River of words. Georgia's 2003 teacher's guide

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Intern,rtionctl Environmentcil Poetry cinct Art Profect For J<-12 Stuctents

Georgicl's 2003 Teqcher's Guide

Sponsoi--ed in Geoi--g i~ by



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STARBUCKS FOUNDATION

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Dear Teachers,

Georgia Department of Natural Resources
Environmental Protection Division, Water Protection Branch 4220 International Parkway, Suite 101, Atlanta, Georgia 30354
Alan W. Hallum, Branch Chief 404/675-6232
FAX: 404/675--6245

Thanks for your interest in the River of Words (ROW) Poetry and Art Project. ROW is a terrific tool to help your students identify their ecological address and explore their creativity .

You can lead your students in a study of their watershed, poetry lessons and/or art lessons using this helpful Teacher's Guide. The Guide is organized as follows:

- What is River of Words?, Contest Rules and Guidelines, How to order Materials - Field Trips to Support River of Words - National River of Words Teacher's Guide - Activities to Support River of Words - Inspirational Stories from Georgia Teachers - Information on how to get involved in the Rivers Alive waterway cleanup event

Keep in mind, contest guidelines change each year. The guidelines enclosed are current.

In our State, River of Words is sponsored by the Georgia Center for the Book and Georgia Project WET (Water Education for Teachers). Since 1997, Georgia teachers have successfully incorporated this dynamic educational endeavor into their classrooms. We have sent at least one national grand prize winner to the awards ceremony in Washington, D.C. each year.

Poetry and art from the 2003 contest are on display in the Georgia River of Words Exhibition. The exhibition is traveling to libraries throughout the State. See the routing schedule in the first section of the guide to find out if the exhibition is coming to your community. If not, you can contact me at (404) 675-1638 to schedule it for your school.

HAPPY ROWing!!

Sincerely,

Petey Giroux 404-675-1638 petey_giroux@dnr.state.ga.us
The preparation of this guide was financed in part through a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under provisions of Section 319 (h) of the Federal Clean Water Act of 1987, as amended and The Starbucks Foundation.



Rivet o
International Environmental Poetry and Art
Proied for K-12 Students
Georgia's 2003 Teacher's Guide
TABLE OF CONTENTS
What is River of Words? Contest Rules and Guidelines How to order National River of Words Materials... p. 1
Field Trips to Support River of Words................. p. 27
National River of Words Teachers' Guic:\e............ p. 31
Activities to Support River of Worc:\s.............. .... p. 69
Inspirational Stories from Georgia Teachers.......... p. 95
Information on How to Get Involved in the Rivers Alive Waterway Cleanup Event . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 111



ENVJRONMENTAL POETRY & A_RT
What is Rivet of Wot~sl
Contest tules anc:\ guic:\elines
How to otc:\et National Rivet of Wotc:\s Matetials
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What is River of Words?

River of Words is an arts and environmental education program that:

nurtures respect for and understanding of the natural world

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promotes literacy in all its forms

trains teachers how to integrate the arts into core curriculum subjects

gives youth a forum for expressing their creativity and concerns

helps children develop a sense of belonging to a particular place

builds community partnerships

leverages existing resources in support of education

facilitates interdisciplinary teaching methods

distributes, publishes and displays children's art & poetry

publishes an Educator's Guide and curriculum support materials

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River of Words (ROW), a non-profit organi~~on, was founded in 1995 by then-US Poet Laureate Robert Hass and writer Pamela Michael. Every year, in affiliation with The Library of Congress Center for the Book, we conduct an international poetry and art cont~st for children in grades K-12.

Each April, eight US wi11..ners, one international winner, and a "ROW Teacher of the Year" are honored (during National Poetry Month) at an Award Ceremony at The Library of Congress in Washington, DC. Seventeen states currently award state ROW prizes, as well.

River of Words publishes an annual poetry book of winning submissions, selected by Robert Hass. We also exhibit the children's paintings at museums, libraries, conferences and other venues around the world. Through our website and many workshops and presentations around the country, we provide students and teachers-and their communities-with tools, inspiration and incentive to begin exploring the natural and cultural history of their own homegrounds.

The contest is free, and every child is acknowledged with a personalized "Watershed Explorer" certificate. Children may enter on their own or through schools, nature centers, libraries, youth clubs and other organizations. Girl Scouts can earn their "Water Drop" patch by entering the contest and fulfilling other requirements (www.epa.gov/adopt/patch).

The contest deadline is: North American entries-postmarked by February 15 International entries-received by March I

PO Box 4000-J Berkeley, CA 94704 USA 510-548-POEM

www. ri verofwords.org

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,Que es River of Words?
'Rio de Palabras'

River of Words es un programa educacional de arte y el ambiente que:

desarrolla el respeto y entendimiento para el mundo natural prornueve la alfabetizaci6n en todas sus forrnas ensefia a los maestros como integrar las artes en el curriculum da a los nifios una rnanera de expresar su creatividad e interes ayuda a los nifios a desarrollar el sentido de pertenecer a un lugar construye asociaciones cornunitarias usa recursos para apoyar la educaci6n facilita los metodos de ensefianza interdiciplinarios distribuye, publica y muestra el arte y la poesia de los nifios publica una Guia para Maestros y materiales que apoyan el curriculum

River of Words<E (ROW) 'Rio de Palabras,' organizaci6n de beneficiencia publica, fue fundada en 1995 por el Poeta Norte Americano Robert Hass y la escritora Pamela Michael. Cada afio, en afiliaci6n con La Biblioteca Central del Congreso para el Libro, nosotros conducimos un concurso internacional de poesia y arte para nifios entre los grados kinder a 12.

Cada mes de abril, ocho ganadores Estadounidenses, un ganador internacional y el "ROW Mejor Maestro del Ano" son hornenajeados (durante el Mes de la Poesfa Nacional) en una Cerernonia en La Biblioteca del Congreso en Washington, DC. Actualmente, diecisiete estados tarnbien dan prernios de ejernplo para el estado.

River of Words publica un libro anual de poesia de las obras que ganaron, selecionadas por Robert Hass. Tarnbien mostrarnos las obras de pintura en museos, bibliotecas, conferencias y otros lugares en el mundo. Por medio de informaci6n en el internet y muchas conferencias y presentaciones en el pais, proveemos materiales, inspiraci6n e incentivo a estudiantes y
maestros para que puedan cornenzar a explorar la historia natural y cultural de su propia tierra.

Este concurso es gratis, y cada nifio es reconocido con su propio certificado de 11Explorador de la Cuenca". Los nifios pueden inscirbirse por ellos mismos o por las escuelas, los centros del ambiente, las bibliotecas, clubs, y otras organizaciones. Girl Scouts pueden ganar su distintivo
de "Gota de Agua" por inscribirse en el concurso y de curnplir con otros requisitos
(www.epa.gov/ adopt/ patch).

La fecha limite para el concurso es: participantes Norte-Am_ericanos certificados por el correo para el 15 de febrero.

Para participantes internacionales: recibidos para el 1 de marzo.

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River of Words PO Box 4000-J Berkeley, CA 94704 USA Tel: 510-548-POEM (7636) Fax: 510-548-2095
Lugar de informaci6n por el internet www.riverofwords.org



Frequently Asked Questions About the River of Words Contest
\\Tho is eligible?
Children 5-19 years of age, who are not yet in college. Youth older than 19, but still in high school, are eligible.
\\'hen is the deadline?
Eacn year, U.S. entries must be postmarked by February 15th and received by February 22n,:j .
lritemational entries must be received by March 151
Entries can be mailed in throughout the year, any entries received after the deadline will be automatically held for the next year's contest
Is there an entry fec?
No; the contest is free to enter.
MaJ I submit more than one piffc?
Yes. You can submit as many poems and/or pieces of artwork as you wish (including
poem/art combinations). However, each entry must have a separate entry form.
How do I enter?
You may enter the contest tluough your school, environmental club, scout troop, art organization, or any other such group, or you may enter the contest on your own. Group entries should be sent to River of Words together in one envelope or package, rather than individually. All en~es must be sent to us with a completed entry form, and should be sent to:
River of Words P.O. Box 4000-J Berkeley, CA 94704 USA
Am I entering as an indhidual or as part ~fa group? If you completed your River of Words contest entry through work with a class, scout troop, nature center, youth organization or other club, then you are entering as part of a

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group. / ndividual work should still be marked as a group erury if i1 was completed
through participaJion in a class assignmeru or group project.
River of Words will mail group entrants' "Watershed Explorer Certificates" in one package 10 one address (school or scout leader's home, for example) for distribution.
If you are entering the contest on your own, (i.e., you did not do your work through participation in a class assignment or group project) then you are entering as an individual. You will receive your "Watershed Explorer Certificate" at your home address.
If you have any questions about your standing (whether group or individual) please contact us at info@riverofwords.org.
How should I prepare my entry?
Written poems should be no longer than 32 lines in length, and should be typed or neatly printed in ink (pencil does not photocopy!). Please staple your"poem to your entry form such that each piece faces out Remember, each poem you submit requires its own entry form!
ASL poems should be recorded on VHS videotape; each poem should be no longer than 3 minutes in length. Please sign your full name and the poem title (if it has one) at the beginning of your poem. In addition to your poem, please include a brief summary of your poem. This summary should be typed or printed neatly in ink, and stapled to your entry form. Remember, each poem you submit requires its own entry form!
Artwork should be no larger than 11" x 17" and should not be framed, matted, laminated or folded. If using charcoal or pastels, please remember to fix" your artwork before sending. Please afix your entry form to the back of your artwork. using either tape or glue. Do not use staples, paperclips, or any glues that could seep through and damage your artwork! Remember, each piece of art that you submit requires its own entry form!
How should I attach my entry form to my work?
For written poetry entries, please staple the entry form to your poem so that each piece faces out (in other words, after they are stapled together, your poem should show on one side and when you flip it over, the front of the entry form should show on the other side).
For videotaped poems (performed in ASL), please include all entry forms of students who appear on the tape in the same package. If other entries (written poetry or artwork) are being sent to River of Words in the same package, please place all the ASL entry forms together in an envelope and label them as ASL entry forms. Also, please remember to staple a short summary of the poem's content to the entry form.

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For artwork, please affix your entry form to the back of your artwork with tape or glue. If using glue, be careful to choose a glue that will not seep through and damage your artwork. Please, do not staple or paperclip entry forms to the back of your artwork!
Remember, for each poem or piece of artwork that you submit, you need to complete a separate ent[)' form - thanks!
Where can I get ent[)' forms?
You may download an entry form from the River of Words website (www.riverofwords.org), or you may request one to be sent to you via mail, email or fax by contacting the River of Words office .
River of Words P.O. Box 4000-J Berkeley, CA 94704 USA
Phone: 510-548-POEM (7636) Fax: 510-548-2095 Email: info@riverofwords.org
ls work returned?
No. However, by pre-arrangement, submissions from an entire state can be returned to one address (except for Grand Prize or Finalist artwork; in the case of winning artwork. high quality color reproductions will be returned instead). In states with a ROW State Coordinator, entries are returned to the coordinator. Many states award state-level ROW prizes as well.
Who sponsors River of Words?
ROW is a non-profit educational organization, incorporated in the State of California. We are supported by grants from foundations and donations from individuals, businesses, and government agencies, like the Environmental Protection Agency. We are affiliated with The Library of Congress Center for the Book, the Library's literacy promotion division, which hosts our Award Ceremony and Luncheon each year, as well as a Teacher Training Workshop .
What prizes are awarded?*
National:

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4 Grand Prizes in Poetry, one in each of four age categories:
Category I: (Kindergarten - Grade 2) Category II: (Grade 3-Grade6) Category Ill: (Grade 7 - Grade 9) Category IV: (Grade IO-Grade 12)
4 Grand Prizes in An, one in each of four age categories (same as above).
In terna tional:
One Grand Prize winner, in art or poetry, any age category.
Regional:
Shasta Bioregion Award Winner (Northern California, one winner only, in art or poetry, any age category).
Anacostia Watershed Award Winner (Washington, D.C. area, one winner only, in art or poetry, any age category).
Finalists: About 50 finalists total, in art and poetry combined- the exact number of finalists seiected each year varies depending on the number and quality of submissions.
Teacher of the Year: I winner. There is no fonnaJ nominating procedure, but if there's a teacher you think we should know about (including yourself!) please Jet us know.
The 8 national grand prize winners, one international winner, and the Teacher of the Year win a trip to Washington, D.C. with a parent or guardian. They are honored atan Award Ceremony and luncheon at the Library of Congress, have a VIP tour of the White House, go on a canoe trip and visit many historical sites.
Regional winners and finalists receive prizes of books and art supplies.
*River of Words reserves the right to not award a Grand Prize winner in any of the above categories if no entry merits such designation.
Are entries acknowledged?
Yes; everyone who enters will receive a personalized Watershed Explorer Certificate, suitable for framing. A list of winners is sent to those who enclose a self-addressed, stamped envelope with 55 postage with their entries.

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What ROW resources arc there?
River of Words produces and distributes curriculum materials, community partnership resources, and children's art and poetry.
River of Words also conducts E'.ducators' Workshops at various locations throughout the year. For upcoming workshops, visit the E'.ducators page on our website.
Who judges the work?
Poetry: Former U.S. Poet Laureate (1995-1997) and ROW co-founder, Robert Hass. Art: Museum of Children's Art (MOCHA) in Oakland, California Spanish Poetry: John Oliver Sirpon ASL Poetry: Susan Gonzalez
[For Teachers] How do I begin ROWing?
Read the River of Words' E'.ducator's Guide. It contains lots of background material on watershed science and how to teach poetry to children. You'll also find a bibiliography and resource guide, as well as classroom and field activities designed to help children explore their communities and their imaginations. Read through the River of Words Contest Rules & Guidelines, which contain specifics about entering, artwork size, poem length, etc. Check our State Coordinators' page to see if your state has a ROW Coordinator. If so, contact them for ideas and information. Contact local water or park districts, museums, conservation and arts organizations to see if they have any resources you can use: naturalists, poets, artists, videos, maps, etc. (One of the most successful and creative uses of River of Words that we've heard about was in Mill Valley, California, where an elementary school teacher took her students to a se~ior citizen's home that was situated alongside a small urban creek. The seniors talked to the children about what the area was like when they were children and together they explored the creek. The children's subsequent poems and artwork so inspired the seniors that they invited the kids and their families to return to the center, where they read them poems they had written in response to the children's poems. This project has turned into an ongoing oral history and creative writing project and has connected the school and the senior center in ways that lasting and profound.) If you are school-based, try to involve other teachers in River of Words. Collaborations between science, language arts, social studies, and art teachers have been very successful in many schools and have not only produced wonderful poems and paintings, but have led to community service projects like creek clean-ups and school gardens. Aside from the obvious benefit of shared ideas and workloads that cooperation allows, a group effort seems to energize students about the project, as well. River of Words is designed as a vehicle for building community partnerships. It is an opportunity to involve parents, service groups, local businesses, the media and other

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community resources in a common goal. While such partnerships are not essential to an effective ROW project, giving students' work and concerns a wider audience can engage them more fully in the process. If possible, get outdoors, even if it's only the schoolyard. Utilize field activities that encourage careful observation, data recording, sketching, listening, etc. Repeated visits to the same site allow students to observe changes. Many teachers incorporate a "service learning" component in their ROW projects, like water quality monitoring, tree planting, gardening, or creek clean-up. We call our curriculum approach "Watershed Explorer" for a reason-join your students in the fun of discovering of more about the place you live.

