
5. Can you name the boat from picture 144? ( A barge)
6. Look at picture 144 again. From observing the picture of the barge why do you think that barges
were and are important? (They help transport goods up and down the river.)
7. What body of water does the Mississippi River flow into? (Gulf of Mexico)
8. What three states does the Mississippi River touch? (any of the following: Louisiana,
Mississippi, Tennessee, Missouri, Illinois, Arkansas, Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota, or Kentucky)
9. What direction does the Mississippi River flow? (North to south)
10. Why is the Mississippi River an important part of the growth of cities on the river such as
Memphis? (Because it brings people and goods to and from cities)
11. What are some examples of transportation on the river from the past to the present?
(steamboats, canoes, paddleboats, barges, and diesel steamboats)
12. What is another way that a person could cross a river without taking a boat? (Driving or walking
across a bridge)
13. What is a disadvantage of using a bridge? (You have to go on a certain road to reach the bridge
and it may be out of your way.)
14. What is an advantage of using a bridge to cross a river? (You don’t have to wait for a boat such
as a ferry)
15. Who is Hernando De Soto and what country did he come from? (He is an Spanish explorer who
found the Mississippi River)
16. Who were some of the first people to settle in the Mississippi River area? (Native Americans)
17. Why is the Mississippi River called the “Father of Waters”? ( Because it is one of the largest
rivers in the nation)
18. Why is the bridge in picture 145 called Hernando De Soto? (In honor of the explorer who
discover the Mississippi River)
19. In picture 1, what is Mud Island a model of? (It is a model of the Mississippi River)
20. What state is the source (where it begins) of the Mississippi River located? (Minnesota)
Terms:
1. Barge- flat-bottomed boat
2. De Soto- an explorer who discovered the Mississippi River
3. Explorer- someone who searches for something.
4. Migration- the process of moving from place to place such a bird.
5. Steamboat-steam driven vessel
6. Towboat- “tow” comes from the use of a draft animal walking along the bank of the canal
towing the barge However, the towboat is would “tow” the barge along the river.
7. Transportation - moving people or goods from place to place
8. Mississippi- another name for the “father of waters”
9. Gulf of Mexico- a large body of water which surrounds the southeastern United States.
10. environment- the conditions of your surroundings