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River of WordsTM Contest Entry Form
Note: If we can't read your handwriting, you can't win a prize and you won't get your Watershed Explorer Certificate. So, please print carefully and use a pen!
Date: _ __ Please check one: I am entering as an Individual_, OR, as part of a Group/Class*__.
DO I CHECK THE INDIVIDUAL OR GROUP CATEGORY? **''This is important for receiving your certificate."'**
Do not check the Individual entry category unless you are entering the contest all on your own (as a homeschooler, perhaps), not as part of a class, club or other group. If, like most entrants, you are entering through school or some other organization, you should check the Group entry category. If possible, all the entries from your group should be sent in the same envelope. You will each be individually eligible for a prize and will be individually acknowledged on your "Watershed Explorer" certificates, which will all be sent to your teacher or
Name:___________ Email_________ Age:_ Grade:_ Male:_ Female:_
Title of Submission:______________________ Art:_Poem:_ (Check one)
*Note: If you are entering as part of a group you MUST indicate whether you are entering through your school, scout troop, summer camp, park district, library, or other organization below.
School or Organization_____________Last Day of Classes (M/D/04)_ _ _ _ __
School/Org Address_________________ City_________________
State_ Zip/Postal Code____ Country:______ School Phone ____________
Teacher/Facilitator(s) First Nanw_________ Last ___________________
Parent or Guardian's Name_____________ Signature _________________
Home Address _________________ City_________________
State_ Zip/Postal Code_ _ __ Country _______ Home Phone____________
I hereby grant and assign to River of Words (RQvV) the non-exclusive right and permission, in respect of the original writing, artwork or photos that I have submitted to River of Words, to use, re-use, publish, and re-publish, and otherwise reproduce, and display the same, individually or in conjunction with other original artwork, writing, photos, and video, in any and all media now or hereafter known throughout the world, for illustration, promotion, art, ad\'ertising, and trade, or any other purpose whatsoever; and to use my child's name to identify the author of the work in connection with my participation in the River of Words Program. I understand that any use of this submitted work will include my child's name as its creator. 1 hereby release and discharge River of Words from any and all claims and demands arising out of or in connection with the use of the original artwork, writing, photos, and video, including without limitations any and all claims for libel or invasion of privacy. In any of the winning categories, River of Words maintains the exclusive right to declare no winner and withhold prizes if no poem or artwork of merit is found. ROW assumes no responsibility for lost or damaged poetry or artwork. River of Words may sell, assign, license, or otherwise transfer all rights granted to it hereunder. This authorization and release shall also inure to the benefit of the successors, legal representatives, licensees, and assign.s of Ri\'er of Words. I have read the foregoing and fully understand the contents thereof. This release shall be binding upon me and my heirs, legal representatives, and assigns. I further release River of Words from any responsibility for injury incurred during the research or production of the original writing, artwork, photos and video.
I, _______________, being the parent or guardian of the above-named minor, hereby consent
to and join in the foregoing release and consent on behalf of said minor. River of Words, PO Box 4000-J, Berkeley, CA 94704 USA
Tel: 510-548-POEM (7636) Fax: 510-548-2095 Email: info@riverofwords.org Website: www.riverofwords.org -13-

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Pledge of Originality: I declare and avow that the poem(s) or art I am submitting to the River of Words Contest
is my own original work.

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Student's signature_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

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River of Words, PO Box 4000-J, Berkeley, CA 94704 USA

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Tel: 510-548-POEM (7636) Fax: 510-548-2095 Email: info@riverofwords.org Website: www.riverofwords.org -14-

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Contest Rules and Guidelines
U.S. entries must be postmarked by Februa,y 15. International entries must be received by March I . Entries may be sent in at any time throughout the year.
1. The contest is open to youth who are age 5-19, on the February 15 deadline date. Youth older than 19 who are still enrolled in high school are elgible, but college students, even if 19 or younger, are not. Entrants need not submit work through their school; individual submissions are also accepted (Please see Frequently Asked Questions for clarification on these categories).
2. Youth may enter the contest as many times as they like, but a separate entry form must be completed for each submission .
3. All entrants will receive a Watershed Explorer Certificate.
4. All poems must be original work. Written poetry must be either typed (preferred) or legibly written in ink (pencil does not photocopy); ASL poetry must be submitted on VHS videotape. Poems should not exceed 32 lines in length (written) or 3 minutes (signed). The student's name, school, city and state should be included on the poem, and a completed Entry Form should be attached. For ASL poetry, please include a brief written summary of the poem's content, and staple this summary to your entry form. For written poems, please staple the Entry Form to the poem so that each piece faces out. Collaborative poems are accepted, but only one child (chosen as the group representative) will be eligible for any prizes awarded. We are able to accept poems only in English, Spanish and American Sign Language.
5. All artwork must be original work. Artwork should not exceed 11" by 17" in size-no exceptions. Acceptable media are paint, pencil, markers, ink, crayon, chalk or pastel (fixed), photography, cloth, collage and computer art. All entries must contain the student's name, school, city and state on the back- do not use a marker or anything that will show through! A completed entry form must also be affixed to the back of each piece of artwork. Please attach the entry form with tape or other fixative (if using glue, be careful to use one that will not run through and damage the artwork) - also. do not use paperclips! High quality color reproductions of prize-winning artwork will be pro\idcd to their respectiw cre:itors .
6. Art entries must be done on paper that will allow for duplication, display or framing. Please, no notebook or typing paper. and do not m:it. moui1t. laminate. frame or fold art\vork. Entries must be mailed flat or rolled in a tube no folding. ple:isc 1
7. Submissions become property of River of\lv'ords. Through submission of poetry or artwork, contestants and their legal guardians grant non-exclusive reproduction and publication rights to the works submitted which will not be retumc,: .
8. All U.S. entries must be postmarked by February 15, and must be received by February 22. h1temational entries must be received by March 1. We are not responsible for entries that are late or lost in the mail. Entries received after the deadline will be automatically entered in next year's contest.
9. Winners will be announced in April of each year.* Winners must sign an acceptance form. For a list of winners, please include a self-addressed, stamped (58 cent) envelope when sending in your entry.
10. Grand prize: round trip transportation from the winner's nearest major airport to Washington, O.C. for the winner
and one parent or guardian. Prize is not redeemable for cash. Accommodations and some meals will also be provided. Taxes and all other expenses are the responsibility of the winner. Winners must be available for travel sometime in April or May.**

*River of Words reserves the right to not award a Grand Prize winner in any given category ifno entry merits such
designation .
**lnternarional winners may be acknowledged at the Awards Ceremony for the following year's contest, ifinternational
travel logisrics cannot be worked out in a timely manner.

FOR f1JRTHER INFORMATION OR TO REQUEST RIVER OF Wo~s INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS. CONTACT.
Ri,cr of Words. P.O Bo, 4000-J. Berl:eley. CA 94704 USA Phone. 510-548-POEM (7636) Fax: 510-548-~095 Em.'.lil: i:nfo(g,-iverofwords.org URL: ww"-.rivcrofwords org

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River of Words (Rio de Palabras) Forma de Entrada para el Concurso
Nata: cada poema o obra presentada necesita unaforma de entrada comp/eta. Par favor usa una pluma y escriba claramente. Su nino no sera elegible por un premio si no podemos leer que ha escrito!

Fecha: - - - - - - -

Nombre:

E<iad:

Grado:

Sexo:

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Region Watershed: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Escuela: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

Direcci6n de la escuela: - - - - - - - - - - - - - Ciudad: - - - - - - - - -

Estado:

C6digo Postal: _ _ _ _ _ _ # del telefono: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

Maestro(s):

Sujeto(s): _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

Titulo de la obra: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Arte:_ Poema:_ (chequea uno)

Nombre de! padre o guardian:

Firma: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

Direccion de casa: - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Ciudad: - - - - - - - - -
Estado: - - - - Codig-o Postal: - - - - - - - #del telefono: - - - - - - - - - -

Yo doy permiso y derecho as River of Words (Rio de Palabras), con respeto de la obra, el escrito, las fotos o el video que he presentado al River of Words, para usar, publicar, una vez y otra, y reproducir, y demostrar el mismo, individualmente o junto con otras obras en el mundo, para ilustraci6n, promocion, arte, publicidad, y comercio, o por cualquier otra raz6n; y para usar mi nombre para identificar el autor(a) de la obra con relaci6n a la particpaci6n mia en el River of Words. Yo entiendo que el uso de mi obra incluye mi nombre como el creador. Yo desempefio y descargo River of Words de todas las demandas con relaci6n al uso de la obra, el escrito, las fotos, y el video original incluyendo, sin limitaciones, todas las demandas para libelo o invasion de intimidad.

He leido y entiendo esta forma. Esta forma de entrada sera obligada a mi, mis heredos, y

representatives legales. Yo desempefio y descargo River of Words de cualquier responsabilidad

para lesiones incurrido en la investigaci6n o producci6n de la obra, el escrito, las fotos, o el video

orignial.



Yo _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ soy el padre o guradian del niiio y consiento en esta forma de entrada de parte de este nifio.

River of Words, PO Box 4000-J, Berkeley, CA 94704 USA Tel: 510-S48-POEM (7636) Fax: 510-548-2095
Email: info@riverofwords.org Website: www.riverofwords.org

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RIVER OF WORDS
Environmental Poetry & Art Contest
Pledge of Originality
The following pledge of originality must be signed by each entrant to the River of Words Contest and witnessed by an adult .

I declare and avow that the poem(s) or art I am submitting to the River of Words Contest is my own
original work.

-E-n-tr-a-n-t's--S-ig-n-a-tu-r-e-------------------------W-i-tn-e-s-s'-s-S-i-g-n-a-tu-r-e------------------------

Date
A Project of International Rivers Network & The Library of Congress Center for the Book
P.O. Box 4000-J, Berkeley, CA 94704 USA Tel: (510) 433-7020 - Fax: (510) 848-1008 Email: row@irn.org Website: http://www.irn.org
ROW 1016 6/5/97

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2004 River of Words Calendar

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ROW Revised and Expanded Educator's Guide

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We are proud to announce the publication of...
This revised and expanded edition, now nearly 250 pages in length, includes many new activities and areas of exploration, including: kites, birds, mapping, classroom gardening, naturalists, and much more, plus Jots of additional support for teaching poetry. We've also added more activities that serve the needs of urban children who often don't have access to
outdoor resources, like creeks, gardens, or backyards.
To order the revised River of Words Educator's Guide, please fill out the form below and return with a check, money order, or purchase order to:
River of Words P.O. Box 4000-J Berkeley, CA 94704 USA Fax: 510-548-2095

RIVER OF WORDS
Watershed &pt~Omic:ulum
A.105 isl' >Awr-:ta., . . . . Nacaz..SAIIJaellta...:.:.m.
K-12 Educator's Guide
ToSappcnd,cAlmoal......,,AAJtC-

No. of Copies

River of words Educator's Guide: \Vatersbed Explorer Curriculum
$25. plus $7.20 shipping/handling
2002 River of \\lords Poetry Book
$ l 0, plus $4.50 shipping/handling
California residents, please add 8.25% tax
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NOTE: To view or order additional River of Words publications and materials, please visit our website:
wvrw .riverofwords.org

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2003-2004 RIVER OF WORDS EXHIBIT TOUR SCHEDULE

July 7-20, 2003

Athens Regional Library System Kathryn Ames, Director 706-613-3650, ext. 333 kames(@gcpl.net

Athens

July 21-Aug 3, 2003

Newton County Library Greg Heid, Director 770-787-3231 gheid@mail.newton.public.lib.ga.us

Covington

Aug 4-17.2003

Conyers-Rockdale Library System

Conyers

Deborah Manget, Director

770-388-504 l

mangetd@.mail.rockdale.public.lib.ga.us

Aug 18-3 l. 2003

Clayton County Library System Carol Stewart, Director Library Services 770-473-3850 stewartc@.mail.clavton.12ublic.lib.ga.us

Jonesboro

Sept 1-14, 2003

Thomas Public Library Peach Public Libraries Gilda Stanbery-Cotney, Director 4 78-825-1640 stanbern@mail.12each.public.lib.ga.us

Fort Valley

Sept 15-28, 2003

Byron Public Library Peach Public Libraries Gilda Stanbery-Cotney, Director 4 78-956-2200 stanbenz@.mail.12each.12ublic.lib.ga.us

Byron

Sept 29-Oct 19

Houston County Public Library Judy Golden, Director 478-987-3050 2.oldenj(@mail.houston.Qublic.lib.ga.us

Perry

Oct 20-Nov 2, 2003

Twin Lakes Library System Lillie Crowe, Director 478-452-0677 crowel(@.mail.baldwin.Qublic.lib.ga.us

Milledgeville

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0

0

0

0

0

0

Nov 3-16.2003

Jefferson County Library System Charlotte Rogers, Director

Louisville

0

912-625-3751

0

rogersc@,mail.jefferson.public.lib.ga.us

0

0

No\' 17-30, 2003

Screven-Jenkins Regional Library

Sylvania

Kathryn Youles, Asst. Director of Operations

0

912-564-7526

0

youlesk@gcpl.net

0

Dec 1-14, 2003

Live Oak Public Library

Savannah

0

Bill Johnson, Director

0

912-652-3600

0

bjohnson@celrl.org

0

Dec 15-28. 2003

Statesboro Regional Library

Statesboro

0

Peter Sullivan, Director

0

912-764-1328

0

petersr@srls.public.lib.ua.us

0

Dec 29. 2003-

Ohoopee Regional Library System

Vidalia

0

Jan 11. 200-+

Dusty Gres, Director

0

912-537-928., uresd,a,mai 1.toombs.public.lib. 2.a. us

0

0

Jan 12-25. 200-+

Brooks County Public Library

Quitman

0

Laura Harrison, Director 229-263-4412

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harrisolwmiail.brooks.public.lib.ga.us

0

0

Jan 26-Feb 8. 2004 Moultrie-Colquitt County Library

Moultrie

0

Melody Jenkins, Director 229-985-6540

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jenkinsm@,mail.colquitt.public.lib.ga.us

0

0

Feb 9-22, 2004

Coastal Plain Regional Library Gary Frizzell, Director

Tifton

0

229-386-3400

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2.arv!@gcpl.net

0

Feb 23-

DeSoto Trail Regional Library

Camilla, Sylvester,

0

March 7, 2004

Lisa Rigsby, Director

Blakely

0

229-336-8372

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riusbvl(@,mail.mitchell.public.lib.ga.us

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0

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March 8-21, 2004

Southwest Georgia Regional Library Susan Whittle, Director 229-248-2665 s whittle@mail.decatur.public.lib.ga.us

March 22April 4, 2004

Kinchafoonee Regional Library System Frances Messer, Director 229-995-6331 messerf(a)mail. terrell.public.lib.ga. us

April 5-18, 2004

Chattahoochee Valley Regional Library Claudya Muller, Director 706-641-4078 mullem'a),mail.muscoQee.public.lib.ga.us

April 19rvlay 1. 200--l

Decatur Library (for repairs) Alison Weissinger, Director Bill Starr, Georgia Center for the Book 404-3 70-8450, ext. 2225 stamv0':dekalblibrarv.orf2

\fay 3-16.2004

Chattooga County Library System Barbara Hutsell, Director
706-857-1806
hutsellb mail .chattooQa.public.lib.Qa.us

West Georgia Regional Library Jim Cooper, Director 770-836-6711 cooperj@.mail.carroll.public.lib.ga.us

Bainbridge Dawson Columbus
Decatur Summerville Carrollton

Questions 7 Commems? Need help? Did the exhibit arrive at your library in damaged condition? Want addi1ional primed materials? Please let us know. Call Bill Starr, Director ofthe Georgia Center for the Book a1 the DeKalb County Public Library, 404-370-8450, ext. 2225. Thanks for your cooperation in beha(fof1his wonderful program.

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Field Trips to Support River of Words
"Ftog Funny" )4mes Le4ty - St4te Winnet Fetnb4nk Element4ty School - Atl4nt4, GA
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Fl ELD TRI PS TO NATVRE CENTERS
SUPPORT RIVER OF WORDS
Across Georgia, nature centers offer programs that support River of Words. On a field trip, your students might discover
their local watershed and create poems or art they can submit to the contest. The content, timeframe and cost of
these programs varies by center.
Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center, Mansfield
Brooke Ager Discovery Area Watershed Field Trip For 4th - 6th grade students Students will learn about watersheds, explore CEWC's streams and lakes and have the opportunity to create poetry and artWork. Poetry and artwork can be done during the field trip or back at school (in which case a teacher's guide will be provided). Cost: $3.00/student, Deposit required. Contact: 770-784-3059
Chattahoochee Nature Center, Roswell
The Creek and the Cherokee For 3'" - 12'" grade students The land of the Chattahoochee Nature Center was once inhabited by native peoples, including the Creek and the Cherokee. In this program, students discover how these people used the river, the land, the wildlife, and other natural resources for hunting, farming. gathering. medicine, shelter, clothing, transportation, music, and games. Objective: Students will summarize how the Creek and the Cherokee people in Georgia used natural resoun:es in their daily lives. This program is an excellent opportunity to set the stage for a language artslf,ne arts activity. Classroom teachers are invited to supply a culminating activity for River of Words to conclude the presentation of The Creek and Cherokee program. Cost: $6.00/student, 25 students/naturalist, 2 adults free/25 students. Reservation and deposit required. Contact: 770-992-2055, ext. 237 to make reservations. Specify River of Words option for The Creek and the Cherokee program.
Dunwoody Nature Center, Dunwoody
River of Words For K - 8th grade students Students will learn about watersheds, identify their ecological address, explore DNC's stream, and learn about macroinvertebrates while inspiring their creativity to make art or poetry to submit to the contest. Cost: $6.00/student-$60 minimum for poetry, $7.00/student-$70 minimum for art. Contact: 770-394-3322
Elachee Nature Science Center, Gainesville
Nature Journaling Activities For 5th - 8th grade students Hike in a watershed while learning the important role that water plays in our lives. Then record your impressions in poetry or prose on the banks of a rushing stream. Cost: $8.00/student. Contact: 770-535-1976

Newman Wetlands Center, Hampton
River of Words & Nature Journaling For 6th - 12th grade students Students will learn about wetlands and the watershed, and will explore the role of human beings as stewards of these ecological systems. They will spend time in the creeks and wetlands of the Clayton County Water Authority property and participate in observation exercises of the wildlife and plant communities in these environs. They will have the opportunity to create poetry and artwork, either on-site or back at school. Cost: $5.00 per student with a minimum of $50.00. Maximum number of students per class: 20. Contact: 770-603-5606

Oatland Island Education Center, Savannah
River of Words For I" - 8:.h grade students Students will learn about watersheds and wetlands and be able to describe the characteristics of wetlands, observe Georgia's dynamic coastal wetlands through direct experiences in our salt marshes and tidal creeks, unleash their imaginations in a '.V~tlands poetry writing session. The In and 2nd grade field trip is 2 hours in length and the 3rd - 8"' g; dOe field trip is 2.5 hours in length. C::ost: $4/student for Chatham County students and $5/student for Non-Chatham County students with a minimum of I5 students or $60. Contact: 912-898-3980

Oxbow Meadows Environmental Learning Center, Columbus

River of Words

For

2nd -

6t1>

grade

students

Students will learn about watersheds, visit and explore a pond and marsh environment, and learn about the animal

and plant life unique co Oxbow and the nearby Chattahoochee River. This program also includes a culminating activity

where stu<:lents will create artwork or poetry for submission to the National "RIVER OF WORDS" Contest. ROYV

submission deadline is 2/ I5 annually. (A two hour program)

Contact: 706-687-4090

Rock Eagle 4-H Center, Eatonton
Environmental Education Program For 3rd - 8th grade students Learn about the Georgia Piedmont through residential or day field studies at Rock Eagle. Classes include Lake & stream Ecology, Tearn Initiatives, Orienteering, Canoeing, living History & more! Conclude your visit with students creating their own poetry or nature based art projects. Cost: Please call for pricing information. Contact: Reservations office at 706-484-2857 or for Program Information 706-484-2834 or email reagle@uga.edu

Sandy Creek Nature Center, Athens

River of Words

For

2nd -

8"'

grade

students

Enjoy a trip to our local wetlands, sample the edge of our pond. learn about our wetland plants and animals, and

discover the importance of the surrounding watershed. Wrap up the program by creating your own watershed art

or poetry inspired by your visit. Field study program is 2 hours.

Cost: $2.50/Athens-Clarke County students and $3.50 for non-ACC students.

Adult chaperones welcome and are free. Minimum $40 fee.

Contact: 706-613-3615, ext. 231

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National River of Wot~s Teachers' Gui~e

"Mqgicql River" Victoriq fqith Bqker - Stqte Winner Lewis Elernentqty School - Kennesqw, GA

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National Environmental Poetry & Poster Contest for Students

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TEACHER'S GUIDE

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H BEAUTIFUtFOR SPACIOUS SKIES; the song goes, -for amber waves of grain, for



purple mountains' majesty across the fruited plain~ In the future they are going to



say of us that, at the end of the twentieth century, we inherited a vast and beautiful



and living land, still full of wild mountains and rivers, the remains of great fore~ts. windy desert

e

mesas, bayous and glades and lakes, and a teeming creaturely life, all this endangered and some

e

of it rendered immensely productive by our energy and cleverness and ingenious technologies,



and they are going to ask what we did with il

e

They might come to say that we respected il That we were a country from the begin-



ning that took its character from our relationship to the immensity and beauty and promise of



the land and that, though we exploited it brilliantly, sometimes mercilessly, and often unwisely,



we also loved it and that in end we preserved it and cared for il That we understood that we



were in a relationship of community to the land itself, its watersheds and grasses and trees and



elegant quick-eyed life, and that we passed it on, still thriving, to our children.



Or they will say of us that we were clever, energetic, and greedy. That we kept saying how much we loved the land and that we were going to respect it, but we also kept saying that it made good sense to exploit it just a little more before we stop. And we kept cutting down our forests and polluting our rivers and fouling our air just a little more, just a little at a time, until there was not much left.
How is this stor)' going to turn out? The answer to that question lies with our childrenthe first generation of the twenty-first century. It lies in their own imagination of the land, in their understanding of it and knowledge of it and their feeling for the wild life around them. The idea of River of Words is to ask them to educate themselves about the place where they live and to unleash their imaginations. We need both things-a living knowledge of the land and a live imagination of it and our place in it-if we are going to preserve il Good science and a vital art and, in the long run, wisdom. All this must begin in the classroom, in family conversation, and in family outings. There is no reason we cannot give our kids hope, and a sense of pride, and a love of our amazing earth, and a sense of purpose, and we need to begin now. River of Words is the seed of a place to start Please join us in this effort.
To you students, I would say this: learning your watershed should_be an adventure and so should expressing it in poems.and arl I _hope_you11 bring all of your natural energy and imagination to il It doesn't matter whether you live in the city or the country; water runs through it that supports your life. Your imaginations run through the place where you live like the water does. So I wish you watery minds and earthy minds and airy minds-and fiery minds, and all of us involved with River of Words hope you have fun with this project

Robert Hass

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United States Poet Laureate

THE ORION SOCIEIYS Stories in the Land Program
. ------ ~-- ~~~...__. _ :~ - ~.
For each home ground we need new maps, living maps,
stories and poems, photographs and paintings, essays and songs.
We need to knov.r where we are so that we may
dwell in our place with a full heart.
-Scott RussellSanders

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THE ORION SOCIETY

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fY \X'ATERSHED-BASED APPROACH to environmental education wi!I be significantly

0

influenced by the particular bioregion in which a school is located. Thus, there is less

0

of a need for curricular guides" or other prescriptive material than there is for certain

0

broad principles, and for examples of curricula that have worked for a variety of teachers.

0

The Orion Society's Stories in the Land Program, directed by renowned environmental educa-

0

tor John Elder, Ph.D., has developed one set of principles that has proven helpful to many teachers.

0

These arc:

0

0

1. Attentiveness to the local environment, rather than a study of global problems or political

0

controversies, is the most productive way to start.

0

2. This should be an inclusive approach to the landscape and community, registering the

0

natural history and the human history alike.

0

3. An interdisciplinary curriculum, in \-vhich the arts and literature are integral as well as the

0

0

natural sciences, both engages and instructs students.

0

4. Time spent exploring and studying out of doors complements work in the classroom.

0

0

Teachers in cities and suburbs can pursue this model of environmental education just as

0

successfully as those in the country. Ralph Allen, an Orion Society Fellow teaching in a Philadelphia

0

high school, had this to say after his recent sense of Place" course: 1've had students tell me at the

0

outset of this uni~ 1 don't have a watershed'. And I've had the same students come back glowing with

0

stories of wonderful little streams they've discovered or of rediscovering favorite streams from their

0

childhoods, or of finding a whole pattern of streams buried beneath city streets and railroads~ Young

0

people discover their place in a wider community, including a geological history, characteristic

0

weather patterns, flora and fauna, indigenous cultural traditions, and_ the m_ore recent history of

0

migrations and commerce. From such a broadened perspective, a sense of environmental and ethical

0

responsibility naturally arises.

.

.

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The following brief reports convey the range of Orion Society Fellows' receiilccurricula. '.f ; .

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We hope tha~ though yo~r teaching situation and region may differ dramaticaU{lrJ~-~~~eirs, the~e:::

0

"ih teachers' stories may still be useful and inspiring as you formulate the best ap1>roach y6ur own0.: _

0

watershed. Good luck'

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0

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~NWESSEL

"'\V [e live in the Anchor River WatershedW home, at its source, of the King Salmon
whose fishery brings thousands of people to her banks on the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska every
summer. Brown and black be.ar, moose, bald eagles,
halibu~ stellar sea lions. minke and orca whales, and the sea otter are among the many heralded citizens of this ecosystem, rich in Sitka spruce, red

We break the silent meditation with our pencils~o sketch, to write, to create a record of our impressions in the immediacy of the moment Perhaps there is an eagle's nest above or bear scat before us. Once we sat next to a depression in the last fall's leaves marked by tufts of black bear fur.
From our sketches and journals emerge the work of a~ to be crafted. to be shared, to finally be

Homer Junior

alder, and birch.

published or displayed. Writers enter a workshop

e High School

For eleven years. Homer Junior High has wel- mode for peer comment a~d editing. Models of

comed the spring with an exodus of students from effective poetry and prose of the natural world help

Homer, Alaska

its doors to the natural world of Kachemak Bay. As part of a natural science, writing. and art aoss-a..trricular team, I have led groups of students into the words and waters and let them be a part of this world Through sketching, we explore the stratigraphy of centuries, opening a window on the geology of the region. Oimbing up the moraine of Grewingk Glacier, we experience the plant succession of glacial terrain, drawing. photographing. and writing along the way. We sit silent for twenty minutes under the canopy of old cottonwoods. listening. smelling. watching

---- - Jo KAY ANNE \X1.

us to sh.ape the art and sometimes to in.spire it More often it is born in silence, however, a silence where the senses reign. affording communion with other sentient beings of our home
The headwaters of the Anchor River flow into the C.OOk Inlet and Kachemak Bay of the Pacific Ocean, the great water that finally mixes with all others, celebrating life and grieving pollution. Our students know these waters, ~use they feel them at their source. They feel them in a qwet breathing. a reverence, from which grows the art of poetryand painting.

& ,-; :--;c..'Fifth Grade Teacher, Tetonia Elementary School, Tetonia, Idaho

V Tit11 a: little help from community volunteers, elementary

2. Animal life: At this station, students learn about the

W students can experience hands-on science in your

animals that inhabit the river area. They look for signs of these

mmunity. Students can learn about Joe.al watersheds, water

animals and if they are lucky, observe the wildlife They learn

ality. and ecosystems in a day-long activity that will leave them how to identify the wildlife that is common in this area. They also

anting more.

learn about food chains and animal survival

A Day On the River begins with an orientation to water-
al3eds. .On the day before the activity, have students "build" moun-

~ns and valleys of rumpled paper. Using spray bottles, have

.udents rain" on their creations and the water will settle irito

.atersheds" that students can see. A good review of the water

~de ~11 _also help students understand what they will be

~xpenenans

Students anive ready for A Day On the River with the

.!lowing materials: warm clothes, good hiking shoes, a sack

.i,tnch. plastic containers, magnifying glasses. sample bottles,

~rainers, and small plastic zip-lock bags. -

-

Upon arrival al your chosen site, students will rotate through

. e following activity stations during the clay:



1. Water life: At this station, students screen the water from

the river to discover insects and other living organisms that

~ b i t the river. They test the river for temperature, pH balance,

rm .hosphates, and bacteria (with the help of local biologists). Each also creates a water ecosystem from the river in a plastic

3. River history: At this station, local experts tell the students stories of the river and its development They also tell the students how the area has changed overthe years.
4. Nature hike: Students take an hour-long hike along the river. identifying trees, plants. and undergrowth. They look for wildlife and collect specimen.s.
5. Nature art During the hike, students stop and learn about
nature sketching from a_loc.al artist. Students spend time selecting a plant from the river area to sketch and identify. They al.so use . the material,s fo~d near the river to ae.ate nature sculpture. working in groups of three or four. When they are finished with their creations, they sh.are what they have created with other members of the class.
Upon arrival back at schooL students use the materials they have collected in their specimen bottles to create ecosystems in the classroom that can be observed for several weeks. They al.so take their nature sketches and create finished products for display.

ffontain~r that will be sent back to the classroom for observation.

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0

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CRAIG .ALTOBELL

Before going out for a full-day 6dd trip, students had plenty of practice making observations along the river behind the

Sixth Grade Teacher

school I encouraged students to list sensory

images (phrases which captured what they

Cogswell Memon"al Middle School saw, fel~ heard, smelled, tasted). When the

Hcnnike,; Neu1 Hampshire

time came for all-day field trips to new des-

tinations, students carried with them confi-

dence in recording their observations in a

field journal We focused our observations

0

Q the most time on was haiku because of its

direct emphasis on the

observation of

Q

nature and its s1mphaty. Also, because of its

0 shortness, haiku poetry lends itself well to

teaching the process of revision, a skill I

Q

Q wanted to focus on. We read a lot of haiku

by contemporary poets and noticed that
0 most of these poets place far more emphasis Q on capturing the essence of the moment Q than on creating poems which adhere to

on different characteristics of the watershed each time. One subject that was particularly
exciting to the kids was our study of river
creatures. After collecting macro-inverte-
brates, we brought them back to the classroom for observation, and using books and
field guides, we learned more about their
natural history, then wrote poetry based on
our nev-..found knowledge.
After this and other such field trips, we
spent time reading the poetry of some outstanding poets whose work is accessible to this age group. Students selected poems that had meaning to them and wrote about them in journal entries. After being immersed in reading and hearing poems, the group generated a long list of the quali-
ties of poetry. We then used this list as the
basis for our own poetry writing.
During our poetry writing, I exposed
students to various poetry styles such as
free verse, rhyme, poems written from the
animal's point of view, poems for two voic-
es, and haiku poetry. By far, the style I spent

the typical 51715 syllable sequence typically

0 associated with haiku This is a significant

Q point because I feel that most teachers do

the opposite. They stress the syllables,

Q

Q which tend to result in haiku that are Ii.mp

and lifdess and miss the magic of the

moment

0

0 After revising and editing our poems,

we moved on to the artwork We use a

collage style for illustrating the poems I

0

0 show students picture books that make use

0 of this technique such as books illustrated

by Eric Carle. Students have fun generating

a large collection of painted papers using

0

methods that we have learned about or

0

invented. Some of these methods include

0

blow painting, screen painting, spatter

painting, marbleizing, crayon resis~ plex.i-

0

0 glass, watercolor wash. finger painting, etc

As students paint I ask them to make use

0

of colors that will compliment their poems.

later students will cut up these painted

0

papers to create images for illustrating

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their poems.

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ANN STRAUB

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Third Grade Teacher, Bristol Elementary School

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Bristol, Vennont

0

T ast Spring, my third_grade class an~ I volunteered to . . "Yrlting a .~m about the part of the environment that
Lplant willows, pines ,and spruce m an eroded area spoke to them during the watershed experience. Storm

0 0

of Lewis Creek our local watershed. As the children

clouds rumbled across the Green Mountains drenching

0

explored the creek and the surrounding fields and wood- us as each child's poetic voice was heard Under drier

0

lands, two pa.rent volunteers and I furiously wrote down conditions in our classroom, we made textured rain-
their uninhibited, creative language. We read back to the scapes using birch bark, textured wallpaper. burlap, col-

0

children the playful. desaiptive dialogue that ocrurred as ored tissue paper, paper bags, etc., streaked with white

0

they interacted with the environment They were asked

pine needles dipped in black tempura paint to create an

0

to consider "human verbs" (i.e., gossip, argue, knit) when environment resembling our lewis Creek experience..

-40-

0

e"--
-
BONNIE DANKERT
Santa Cruz High School

l:'or many years, my deep interest has
J_ - rested in seeking a way to design a
course of study engaging students in regional
habit.al educating them on the denigration of the watershed Plwnbing the depths of our
ignorance, there lies a need to look into the

complexities of aviary anatomy. causing us to further appreciate the unique beauty of a single feather. With pastels, watercolors, and sharpened pencils, in one afternoon of drawing exercises we discovered a delicate intimacy for these vanishing creatures.

Santa Cruz, California

water's shallows and call witness to the shad-

Student rese.archand field studies

ows of death My choice was to focus on the avian community, specifically four California
birds, the light-footed clapper rail the elf owl the brown pelican, and the peregrine falcon
The destruction of coastal watersheds is result-
ing in the alarming disappearance of many California species. Federal state, and local water-management practices, land acquisition,
private ownership, and the lack of suit.able
reveget.ated habit.at directly affects every bird. 1hi.s brings us to examine our nation's Endangered Species Act with careful analysis
particularly on current proposals offered for
consideration. "\Y./atersheds," an interdisciplinary blue prinl successfully provides a variety of
avenues for students to access an elaborate
network of communities, and make a person-
al connection \Ve educate one another
through collaboration and a collective spiril \X'ildlife artist Rochelle Mason's "Animals and
Feathers workshop introduced to students the

revealed the watershed's rich diversity, transposing multiple visions of each fragile community. To gather assorted perspectives, students interviewed local growers, visited organic farmers, and followed a running debate among activists, government officials, and business people concerned with the economy. We continually looped back to the vital necessity of The Endangered Species Act to underscore the importance of habit.at preservation Active involvement in such endeavors plants seeds for future stewardship
The rami...ications of watershed destruction branches into every river, slough, and ocean, influencing the quality of our water, the viability of our soil the integrity of our intentions. The search for this land's legacy of rain-bearing rivers, high-rising mountains, and gently sloping beaches converges at the water's edge, where streams and tributaries are marked with the passing beauty of native, pink salmon

THE ORION SOCIETY The Orion Society is an environmental education organization that fosters nature literacy in people of all ages.
The Orion Society's programs include publications and other teaching tools that seek to deepen our relationship with nature;

teacher-training institutes, teaching fellowships, and model ciassrooms; writer tours that seek to cultivate holistically aware

and environmentally caring citizens; and community-building projects that are working to reshape our economic and

social institutions.to make them more ecologically sustainable.

To receive more information on The Orion Society's programs and teaching resources, write to:

The Orion Society, 136 East 64th Street. New York, NY 10021.

-41-

About Watersheds
Long Person, you passed a stone's throw away from his door, Your ripples are Cherokee prayers, You carry the hopes of this nation within your banks, You and he-are alike, you are contained histories, You are a generation of yet unbroken channels.
-Gladys Cardiff
From "Long Person"

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-42-

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0

cerpt from
:coming
:into the
:Watershed"
Gary Snyder

A WATERSHED is a marvelous thing to consider: this process of rain falling, streams flowing and oceans evaporating causes every molecule of water on earth to make the complete trip once every two million years. The surface is carved into watersheds-a kind of familial branching, a chart of relationship, and a definition of place. The watershed is the first and last nation whose boundaries, though subtly shifting. are unarguable. Races of birds, subspecies of trees, and types of hats or rain gear often go by the watershed. For the watershed, cities and dams are ephemeral and of ho more account than a boulder that falls in the river of a landslide that temporarily alters the channel. The water will always be there, and it will always find its way down. As constrained and polluted as the Los Angeles River is at the moment, it can also be said that in the larger picture that river is alive and well under the city streets, running in giant culverts. It may be amused by such diversions. But we who live in terms of centuries rather than of years must hold the watershed and its communities together, so our children might enjoy the clear water and fresh life of this landscape we have chosen. From the tiniest rivulet at the crest of a ridge to the main trunk of a river approaching the lowlands, the river is all one place and all one land
The water cycle includes our springs and wells, our Sierra. snowpack, our irrigatioo canals, our car wash, and the spring salmon run. It's the spring peeper in the pond and the a~orn woodpecker chattering in a snag. The watershed is beyond the dichotomies of orderly/disorderly, for its forms are free, but somehow inevitable. The life that comes to flourish within it constitutes the first kind of community.
-43-

-------------------------.------
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Watersheds

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0

of the United States

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1. Nonh Pa~ific Coast 2. Klamath/Central Pacific Coast 3. Central Valley of California/ San Francisco Bay

17. Upper Colorado River 18. Plane/Kansas Rivers 19. Upper Missouri/Yellowstone R,vers 20. Main Stem Missouri R,ver 21. lower Missoun River

0

22. Mississippi Headwaters/Tallgrass Prairie

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23. Upper Mississippi River/Tallgrass Prairie 24. Great Lakes

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25. Ozark Watersheds 26. Ohio River Valley

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4. South Pacific Coast 5. Columbia River Basin 6. Great Basin 7. Lower Colorado River 8. Gila/SalWerde Rivers 9. San Juan 10. Middle and Upper
Rio Grande 11. Lower Rio Grande 12. Pecos River

~
43. Arctic Alaska 44. Nonhwest Alaska 45.-~nterior Alaska 46. Southeast Alaska 47. South Central Alaska 48. Bristol Bay/Kodiak 49. Yukon-l<uskokwim Delta 50. Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands 51. Beauton/ChiJkchi Seas 52. Nonh Pacific/Gulf of Alaska

13. Edwards Plateau 14. East Texas 15. Texas Gull Coast 16. Arkansas/Red Rivers
-
HAWAII SJ ~
V 42. Pacific Islands

0 Q Roanoke/Tar/Neuse
Cape Fear Rivers

Q 36. Delaware River/ Delmarva Coastal A

37. Hudson River/ New York Bight

0

Q 38. Connecticut River/ Long Island Sound

Q 39. Gulf of Maine Rivers
40. Lake Champlain

Q 41. Chesapeake Bay/ Susquehanna River

27. lower Mississippi River

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28. Tennessee River 29. Central Gulf Watersheds

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30. Florida Panhandle Watersheds 31. Altamaha/Suwanee Rivers

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32. Peninsular Florida 33. Savannah/Santee/Pee Dee Rivers

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PUERTO RICO

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VIRGIN ISLANDS
35. Caribbean

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0

0 C Rqmn1tdfrom lht final rtpor1 oftht Nalional Forum on Nonpoint Sourer Pollution,
conmitd by tht Conrm.<alion Fund and 1h, National G,ographic Socirty
C Mop sourer, U.S fol, L 'lfli/dlifr Stn,j<,; rtpor1 is D"'1ilablr from th, Tcrrmt Jn,titutc. Washington. DC -44-



erom The Stream Scene, published by Oregon's Fish and Wildlife Department

Watersheds 'The study ofrivers is not a matter ofrivers, but ofthe human heart."
-Tanaka Shozo

LL LAND on earth is a watershed Humans and their activities play an important and essential role in watersheds, yet few people understand

they form a second-order stream. \Xlhen two second-order channels join, a third-order stream is formed, and so on. First- and second-order channels are often small steep, or

em Stilt fewer know the dymamics and boundaries of

intermittenl Orders six or greater are larger rivers.

e ones in which they live.

Channels change by erosion and deposition. Natural

A watershed is a system. It is the land area from

channels of rivers increase in size downstream as tribu-

.hich water, sedimenl and dissolved materials drain to a taries enter and add to the flow. A channel is neither

.ommon watercourse or body of water. For each water-
.ihed there is a drainage system that conveys rainfalt to its
~utlel A watershed may be the drainage area surround-

straight nor uniform, yet its average size changes in a regular and progressive fashion. In upstream reaches, the chan nel tends to be steeper. (iradient decreases downstream as

&g a lake that has no surface outlel or a river basin as

width and depth increase. The size of sediments tends to

.rge as that of the Columbia River. Within a large water-
eJ1ed are many smaller watersheds that contribute to over-
fjlt stream.flow.
The point where tv.o watersheds connect is catted divide. A watershed is drained by a network of

decrease, often from boulders in the hilly or mountainous upstream portions, to cobbles or pebbles in middle reaches. More sand or silt are found downstream In some cases, large floods cause new channels to form, leaving onceproductive streams dry and barren.

ehannels that increase in size as
. e amount of water and sedi-
tj1ent they must cany increases. Streams are dynamic, open-
&ater systems with channels
e-iat collect and convey surf.ace
e.moff generated by rainfall,
anowmel~ or groundwater discharge
""fo the estuaries and oceans. The shape
.nd pattern of a stream is a result of
e,e land it is cutting and the sediment

STREAMFLOW TYPES
Besides the ordering system previously described, streams may be classified by the period of time during which flow occurs.
Perennial flow indicates a nearly year-round flow (90 percent or more) in a well-defined channel. Most higher order streams are

must carry.

perennial

~TREAM ORDERS

.

. n most cases. a watershed system is

.!most entirely hillsides. Only about one

ercent of a watershed is stream channels.

ahe smallest channels in a watershed
~ave no tributaries and are called first~rder streams. \Xfhen two first-order
.treams join.

\
t

Intermittent flow generally occurs only during the wet season (50 percent of the time or less).
Ephemeral flow generatly occurs during and shortly after extreme precipitation or snowmelt conditions. Ephemeral
-45-

channels are_ not well defined and are usually headwater or low order (1-2) streams.
The physical, chemical, and biological makeup of a stream relates to surrounding physical features of the watershed and geologic origin. Analysis of these features aids understandrng of stream-watershed relationships and predicts effects of human influences on different stream types.

FACTORS AFFECTING WATERSHEDS Gimafc

Land and water are linked directly by the water cycle.

Solar energy drives this and other cycles in the watershed.

Climate-the type of weather a region has over a long peri-

od of time-is the source 9f water. Water comes to the

watershed in seasonal cycles, principally as rain or snow.

In some areas, condensation and fog-drip contribute water.

The seasonal pattern of precipitation and temperature vari-

ation control streamflow and water production.

Some precipitation infiltrates the soil and percolates

through permeable rock into groundwater storage and

recharges areas called aquifers. Natural ground water dis-

charge is the main contributor to streamflow during dry

summer and fall months Without groundwater discharge,

many streams would

dry up Pumping v-;ater

If I -~ent inside'.,{Jeaf.

from an aquifer for

industrial, irrigation, or

domestic use reduces

the aquifer's volume.

Unless withdrawals

are modified or

recharge increased, the

aquifer will eventually

be depleted. A drained

aquifer can collapse

from the settling of the

overlying lands.

Collapsed under-

ground aquifers no longer hav.e as much capacity fo - .

accept and hold water: Recharge is difficult, volume is less,

and yields are considerably reduced. Springs once fed from

the water table also dry up.

.

Climate affects water loss from a watershed as well as

providing water. In hot, dry, or windy weather, evapora-

tion loss from bare soil and from water surfaces is high.

The same climali_c influences that increase evaporation

also increase transpiration from plants. Transpiration draws

0

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on soil moisture from a greater depth than evaporation

0

0 because plant roots may reach into available moisture sup-

0 ply. Transpiration is greatest during the growing season
and least during cold weather when most plants are rela-

tively dormanl

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0 Wind may cause erosion, control the accumulation of

0 snow in sheltered places, and may be a significant factor

0 in snowpack melting. Wind erosion can occur wherever
wind is strong and constant, or where soil is unprotected

by sufficient plant cover.

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0

Physical Features

0

The area of a watershed affects the amount of water

0

0 produced. Generally. a large watershed receives more pre-
cipitation than a small one, although greater precipitation

0 and runoff may occur on a smaller watershed in a moist

climate than on a large watershed in an arid climate.

0

Shape and slope of a watershed and its drainage pat- 0

0 tern influence surface runoff and seepage in streams drain-
.ing the watershed. The steeper the slope, the greater the

possibility for

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rapid runoff

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and erosion.

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Pian t cover is more difficult to

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establish and infiltration 0

of surface water is

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reduced on steep slopes.

0

0 Orientation of a watershed
relative to the direction of

storm movement also affects 0

runoff and peak flows. A rain- 0

storm moving up a watershed

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0 from the mouth releases water in
such a way that runoff from the

lower section has passed its peak

0

before runoff from the higher sec-

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0 tions has arrived. A storm starting at

the t9p and moving down a watershed can reverse the process.

0

0 _ Orientation of a watershed relative

to sun position affects temperature, evaporation, and

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transpiration. Soil moisture is more rapidly lost by evapo-

0

ration and transpiration on steep slopes facing the sun. Watersheds sloping away from the sun are cooler, and

0

evaporation and transpiration are less. Slopes expased to

0

the sun usually support different plants than those facing

0

away from the sun. Orientation with regard to the prevail-

0

ing winds has similar effects.

.,ifs and Geology
.i is a thin layer of the earth's crust It is composed of
.ineral particles of all sizes and varying amounts of
.clcs.anic materials. It is formed from breakdown of parent lo fine mineral particles. This occurs by:
Freezing and thawing in winter
Heating expansion and cooling contraction
in summer
Wind and waler erosion
The grinding action of ice
Gravity rockfall and avalanche movement
Rode minerals in rain and snowmelt waler
Chemical action of lichens and other plants
Soils are of two types. Residual soils are those <level-
l ed in place from underlying rode formations and sure plant cover. Transported soils include those transport by gravity, wind or water. Characteristics of residual
ets are closely related to the parent material from which
WY were formed.
A Clim.ate, particularly precipitation and temperature, 'fflongly affects soil formation. R.3infall causes l~ching&vement of dissolved particles through soil by water. 9nperature affects both mechanical breakdown of rocks . d breakdown of organic material. Soil bacteria, insects, jid burrowing animals also play a part in breakdown ~d mixing of soil components. Soil often determines which plants will establish a 9:>tective vegetative cover. Plants also modify and devel soil. Plant roots create soil spaces. Plant litter adds
l anic matter to soil and extracts water and minerals in ution through the roots. Plant litter slows surface runoff . d protects the soil surface from rainfall's beating and .ddling effects. Soil depths and moisture-holding capac:i are usually less on steep slopes, and plant growth
fjes are often slower.
Forage, timber, and water are all renewable resources. .ater is renewed by cycles of climate. Forage and timber renewed by growth in seasonal cycles. The availability .these resources is dependent upon soil Soil is, except
l er long periods, a non-renewable resource. It may take ore than a century to produce a centimeter of soil and &usands of years to produce enough soil to.support a ah-yield, high-quality forest, range, or agricultural crop.
i,il is the basic watershed resource. Careful management
l,d protection is necessary to preserve its function and
ioductivity.

Vegetative Cover
Grasses, forbs, shrubs and trees make up the major plant cover types. All four types build up organic litter and affect soil development They usually develop under differing climatic conditions and all are important to watershed management
A forest usually includes, in addition to trees in various stages of growth, an understory of shrubs and a low ground cover of orbs and grass~s. While all plants in a forest have some effect on water, trees are the most important Tree-litter fall protects the soil's surface. Tree roots go deep into the soil and help bind it, and tree crowns provide the most shade. The effects of shrubs and grasses are similar to those of trees including increased protection for soil again.st the beating action of rain and drying action of the wind.
Plant cover benefits a watershed The canopy intercepts rain and reduces the force with which it strikes the ground The canopy and stems also reduce wind velocity.
When leaves and twigs fall, they produce litter, which decomposes and is eventually incorporated into the soil. Litter protects the soil surface, allows infiltration and slows down surface runoff.
Stems and roots lead water into the ground. Roots open up soil spaces for _water retention and drainage as well as add organic materials to the soil The movement of minerals from roots to canopy provides recycling.
Windbreaks of trees and shrubs protect crops and reduce moisture losses from evaporation. Grasses, trees, and shrub stems along riverbanks trap sediments and floating debris during high waterflows. Roots bind and stabilize streambanks and slopes to reduce slides and slumps.

MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS

Water quality is largely determined by the soils and

vegetation in a surrounding watershed Accordingly,

human activities have pron~unced impacts on watershed

quality. These activities include timber harvesting.

._livestock grazing. ~griculture, recreation and urban or

industrial development



Timber Han,esf
Timber harvest opens and reduces plant cover density. Timber harvest does not negatively affect a watershed if slope and soil are carefully considered and plant cover rapidly restored. In snow zones, timber harvest can
-47-

0

0

0

improve sn<:>w catch and modify snowmelt rate. Oregon and several other slates have passed laws called Forest

0 and water may remove the finer and more fertile soil par0 ticles, reducing land productivity. Agricultural operations

Practices Acts lo ensure consideration of soil and water

based on careful appraisal of soil, slope, and climatic con- C)

resources during timber harvesl

ditions include. erosion control and are compatible with C)

watershed managemenl

C)

Agriculture
Domestic livestock lend lo concentrate in specific areas when grazing. Concentrated grazing impacts plant cover

Plant cover affects water through growth and transpi-

ration. Shade and mulch formed by plant litter reduce

0

0 evaporation of soil moisture. Plant roots can take up avail-

and soil. Grass cover can be improved by removing some able soil moisture to a greater ~epth than evaporation.

0

of the annual growth, but forage productivity can be greatly reduced if overgrazing occurs. Improperly timed grazing, grazing loo many animals, or grazing for too long a lime can change vegetation over a period of years to species of

0 An example is accelerated brush encroachmen~ partic-
ularly juniper, on central and eastern Oregon uplands.
0 Increased juniper stands have, in pa~ decreased summer

streamflows. Juniper competes more successfully than

0

lower value. Overuse of rangelands by native grazing

other vegetation for available moisture. This reduces

0

animals can also seriously damage plant cover.
Excessive trampling by grazing animals can con-

LAKE MERCED
,--:A st~ of!sunlight glistens

0 ground cover and may
cause increased runoff and
0 less infiltration to ground0 water storage. In addition,

tribute lo soil compaction, accelerated runoff, and erosion problems. Trampling' can also help scatter seeds and incorporate them into

~:oh'_~e Wavy water, a maltard
5 d~fk)iuttJrs_~b6ve. ancient
~:~t.:-=.ti:.~?-~~!~~;;f~f~~\~';:.~.-_;:+,: ;~;_:-~'. ,_--= , "' !;'Cr';;~ ':~
S:~-OlJ.!9_ijtil~t1g/A.{~l~\grove grows
o,~h;}~'thei:~i~~f~as an Ohlone wigw~.

juniper roots can lap

0

groundwater storage.

0

Juniper's high transpira-

tion rate leaves less water 0

for stream runoff as s-

0

the soil for regeneration. Thitk\grey?i9:~,\it-fo:their forever - .

ummer progresses.

0

.Management of livestock and grazing wildlife species can enhance watershed values, but is limited by the carrying capacities

0

Fire

0

Fire is one of the most widespread and destruc-

0

0 tive agents affecting plant

of the land and the

cover. Under certain con- 0

forage species it will support. Management must consider timing, density, and duration of animal use to capitalize on the positive aspects of grazing. Generally, recovery does not occur if vegetation is thinned to

ditions, fire can nearly

0

0 remove cover and organic
litter, and, in extreme

0 ' cases, sterilize and change

1',
-'e)l

the chemistry of the sur-

0

{~~/Jifr~~~~}t~'. ~ ~ ~~-j i-p''~.,~, .

.- j '" ;..

face soil. Burning converts

0

organic materials in plant cover, litter, and topsoil to gases and soluble, readily

0

0 leached ashes th~t can (!lake acid soils alkaline. Damage to

less than 70 percent of the natural cover. Without management practices such as reseeding, degradation will continue.
Crop production usually involves removal of the original plant cover and till-

soil varies, but it may take several seasons for soil condi-

0

"tions to return tonormal.

0

Without a protective canopy and litter, the soil swface is rapidly puddled and sealed by the first rains. Infiltration

0

is greatly reduced, making runoff and erosion more rapid

0

ing the soil for seedbed preparation. Crop cover is usually seasonal and less dense than natural cover. This provides less protection for the soil. Erosion by both wind

Debris-laden floods often occur within fire-denuded water- 0

sheds during only slightly abnormal rainfall. Most of the

0

water falling on a burned landscape is lost by rapid runoff. Water that infiltrates is probably lost by evaporation.

0

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0



.. ,,,,,. ',. : ~:~ .
, , ::-r . -f ~

Streams from burned watersheds at first cany a heavy and in&eases rimoff t~ produce rapidly fluctuating

41ad of salts dissolved from ashes, floating debris, and ero- streamflows.

e,n sediments. Water quality may soon return to normal,

High-quality water is desaibed as cool, clear, clean,

ecept for sediment-laden high flows. Water levels fluctu- colorless, odorless, tasteless, oxygenated, free of floating

. e and become less dependable. These conditions may

and suspended materials, and carrying only limited

~ntinue for several years until the plant cover becomes

amounts of dissolved materials. As quality is degraded,

~-established on the watershed.

water becomes less and less useful for most purposes.

Fire can be beneficial to a watershed when it is care- Urbanization decreases water quali~.

ly managed. It can reduce available fuel and prevent

Point source pollutants enter waterways from a

eore destructive fires. Fire thins understory seedlings that specific poinl Common point source pollutants are dis-

~mpete with larger trees for available moisture. Open for- charges from factories and municipal sewage treatment

~t types such as ponderosa pine are maintained by fire.
ttavers

plants. This pollution is relatively easy to collect and treal Non-point source pollution, on the other hand, is
really a new name for an old problem-runoff and sedi-

ee effects of beavers on a watershed can be both positive . d negative. Their actions change watershed hydrology
Ji well as damage cover. A beaver dam changes energy
~win its immediate area by turning part of a stream evironment into a pond or swamp. If high beaver popu-
9.ons coincide with heavy livestock use, the results can devastating to streams. On the other hand, their dams
I n be beneficial as sediment traps and fish habital Water Id behind a beaver dam is released more slowly over a .ger period of time.

mentation. Non-point source pollution runs off or seeps from broad land areas as a direct result of land use. It comes from a variety of sources such as agriculture, urban construction, residential developments, timber harves~ roadsides, and parking lots. Sedimen~ fertilizers, toxic materials, and animal wastes are major non-point source pollutants. The diffuse source of these pollutants makes them more difficult to quantify and control than point source pollutants.
Non-point pollution causes more than half the water pollution problems in Oregon. The impact of non-point

lining
-ning requires opening the earth to remove mineral ~ources. It is done by stripping off the surface soil
wrd rock layers or by drilling tunnels into the earth to
.ch minerals.
W With either method, quantities of waste material are on the surrounding land. This waste material is sub-
.Ii.ct to erosion, adding to the sediment load of streams
~ining the mined area. Surface changes include altered .ography and drainage. Drainage from mined areas . y contain toxic mineral salts harmful to the aquatic 9bital To prevent degradation of the watershed, waste wterial disposal must be controlled

source pollutants on water quality is variable. Some are potential health hazards or harmful to fish and other aquatic organisms. Streams do have an absorption and disposal capacity for limited amounts of pollutants, but these limits are too often exceeded.
Urban air pollution, especially photochemical smog caused by internal combustion gasoline engine emissions and industrial smokes, has contributed to acid rain. This has had a subsequent effect on vegetation, streams, and lakes within watersheds, especially on the east coast and in Canada. The problem continues to grow, however, and the Pacific Northwes~ is not immune to the effects of acid rain.
Communication and transportation developments

elopment
.ban development involves: Clearing, leveling and filling land surfaces Constructing buildings with impermeable roofs

include roads, railroads, airports, power lines and ..pipelines. All of these may involve disturbance of plant
cover, soil, and topography. Road and highway networks, with their impermeable paving and rapid drainage systems may radically change the runoff characteristics of

Paving roads and sidewalks with impervious

their immediate area. They also require changing the nat-

materials



ural topography and drainage, and moving huge amounts

Installing sewage disposal systems
A Such development greatly changes infiltration Md runoff. reduces recharge to underground water

of soil and rock. Often these networks are responsible for

extensive sediment production and may become the

source of other water pollutants.

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0

0

8
:>

Railroads and airports have similar effects. Power lines for other resources and uses. When the non-renewable

0

and pipelines require open paths through the watershed

soil resource is protected and maintained in good condi-

0

and access roads for construction and maintenance.

tion, the dependent renewable resources, w:ildlife habital and recreational opportunities can l?e supported.

0

Impoundments

Timber, forage, minerals, food, and wildlife represent

0

Flood control dams, lined stream channels, dikes and lev- important considerations. Problems arise when develop-

:)

ees to restrict the spread of floodwaters, and channel bed

ment and use of these resources conflict with the primary ~

stabilization techniques are all installations that modify channel capacity as well as the rate and volume of streamflow. All are the consequence of human efforts to modify

objective of regulating water yield and maintaining water quality and watershed integrity.These must be considered as part of watershed manag~_menl and their use and

0 0

water yields to better meet seasonal needs.

development must be integrated with management that

0

Many dams are built and operated to be multipurpose. produces and protects water supplies.

0

They can do the following: Control floods -.

Ownership is the principal institutional control of watersheds. A private individual or public management

0

0 agency may be free to apply whatever measures believed

Store water for irrigation or other consumptive use

necessary or desirable on their own land They may

0

Regulate flow for navigation Provide pov,:er generation Effects on streamflow and aquatic habitat are similar regardless of purpose. Impoundments, if shallow, allov,' water to \.'arm, and, if deep, preserve cooler water. As

regulate access and prevent use and development of

0

associated resources. Many watersheds are in public or state ownership.

0

0 Unless segregated and protected by specific legislation or

0 agreemenl most are used and developed to take advantage

streamflow peaks are reduced and low flov,:s increased,

0 of all resources available for the general public benefil It is

streamflow generally becomes more regular from season to season and year to year regardless of climatic variations.
In many cases, reservoirs have added \>Valer-based

in these multiple-use watersheds that management may face the most serious conflicts and challenges. Here it becomes necessary to attain a balanced use and develop-

0 0

recreation and new fisheries, although their construction

ment to provide maximum benefits with the least disrup- 0

may have destroyed stream habitat used by

tion of the water resource.

0

wild fish. A watershed under good management-where water storage occurs in the soils and riparian areas-lessens the need for reservoirs, particularly small

Legislation and government edicts also provide

0

0 controls that can aid water

resource management

0

headwater impoundments.

These laws may include:

C

Water is often seasonally diverted from impoundments and _streams for irrigation in agricultural areas. This reduces streamflows during the warm growing season. Some water is returned to the stream by drainage from the irrigated fields. These return flows are warmed and may contain soil salts, fertilizers, and pesticides leached from the fields.

Land use planning

0

Zoning

0

Permitted and prohibit- 0

0 ed land uses or types of
development

Restrictions on water

0

use

0

Limitations on water

0

development

0

MANAGEMENT OBJECTIVES
The objective of managing a watershed is to maintain a useful vegetative cover and soil characteristics beneficial to regulation of a quality water yield. The usefulness and productivity of the land will be enhanced

Pollution control

0

1..:5,;

Watershed users need to

"~' be aware that private

-;_ actions have public conse-

0 0

.~z, quences on water quality

0

:=

~ and quantity.
,g

0


fuMMARY
.vers, hillsides, mountaintops, and flood-formed bot-
en-lands are all part of one system All are integrated
th each other. Hillside shape controls the energy
lpenditure rate of water flow. All biotic elements in e watershed interact with and modify the energy flow rough the system. So it follows that the shape of the &tershed is a function of what lives there. The combi.tion of climatic conditions, soil types, topography, . getative cover, and drainage system define the partic; ar character of each watershed.
In an unaltered state, a watershed is in a state of ~ilibrium This equilibrium may or may not be the st suitable for the overall quality and contribution of
W watershed lo the entire picture.
Rivers do not stop at state lines. The effects of naturand human processes in a watershed are focused at outlet, wherever it may be, even if it crosses another .' le or country's borders. Each watershed is a part of a ger watershed whose downstream portion may suffer m upstream influences. :
!~CTIVTTIES first step in understanding watersheds is t_o explore ~ur own local watershed. Since everyone lives within .e. outline the boundaries of your watershed. Check th your local library for topographic maps if you can. t determine the boundaries visually
e1 On a map, trace the lines along the high points
that separate your creek or river from the nexl
b. Map the land use in your watershed (e.g, streets,
.c. forests, fam1S, yards, etc.) List all possible places rain goes in your watershed.
.d. Go outside the school building. What happens to the rain when it falls on the school roof? Does any of it get lo a stream or river? How?
.f. e. Are you ever anyv-1here that is not in a watershed? Collect newspaper clippings on watershed man agement problems in your area.
g. In small groups have students design their own watershed. Each design should include the location,
climate. uses of, abuses to, human impact on, and
group perceptions of what a watershed should and should not be. After preparing visuals to depict
their watershed, groups present their design to the
class. (Contributed by Mary Roberts, 1989)

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Borton. Wendy ct al. Or.an Waler. Strram1, and Fish: .A Holistic Vini of Watmlud1. Seattle: Municipality of Metropolitan Seattle. no date available .

Brown. George W. Fomtry and Watu Quality. 2nd ed. Corvallis: Oregon State University Book.stores. Inc.. 1985.

Carry. Robert. "Watershed Fonn and Progress-The Elegant Balance.Co-Evolution Quanrrly. Winter 76177. pp. 15-17.

Dunne. Thomas and Luna B. Leopold. Watu in Em,ronmtnl41 Planning. San Francisco: W.H. Freeman & Co.. 1978".

Environmental Education Project. "Understanding Watersheds." Gearing. Em~ronmtnlJII Education in tht Padfic NorlhUJtSt. Spring. 1983. pp. 8-10.

Horton. R.E erosional Development of Streams and Their Drainage Basins: Hydrophysical Approach lo Quantitative Morphology:
Gtological Sitly of.Amtrica Bullttin. Vol. 56. 1945. pp. 275-370.

Kentuclcy Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Cabinel .A fold Guidt to Krntucky R.ivm and Strcam1. Water Watch. Division of Water. May 1985

MacKenzie Environmental Education Center. Stream lnllfSl1gation1, Poynette. Wisconsin: Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. no date available.

Rude. Kathleen. "Watersheds: The World's Biggest Bathtubs: Ducks Unlimittd. September/October. 1985, pp. 62-63.

State of Oregon Water Resources Board. Mid-Coast Drainage Basin Map: Salem. OR. 1964.

Stale of Oregon Water Resources Board, iJmatilla Drainage Basin Map." Salem, OR. 1962.

State of Oregon Water Resources Department.John Doy Ri11tr Basin Rtporl.
Salem, Oregon. 1986.

Strahler, AN. ouantitative Geomorphology of Drainage Basins and Channel Networks: Section 4-2 in ed. Vente Chow. Handbook of .Applitd Hydrolo!D', New York: McGraw Hill. 1964.
Sullivan. Peter L What is Happtning lo Our U'1atrr? Washington: National
Wildlife Federation. 1979.

Toews. DA.A. and MJ. Brownlee, A Handbook for Fish Habil41 Protrdion on Fomt Lands in British Columbia, Government of Canada Department of
Fisheries and Oceans. Vancouver. B.C. 1981.

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Soil and Water Consawztion AdillilitSfor Sa,uts, PA-978, Washington, D.C: US. Government Printing Office. 19n.

US. Department of Agriculture. Water lntakt by Soit PA-925. Washington.

D.C: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1963.



U.S. Department of Agrirulture, Forest Service. Forests and The Natural Watu Cydt. FS-99. Washington. D.C. 1970.
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. Forrsts and Wata; FS--48.
Washington. D.C. 1968.

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. -Water Investigation. lnPeStigating Your Environmrnt Sma. Washington. D.C. 1978.

US. Department of Agricultu~c. Forest Service. Your Water Supply and Fomts. PA-305. Washington. D.C. 1972.

Warshall l'cter. "Su-earning Wisdom."Co-Evolution Quart~. Winter 76177. pp. 5-7. 8-10.

Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. Local Watmhtd Prob/an Studin, Vicki K. Vine. Project Director and Charles Brauer. Editor. 1981.

Young, Carolyn ct al Ongon Environmrntal .Alla1 Oregon Department of Environmental Ouality. 1988.

-51-

0

0

0

From Discoven"ng Your Life Place: A First Bioregional Workbook

0

0

Finding

Your

Bioregion

0 0

0

0

0

by Peter Berg,. Planet Drum Foundation 0

A EITTCTIVE \XIAY to begin acquiring a sense of your ovm bioregion is by making a simple map that shows some of the basic natural characteristics where you live. The map-making process will be an absorbing exploration, bu! it is also personally empowering because it describes an immediate area for practicing reinhabitation and becoming native to your life-place. Since this map is your ovm personal view, it shows a territory that has never been drawn with these particular features before.
All you need is a fairly large piece of blank paper and several pens or pencils that can produce at least six colors.
Put an X in the middle of the piece of paper. This represents the actual dwelling pla,ce where you live. Depending on the scale that you choose for this map, it can be as large as a city or as small as your house or

0

0

0 0 Compass points are also necessary for building up a
dependable store of information about your life-place.
0 Using the letter "N" to orient you, draw a few arrows on

the side of the paper that matches the direction from

0

0 which wind and rain usually come. This may actually be

a different place depending on the time of the year, or there may be several places at any season. <Hint: If you

0

haven't thought about this before and don't know this

0

0 direction, try to remember which doorstep gets wettest in

0 a storm, which window sill inside the house gets damp,

or which windows rattle when the wind blows.)

0

,--. ._,_, ____..,,-c,
-.....,._..,.-_-,.-_~~-~----!

0

0 Next draw in the body of water that is nearest to the

apartment building.

0 X that marks the spot where you live. It may be a creek,

:::':~~~~:~-
n,.. _ . r ...._ ...
In the upper right-hand corner of the paper write

river, lake, pond, or even a marsh or swamp. In some

0

cases it could be the shore of an ocean. This is the time when the scale of your map will become evident If you

0

0 the letter "N" to represent the north direction. If you don't are fairly familiar with a large area around the place you

know which direction is north try to remember where the marked X you may want to show a very large body of

0

0 sun rises (east) and then visualize what lies 90 degrees or water such as a major river, a very large lake, or an ocean 0 a quarter turn of your head to the left from there. You can bay. If you aren't comfortable with a scale as big as thal
also find north by remembering which way the sun sets st.art with a creek or pond that you know is nearby. If you

0 (west) and shifting your mental picture 90 degrees to the can, show how it connects to a river or marsh. Most of the

right of that direction.

0 land in cities has been covered over with streets or build-

Knowing compass points is important for determin- ings, so if you are a city dweller show the nearest river, or 0

ing major characteristics of the place where you live. For example, you'll want to know which direction gets_the

a lake or creek in a nearby park Clue: The direction that rain runs in t_he street _gutters may point to a body of

0

most sunlight and is therefore warmer because plants and water. Use a particular color such as blue for this so that

0

animals respond to this phenomenon in many different the water system st.ands out clearly, and other colors for

0

ways. The warmest direction is also essential information each of the parts of the map that follow.

0

for positioning a new house so that it can absorb the most

heat during short winter days when the arc of the sun

0

can become extremely low on the horizon depending on

The water body you drew is surrounded by high

0

how far you are from the equator.

0 ground that causes rain or spring water to Dow into it by

-52-

0

.he force of gravity. This elevated land might be hills if the

.cale of your map is small or a mountain range if the

scale is very large. High ground sheds water, so the term

. .atershed is used to describe all of the land that sur-

eounds a particular body of water.



Draw in the hills or mountains that create the water-

.bed where you live. Clue: Watersheds can be huge such

.ls that for the Mississippi River with the Rockies on one

~ide and the Appalachian/Allegheny Mountains on the

ather, or as small as the rise of ground that separates two

ereeks and the low hills around a pond in a park Use a

.ifferent color than the previous one showing water.

~



The next element to include in this map is soil. Use

.our memory of visits to different parts of the bioregion to

eraw in different types of soil such as sand, clay or black

.opsoil. Usually the highest ground is rockier than lower

~laces because the lighter soil blows or washes away. If

~ou remember seeing exposed rocks on hilltops, draw

.hem in. The light soil that blew or washed away settles

~ valleys or other low places that are usually near bodies
e'f water. Think of where this type of soil probably lies

and draw it in. Clue: Farmers prefer nutrient-rich topsoil,

. o it can probably be found wherever you've seen fields

end farm houses. Is there also sandy soil where you live?

~ow about hard red clay? Use a new color (or colors) to
fjraw these in. Add any other geological characteristics

such as lava beds, granite cliffs, coral rock, caves, or salt

-=--eds that are unique to your bioregion.



Next draw in some examples of plants and animals

that are native to the place where you live. Native means

~at these are wild animals rather than domestic ones like

ogs and cats or horses and cows. It also means plants

.hat are indigenous rather than most of the ones that are

.rown for food or were brought from other places for

some other reason. For example, oak trees are native to

~orth American bioregions but apple trees aren'l Hint:

erypes of animals range from.insects to.fish.and from.birds
eo mammals. Plants include grasses, herbs, and shrubs as
rell as trees.

fit In order to focus your map in the present situation, draw in just two aspects of the human relationship to whatever other features you've drawn. The first one is a visual representation of the worst things people are doing. Hint: It could be a source of wastes that threatens to pollute all of the water. It could also be bad farming practices that are eroding soil, mining that is creating hazardous dumps, or dams that block the passage of fish in a river.
-~~~-=-"~"-,,",,.-"-...".,.'.
_..,__ c-",i~..,. .- _,.
Now show the best thing people are doing to try to harmonize with the natural elements in the map. Hint: These may be organic produce or permaculture farms that maintain good soil, or recycling projects that reduce wastes. Some other beneficial activities could be renewable energy projects, efforts to restore forests or rivers, and other attempts to improve the balance between human needs and those of natural systems. Of course, this will be a matter of your personal opinion at this particular time but that's an important aspect of knowing how you perceive the place where you live.
----,~- ,,... __ .,....,o_:.:.-_,-;,,_._. .-.-..
This map is a view of your bioregion, and it is also a kind of flag for the place. It's a record of what you know and don't know at this moment, and it can be added to or redrawn as more information is gained. You've shown your home base in terms of the natural elements that ultimately support life there, These elements need to be restored where they have been damaged and preserved where they are still intact Some of them should be seen as sources for supplying basic human needs of food, water, energy, and materials as long as this is done in ways that are sustainable for humans and other life. Your map shows a territory that needs support and defense. You many want to join together with other people who live in your bioregion to start finding out more about it and developing ways to live there that will be ecologically appropriate in terms of the unique of that place.

. So far there haven't been any signs of human beings
fi-he en this map. There are usually so many of them in all of places where people live that most of them wouldn't


Dedicated to Carl 0. Sauer whose i"nfrrii:Jtr1ffi

ew

MAN IN NATURE sen.,ed to enhana his num.erous contributions

to the study ofgeography andk,d this effort.

.-53-

Teaching Poetry and Art
"lf you, who are valley streams and looming mountains, can't throw some light on the nature of ridges and rivers, wI10 can:i" --
-Gary Snyder From "\Kie Wash Our Bowls in this Water"

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-54-

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.._ ..-,,.

....,..,.,.._

~

.-- -- __.v ---

-

= we ----= ---

w

-

~y Philosophy

~f Teaching

i?oetry in the

~lassroom
.y Sheryl Noethc
erom Poetry Everyu1hcrc


EVER SINCE FIFTH GRADE, writing has been my better world, a refuge and solace where imagination is king. This is the opportunity we as teachers of poetry have before us in the

classroom. We can offer this sustenance, this self-creation, to children,

making their lives richer and happier and giving them more alterna-

tives. Writing is a grip on existence, an empowerment, and a way to

listen to the inner truth of the self. The poet enters a dialogue with all

previous poets, singers, and writers. You keep great company.

When I read a poem to the class I read it as though it were the

most important and only poem in the world I use the opportunity to

hook the students up to the heart of the poel I use the poem as a force

to pull our imaginations into the associative world of words and ideas.

I read the poem aloud and make it real for them. Inadvertently, some-

thing rare happens when we begin to anticipate hearing a poem; we

settle into a dreamy concentration, to sit back and hear the poem in a

sort of reverie. Ask the class to daydr~m and let their minds fill with

the images that the poet gives them Put the world on HOW for a

while and pay attention to your inner life by letting the poem inside.

Eventually, you will find a different poem for everyone. If you

persist in selecting and then learning wonderful poems to read aloud

to the class, you will find that different students will respond to differ-

ent poems, finally connecting with an idea or a phrase that touches

them, and they will appreciate that singular thing that poetry does so

well "Ahr the mind says, wonderfulr Besides the inherent miracle of

the poem, imagine teaching a subject where no one can fail, where the

student will achieve some success and then crave morel Turn a child's

identity into a respected position-a writer-and have him or her know

there is noJ.hing like success. Your job as a teacher is to tell every stu-

dent what is right about his or her work This calls for wit, compassion,

and a huge frame of reference! Relationships develop with the

exchange of history and imagination. Trust and empathy are aroused

when you _hear someone else's WS)rds echo your own feelings, in sur-

prising ways and common ways, and you cannot stay strangers. When

you point out to your students where they are at their best in their

work-the funniest or the most imaginative or the truest to their

vision-you give them success and they in return give you their trust

They write in the only way beautiful things are created-from the heart,

without censorship or fear. That's when you get the poetry.

-55-

0

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0

From Poetry Everywhere

0 0

Tips

on

Leading

Poetry

Sessions

0 0

0

0

by Jack Collom 0 0

0

IN WRillNG THESE TIPS, we have opted to take nothing for granted and to be as detailed as possible. We realize that some of our advice may repea~ or

Our hint categories are organized around the actual classroom "hour":
I. Preparation

0 0 0

depart from, basic teacherJy skills and wisdom you have all known thoroughly and practiced throughout your

2. Manner of presentation and general tips j_ The session itself

0

teaching careers. We feel the contradictions are appropri-

a. Lead-in

0

ate, since the learning process in a poetry-or other art-

b. Writing time

0

workshop is quite different than that in, say, chemistry or

c. Reading the results aloud

0

grammar. And the repetitions are the price of care. \Xie

4. Afterwards

0

simply hope that anyone setting out to use our suggestions will find our inclusiveness useful.

5. Remarks on the poetry of it

0

In our experience as visiting poets,

1. PREPARATION

0

these suggestions all work and are all

Planning can be thorough or no~ 0

important to successful sessions. But there's plenty of room for individual styles to modify or even to go against some of the following ideas.
The tips that we feel are especially

-~ Water wriggles in the
. song of spirit that falls

according to the teacher's style. It

0

usually works best when the main points to be made, examples to

0

give, and timing of the session

0

have been carefully worked out

0

important are marked with asterisks,'

beforehand, but some poets and

0

but we don't mean to be dictatorial. For example, we say, "Never tire of pounding home to your class the happy use
of details, as opposed to generalities.
This does not mean that language

teachers do welt winging il" All

0

teachers should be alert to unex-
pected and serendipitous veerings

0

off from the plan.

0

You might tty making up poems 0

should sound like a seed catalogue

yourself according to the exercise 0

when it's poetry time. lt's just that it's good to get kids writing intimately of what they know-and this certainly includes their wildest dreams and their imagination of the moment as well as the color of their pet dogs' eyes. Dream is made of detail too. If the students work in an atmosphere of easeful energy, they're likely to '"be themselves in their poems, in ways that will surprise even them.

you've chosen-if possible, just

0

before the session. This may pro-

0

vide you with good example poems, and certainly helps get you

0

"into the writing.

0

Props are sometimes help~L but 0

aren't necessary. Writing to music 0

can be good also. Sometimes with 0

younger students, decor-such as hanging up streamers-can make

0

for a special poetry time mood.

0

-56-

0



Try different ways at differe~t times (for example, com- . It's: h~lp~l to admit your own errors, blankouts, and igno-

bine two exercises, or try an entirely new warmup). Let

rance. This helps create an open mood in the classroom.

the students know why you are taking a new tack

Presentation of sample material on overhead projectors

. . You c.an use pre-writing (days before the poetry session) c.an help students' visual comprehension (but the reading

and various warmup activities at the beginning of the

voice should always c.arry the work).

session to immerse students in a given subject A c.aution: there can be too much brain-storming. leading the kids to regurgitate info and use the same chalkboard vocabulary.

"When you know a kid, you can criticize his or her poem if you include encouragement (and if it's one-on-one, not public). "This part is full of great energy, but down here it just kind of falls apart-you need an image.

. . Simply reading good books to students is a good prepara- Sometimes a little edge of sarcasm or sharpness in a

lion for writing.

general sea of kindness and warmth will help the

.2. MANNER OF PRESENTATION
AND GENERAL TIPS

students realize -We're really trying to do something here. It's not goof-off time.

Be yourself You needn't and shouldn't

show reverence for poetry by means of

an artificially dignified atmosphere.

THE.RAIN OF

-Walking around while teaching.

i;fRAGRJ\NCE ' _

sharing. and especially reading orally

~~~itti~~q~~~\a~;ert grabs all the students' attention, involves

a ... . -

them as a community (Chris Casterson,

- . ;;~~~t~

third grade teacher). It also helps lend a

. , om.es -down-but --

- physical sense to the poetry.

Energy is the key-but it shouldn't be forced. It can be "quiet" energy.

. . In some ways, you can be less "in charge~ Much of the learning in poetry comes from the inside oul

At any time, you c.an, if inspired, simply read or recite a good poem to the class-and that poem needn't have an obvious connection to what you're doing.
Maintain cheer and confidence if a student reacts negatively. Try to avoid confrontations; often the best approach is to ignore that student for the moment and concentrate on the rest of the class. Your positive attitude and the peer influence of the majority's participation will probably bring the rec.alcitrant student along.
If your students seem to have trouble

It's probably best not to push your beliefs about the beauties of poetry, but
to let them emerge through examples and practice.

getting going. tell them to flap their elbows and just start scribbling. Urge spontaneity in different ways. -Work it out on paper, don't try to think it all up

Don't overexplain.

in your head first." 1t can be messy,

Avoid abstractions. "When you speak in concrete terms, it helps bring out bet ter poems. However, stressing 0detail"
0 imagination, and originality repeatedly will tend to

shows you're thinking; this is a worksheet We11 make them pretty later~ Perhaps suggest that they can copy topics from other kids, if their own treatment is original.

unify these words with their examples in the poems.

Never tire of pounding home the happy use of details,

Read poetry aloud with energy, expressiveness, and

rhythm (this can be the variable rhythm of everyday

speech). For example, read or tell the Greek myths as if

they happened this morning.

.

as opposed to generalities.
: A brisk pa~ is good, e~eJEizing. as long as you're willing to be flexible and slow down when the situation needs it

Make a conscious choice as to whether to read with pauses at the ends of lines (which tends to emphasize the breath, the connection of poetry to the body) or not
(which can emphasize the flow ofsound and ideas).

Don't worry. Decide thoughtfully what you're going to do, then let 'er rip. Relax and concentrate. Have fun. Freely intersperse humor and seriousness.
Be open to children's visions-they rea11y have them -57-

0

0

0

3. THE SESSION ITSELF
A. Lead-in

0

If they want to use titles, have them write them after 0

their poems are done. A title can be a word or phrase

0

A good division of time is one-third lead-in, one-third writing time, one-third reading their pieces aloud (with you or them as readers), with quick comments.
Except in special cases, let them know right away what your plans are for the whole session.

from a poem, or be something related to the poem's sub- 0

ject, or be anything at all-even something seemingly

0

unrelated, or playfully wacko. Titles work as parts of poems, and students should consider how a title idea

0

affects the reader's take on the poem. Titles give a per-

0

A little smalltalk (such as about their names, if you're

spective to every word in a poem.

0

new to them) may loosen things up and help direct their It helps the flow of their writing if they start writing just 0

attention toward the everyday. A familiar, factual base is after the sample poems are read.

0

good for poetry.

Let your students know it's

0

The warmup need not be tightly organized-an "off-task" ice-breaker or poem-

okay to close their eyes and

think, visualize, let the poem

0

read-aloud may fire up imagination,

At the swamp

which can then be pointed toward the

swim in.

0

B. Writing time

0

day's exercise.
Read many examples aloud (and then simply tell students not to copy). Point out the "poetic goodies in the example poems, especially when they channel

Icaught a frog
.. ~-,,.: -. ~ .
It ~ad tiger legs.

Let students talk quietly while 0

they're writing. If any of them

0

seem to be too off-task, you might advise them to get that

0

verbal energy down on paper

0

the students' attention in the direction

before it blows awai

0

you wanl To focus attention on language, you can ask students for their favorite words in what they've just heard.
Get them involved orally by means

While they write, you can

0

walk around the classroom and 0

help them with their questions. Sometimes toss in added hints or

0

nudges to the class at large-

0

of questions (based on, or related to,

sometimes just quietly let them 0

examples) and by working out sample poems or lead-in information on the board with them.
Say 1f you get stuck on one thing. go to another~ Even advise them to do the beginning last or to scribble any old thing just to get going (and scratch it out later if it doesn't work for them). Tell kids not to erase things-they may want them later.
Have them sound out difficult words and not worry about it Tell them not to avoid a word because they're afraid of misspelling il

write.

0

F.arly or midway in the writing 0

time, you can ask anyone who's just written something good if

0

you may read it to the class, and 0

do so. This often inspires and

0

encourages the other kids.

0

If you're not too busy, write with them Jot something on 0

the board Perhaps read funny sample lines to the class as they occur to you. Hthey're doing collaborations, join in.

0

When it's time to collect the pieces (maybe twelve to fif- 0

teen minutes along in the writing time), tell them they

0

Sometimes you might want to give them a word, sound, can keep writing a few minutes, but if they've finished

0

or idea on the board (or on tape) and ask them to meditate on it before beginning to write. Often it's counterproductive to let them use the names

they can hold their poems in the air (or bring them up) for collection.
Stress the idea thAt they should reread their work before

0 0

of other students in their writings. If necessary, simply

handing it in. We all sometimes omit words inadvertent- 0

advise them not to, unless they're positive no embarrass- ly. And an instant revision is likely to be good since one 0

ment would result Allow no cheap shots.

is still in the flow and feeling of the poem

0



You can start reading the kids' work aloud (and tell the:
class to be quiet and attentive) when all but a few
papers are in. (No harm if a few are still working).

4. AFTERWARDS
Typing up student poems preserves and honors them and makes them available to others. We strongly recom-

C Reading their works aloud

mend typing up a selection. Kids love to see their wor~ "in prinl"

Again, read the poems expressively and rhythmically

(if you read them).

When typing up, correct spelling routinely (unless it

has some special charm) but take grammar on a case-

If the kids don't want their names read aloud, respect

by-case basis. Poetry is always creating its own voice,

this, but in time try to lead them out of their shyness-as so correctness is relative. In regard to punctuation,

long as it doesn't deter them from writing freely.

suggest-but don't insist- that it be consistent within a

Younger students sometimes like the option of raising

given poem

hands or standing after their

poems are read

Often it's hard to tell

whether a student piece is

It's a definite plus if students

written with linebreaks or

practice reading their poems

nol If there's time you can

aloud, especially older kids.

check with the author.

But use yow discretion-the

Otherwise, look each piece

virtues of the poems may get

over before typing and

lost in poor renditions. If the

decide the apparent inten~

students do read, urge pizazz.

then type accordingly.

Tell them to read so the

Sometimes, even if paper-

termite eggs embedded in the

width seems to have dictat-

far wall can hear it," or

ed the shape, the poem will

something. It's okay if some of

feel righr and you should

them volunteer to read and

type the poem up they way

others don'l

the student wrote il

It's best not to criticize student work when its first read;
respond with cheer to each kid's piece. Discrimination can be exercised by selective intensity of praise. They11
note this and learn from il

If a poem or piece is off-task but good (interesting), take il
It helps students care for
their work if you have them keep it in special folders to
which they have free access.

Never give false praise. Be as

Then you can have the stu-

concrete as you can in each bit of praise. Repeat good

dents bring out, reread, and
~ illustrate their words.

words or phrases they've written. You can often praise In any case, student poeis should be kept and can

rhythm or energy or spirit or originality when it's hard then be typed up, put on bulletin boards, published

to find anything else to praise. But don't let your com-

schoolwide, sent to pen pals, individually published

ments get so long as to impede the flow of the!r_wo~k

by the students themselves, and distributed in the

A hearty Alt right!" will often suffice:

- comnitiriity. .. - -

When students read collaborative poems aloud, ~

having them do choral readings-divide the_ class m var-

ious ways (blue eyes, brown, even or odd rows). Have

them read in different voices-scared, baby, laryngitic, as

The Principal, etc.

0

0

0

5. REMARKS ON lHE POETRY OF IT
Give your students a sense of options when they write. Make it clear to them that they are the autnors of their poems, the ones who will make decisions concerning tone, voice, rhythm, etc. And remember, in many cases kids will invent their own variations on the exercises and poetic forms you give them.
\Xlhen you choose adult poems to read in class, as much as possible try not to censor shocking imagery, harshness,

0

Point out that speaking of emotions by name is abstract 0

and risks cliche and superficiality. Make it concrete

0

0 ("Write ten things you fear"). The clarity of good abstract

writing begins with a mental acuity grounded in

the concrete.



0

Tell your students that their poems don't all have to be 0

0 Mimportant" or about a Big Ide.a. Real significance is every-

where and, in 'poetry. often arrives on its own.

0

negativity, weirdness~ low-class language, and so forth. Encourage experiment Ptaise it when it comes.

0

Encourage students to

feel free to invent their

own syntax at any

poinl to discover their

own ways of handling-

words. That is, they should be able to decide, "Do I write

As_fm thinking. ..
-~miotr!ei,a!n~d ;m;btir;e?. ;.,

~~~Ir - standard here, or could
it be effective to 'make up'r You might point

-T~:wdnc?:":'. >

l~i out how certain exam-
ple poems you like

use offbeat syntax. Initially, it's best to
welcome all content

l{

and all attitudes

(except "dirty" words )>

not allowed in school),

no matter how

gruesome or radical or

sad or mundane.

._.\-
fd jump &om the 0doud \
with all of my heart, >
For a leap from a cloud is a serious art My landing goal is a river or stream,. , , . And I land in a river ..
in San Joa~in..
,, After raging rapids,, ,,,, :,. -
.a:, L 1 ~-
. -.,.;
.::~:.:;,

Emphasize lan-

0

guage. It's their

0

working material; it's a living thing.

0

full of surprises.

0

When the focus

0

is on language, all 0

the personal will shine through.

0

Approve playful- 0

ness-as a way of 0

learning and explor- 0

ing. Students benefit 0

immensely when encouraged to play

0

with language.

0

Speak of the

0

mechanics of poetry 0

as naturally as you'd 0

speak of fixing a broken shoelace

0

(though with a

0

Any idea is all right in a first draft-or in a journal or in free writing-or, in fact, in a finished poem

greater sense of

0

options0. -You've

0

rhymed up here but not down here.

0

That makes this

0

In many cases, you can advise students to write like they talk, to base their writings on
natural speech patterns. You can demonstrate in many concrete ways how Mee.al speech" is rich in rhythm,

word stand out. but 0

do you really want 0

it tor

0

Always go for the

poem That is, the charms of the language should .not be 0

0 subverted by a larger philosophic urge. If patriotism, say,

metaphor, etc. Pick an example off the classroom wall

is the subject, insist that it be expressed concretely or

0

or out of their mouths. (Repeating a common sentence several times can show surprising syncopation.)

lyrically-not in the same old generalizations. Good poetry does not consist of generalizations.

0 0

0

w E CHERISH the myth that kids are unfettered

<,]t1SiC Creativity
by Hannah Hinchman
classrooms devote time to drawing from life. A book like

creative souls. In reality, even in the earliest

Drawing on the Right Side ofthe Brain (enthralling reading even



grades, they are already burdened by intimida- if you don't consider yourself an artist) will help you lead

.tion and uncertainty when it comes to the mystery of art.
eroo many students, too early, lose the vital confidence in

students towards realizing that they can draw what they see.

And so can you.

-

.their own eyes and hands that would allow their creativity

The link between the eye and the hand is really so

to blossom. Instead, they resort to repetitive or formulaic pic- simple-think of the hand as a kind of seismograph, record-

.twe-making, or learn to copy whatever looks accomplished" ing the movements of the eye in the act of observing. Once

.from another studenl Without skillful deflection from an

a child experiences that link, whole worlds open up.

alert teacher, many of them wi~I get mired there, until they

Many children, especially at certain ages, don't want to

bore themselves out of any continuing interest in art.

draw things around them. They'd rather bring inner pictures,

. I consider creativity-that nebulous and highly charged

dramas, events, and situations out onto the page. Respect

eword-to refer to several basic instincts or wges, common to this, but keep in mind that drawing from life develops a

eeveryone. The trick is in figuring out ways to keep students visual vocabulary-of shapes, spaces, textures, expressions,

in constant touch with those fundamentals, to keep their

gestures-that will add potency to the inner vision.

.rt,desires aflame, but hooked to tangible skills all along. Here
eare some of my observations about how creativity works in and ways you can keep it working.

And drawing from life helps the student get past symbol drawing. the stultifying stick with the ball on top that means tree; done the same way every time (occasionally



Remember the simple joy of "stuff." The urge to play with smaller balls for apples, as a variation). Slowly, actual

with materials comes before the desire to make specific

observation is replaced by a set of symbols that stand for

.images or shapes. Just the tactile, visceral act of moving

something. and a creative door closes. Many students get

.brush, pen, pastel over different kinds of paper holds a satis- sucked into that eddy and never get oul

.faction all its own. Shaping and molding a yielding sub-

Help students accept that art requires patience. It

stance is pure fascination. Pay attention to the tools, and find doesn't spring complete and perfect from the mind to the

out everything they can do. Find out what they want to do. page. Creating something has much more to do with false

esome of the most common tools, like wax crayons, can be

starts and scary moments, when the marks you've made so far

.frustrating to a child who craves dense, brilliant dazzling col- look like nothing recognizable. That's when you need to say.

ors. Point her towards pastels, oil pastels or Prismacolor pen- "hold on, things are going to get weird for awhile., it will come

cils if you can. If crayons are all you have, help her find

out okay in the end.9 A lot of fumbling. fixing. re-visioning. re-

eways of using them that begin to come close to her yearn- searching goes into the creation of anything of integrity. It can

.ing. Try to help her find the right surface to use them on-it get frantic and desperate sometimes, but you can help reinter-

.might not be construction paper. And there's a boy who has pret those feelings as excitement rather than fear. If yow stu-

visions of intricate, complicated patterns, but he's using a fat dent is stuck with a certain approach, branch out laterally,

.marker on newsprint! Introduce him to the glories of a sharp, bring in new materials. Or.ask him to close his eyes for a

.really sharp pencil (brought to perfection with an X-acto

moment to go back to what it was that originally moved him.

.knife and sandpaper), and then maybe a variety of fine-

Art can require a daunting amount of time and

tipped pens. Don't lose touch with the physical act of mak- patience. It's not simply a matter of making a picture, then

ing art. Remind students of that basic-pleasureand help -you're done.-JnartschooL we were pushed to take one idea

.them explore and use il It's one of creation's primary fuels. through what seemed like endless permutations-bewilder-



Encourage the hand-eye link as early as you can.

ing and irritating to many of us. But that's one of the ways

Though copying nature came to have a bad name in the - we learn what it is to create: it doesn't just happen. And the

era of abstract-dominated art, it's one of the most vital

urge to get it right should be honored and aided.

.episodes in developing creativity. For a student to discover

Yes, sometimes it appears as a spontaneous. fresh

.that she can place a leaf, a nutshelL a bone on her desk, real- sketch ...but other times, we're required to dig. grope. and

ly look at it and translate its nature onto the page is almost wail And ask more of ourselves and ow tools than we ever

alchemical in the excitement it generates. Surprisingly few

thought they contained

.;:61-

RESOURCE PEOPLE AND ORGANIZATIONS

Many states, water districts and utilities

have developed curriculum materials,

much of ii free, and some of it of good

quality. Contact local, state and federal

agencies (like the US. Fish & Wildlife

Service) to see what's available.



FREE CURRICULUM MATERIALS

Team Up to Gean Up

Booklet from The Center for Global

Environmental Education featuring

classroom activities and community

involvement related to the environment

Highlights success stories from classrooms

around the world

-

ESPN-Cable in the Classroom Depl

ESPN Plaza

Brisol, CT 06010-8484

Tel: 203-585-2000

Fax: 203-585-2358

Ottenvise Tcaching Guide Guide provided free to teachers by the. publishers of Otterwise. an environmental magazine for children 8-13 Otterwise PO Box 1374 Portland, ME 04104

Projed WIW Aquatic Educational Adivity Guide 240-page book provided free to teachers who take Project WILD workshops, available free or at low-cost in all 50 states. Project WILD PO Box 18060 Boulder, CO 80308 Tel: 303-444-2390

The Riverwork Book
National Park Service Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance Program (RICA) 600 Harrison St, Suite 600 San Francisco, CA 94107 Tel: 415-744-3975 Fax:415-744-3932

Water Quality Sampling Equipment Homemade Sampling Equipment Two booklets describe how to set up your own water quality monitoring system. Tennessee Valley Authority 311 Broad St Chattanooga, TN 37402-2801 Tel: 615-751-7338

What's a Watmhed? Full-color brochure-Program Aid #420.
United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service 630 Sansome, Room 749 San Francisco. CA 94111 Tel: 415-705-2904
ORGANIZATIONS WITH ENVIRONMENTAL EDLICATION PUBLICATIONS
California Depl of Fish &. Game 1416 Ninth St. Sacramento. CA 95814 Tel: 916-653-6420 Fax: 916-653-1856 Wildlife leaflets. guides. videos. and other publications. many free.
California Department of Water Resources PO Box 943836 Sacramento, CA 94236-0001 Tel: 916-653-1097 Fax: 916-653-4684
Global Rivers Environmental Network (G.R.E.E.N.l 721 E. Huron St Ann Arbor, Ml 48104 313-761-8142 Project W.E.T. (Water Education for Teachers) Conducts Watershed Education Institutes for educators.
International Rivers Network 1847 Berkeley Way Berkeley, CA 94703 Tel: 510-848-1155 Fax: 510-848-1008 Email: im@im.org http//wwwim.org
Publishes River of Words Ttaditr's Guidt and World Rivers Review and other publications,
clearinghouse of river information
l(jds for Saving the Earth PO Box 47247 Plymouth, MN 22147 Begun by an 11-year old boy, newsletter with articles and illustrations submitted - by KSE clubs from around the world.
Maryland Save Our Streams 258 Scotts Manor Drive Glen Burnie, l',.,ID 2061 Tel: 301-969-0134 Has useful free materi,al.

0

0

0

0 National Consortium for Environmental

Education and Training (NCEET)

0

publishes a guide to Urban Environmental Education for teachers. To order call:

0

313-998-6726.

0

North American Association for

0

0 Environmental Education (NAAEE)
Publications and Member Services Office

PO Box 400

0

Troy. OH 45373

0

Tel/fax: 513-676-2514

The Orion Society

0

t 36 E. 64th St

0

New York, NY 1002 t

0

Publications and environmental education teaching tools as well as

0

teacher training institutes.

0

Student Environmental

0

Action Coalition (SEAC) PO Box 1168

0

Chapel Hill, NC 27514-1168

0

A student-run network that advocates

0

working for the environment Chapters located at high schools and coll~ges

0

0 throughout the U.S. and other countries.

0 Three Grcles Center publishes the Journal

ofMulticultural Environmental Education. To order call: 415-331-454-0 or Email:

0

circlecenter@igc.apc.org.

0

OTHER ENVIRONMENTAL

0

RESOURQ:S

0

Ri11tn Institute Study Guidt

0

10 interdisciplinary lessons/activities;

river trivia and excepts from literature

0

complement hands~n activities.

0

Center for Global Education 1536 Hewitt Ave.

0

St Paul, MN 55104-1284

0

Tel: 612-659-3105

0

Fax: 612-641-2489

Ri11tn ofLife

0

Interactive adventure learning project

0

.Q with links to schools, universities, research

s6entists, policy experts, historians,

archeologiests and anthropologists,

0

0 among others. Opportunities include data 0 collection, wildlife monitoring, workshops,
bulletin boards and more.

Center for Global Education

0

1536 Hewitt Ave St Paul, MN 55104-1284

0

Tel: 612-659-3105

0

Fax: 612-641-2489

0

'rStream Sane: Watmhtds,
.ildlift t.. Peoplr 9>regon Dept of Fish and Wildlife .{)ffice of Public Affairs ~Box59
9el: .ortland, OR 97207 503-229-5400 x428
~iscovering Your Lifr Place: J1 Firrt Biorrgional Workbook
~ Peter Berg
anet Drum Books Box 31251
n Francisco, CA 9414 1 .hasta Bioregion USA 9el: 415285-6556
~veOurStrtams Wf'saac Walton League .401 Wilson Blvd., Level B a\rlington, VA 22209 ~el: 1-800-453-5463
~eon Water, Strtams t.. Fish .,ashington State Office of .nvironmenta1 Education .27011 Meridian Ave. N., Rm. 16 ~eattle, WA 98122 el: 206-54-2-7671
~ T RESOURCES
eenter for the Book aibrary of Congress ~ashington, DC 20540-8200
eax: el: 202-707-5221 202-707-9898
.ennedy Center for Alliance for
Jrts Education Netw_ork
Wlennedy Center .,ashington. DC 20566-0001 ael: 202-416-884-5 ~ax: 202-416-8802 .mail: artsedge@kennedy.center.org
e p lI artsedge.kennedy-center.org
.at'l Art Education Association 1916 Association Dr.
.eston.VA 22091
flax: .el: 703-860-8000 703-860-2960
Jlational Assembly of Wllocal Arts Agencies .2715th SL aWashington, DC 20005 -Tel: 202-371-2830
.ax: 202-371-0424

National Writing Project. : ! 615 University Halt UC Berkeley Berkeley, CA 94720 Tel: 510-642-0963 Fax: 510-642-4545
Teachers and Writers Collaborative 5 Union Square West New York, NY 10003-3306 Tel: 212-691-6590 Fax: 212-675-0171
BIBLIOGRAPHY
This bibliography was compiled with the help of Ouistian McEwen and Carol Murphey.
ESSAYS, ETC
A Natural Hislory of tht Smses: Diane Ackerman (Vintage Books. New York 1990). Filled with amazing details about all five senses that kids (and
grownups tool will love.
Sirtm of tht Emth: Edited by Lorraine Anderson (Vintage Books. New York. 1991). Poems. essays. stories, and journal entries by a wonderfully wide range of women wrilctS. &om Willa Cather to Joy Harjo, from Cmily Dickinson lo Adrienne Rich.
Tht Norlon Book ofNahm Writing: Edited by John
Finch and John Elder (W.W. Norton. New York and London, 1990). Superb range. probably the best of all the many nature anthologies available.
Tht Gt11graphy of Ouldhood, Why Oi;/dmi Nttd Wild
Plaas: Gary Paul Nabham and Stephen Trimble (Beacon Press. Boston. 199-4). Two fathers and naturalists collaborate to make sense of their children's relationship with the outside world
Find~ Homt: Writing an Natu" and Cul111rtfrrmr Orion
Magazine Edited by Peter Sauer (Beacon Press, Boston, 1992). lndudes excellent essays by Sa:>tt Russell Sanders. John Elder and Gary Nabham.
Oiildrm's Spilz/ Plaas, &ploring Int R.olt ofForu. Dau and Busl, Houz in Middle Oiildhood, David Sobel Clephyr Press. 1993). Helps grownups remember
the role of "place" in children's lives.
POEMS
Pod,y for tk E.ot1h, A Colltaion ofPoans From Around Int World That Cdd,ratrs Nature Edited by Sara Dunn
with Alan Scholcfield (Fawcett Columbine, New Yorx. 1991). A buly comprehensive a,llcdion. use-- fully divided aa:ording-to emotional response.
E.o11h Prrzym From Around tht World, Edited by Elizabeth Roberts and Bias Amidon (Harper. San Francisco, 1991). A boolc of rcadin~ for the tumingycaL It indudcs so~e unusual selections (Rumi. Native American chants, Neruda. Thich NhatHanh).
Wa"7' Music: Jane Yolcn and Jason Stemple (Boyds Mills Press. Honesdale, PA 1995). A lovely children's boolc of poems and photos about rivers.

nOiNICAL
~ Pt,y Writing Hantlboolr.: Neil Baldwin (Scholastic Boolcs. 1981). A modest and informative primer; a useful introduction to the teachi~g of poetry.
Pod,y E~m, Tmdiing Pot1,y Writing in ScJiool and in the Community: Jack Collom and Sheryl Noethe ITeachers & Writers. 199-4). One of the liveliest of the many teaching guides put out by T&W. Contains 60 writing exercises and more than -450 example poems (for excerpt sec p. 25).
A Cn,u, Domr't Nm! a Shadow, Writing Pod,y from Naturr-. Lorraine Ferra (Gibbs Smith, 199-4). Lots of good writing exercises for kids, with student examples too. and some excellent illustrations. Genuinely fresh and inspiring.
Tht Pt,y Conn:tion, .An .Anlhol~ ofCantanpora,y Pomu ll1ilh ldttrS lo Stimulate CMdmt's Wn1ing: Kinemh
Gensler and Nina Nyhart ITcachers & Writers Collaborative, 1978). A aisp, well-organized handbook with many imaginative examples.
Rost. WhOT Did Yau Gd That Rd?, Kenneth Koch (Vintage Boolcs. 1973). One of the classic handbooks for teaching great poetry in the classroom.
Tmcl,ing KJds IQ LIM lht E.orth, ShDring a Smll of Wondtr, 186 Outdoor Actillilio for Parmts and Othtr Tmchm: Marina uichcclci Herman. Joseph F. Passineau. Ann L Schimp( Paul Trcuer (Pfeifer-Hamilton.
1991). A compendium of ideas, most geared to small groups of children in the outdoors. Excellent boolc lists and usable indoor teaching ideas, too.
Tht Ad ofSama Writing, Dale Worsley and
Bernadette Mayer ITeachers & Writers, 1989). This is geared primarily to the writing of essays. but includes a terrific bibliography and a wide variety of examples. Some poetry assignments, too.
RIPARIAN ENVIRONMENT
Rimlcaper. George Ancona (Maanillan, New Yorx.
1990). This tells of the wod:: of John Cronin, who keeps environmental watch on Hudson River. Text a!'.ld photos illustrate his day-to-day adivitics. (Upper elementary and middle schoo0
Whtn tk Forrst Mtt11 tht Sea: Jeannie Baker (Grecnwillow Boolcs, New Yorx, 1987). A father
and son think about the history of plant and animal life in the riparian environment in the Australian rainforest environment. one of the oldest in the world, and the real life threat it faces. CPri~ry)
Tht World That Jade But1t: Ruth Brown (Dutton Oiildren's Boolcs, New Yorx. 1991)_ The stoiy is set in the English countryside, where a al goes &om
the beautiful grounds of the house that Jack built to the polluted stream and valley where Jack's factory resides. <Primary)
A Riva- Rmr Wild, Lynne Oicay (A Gulliver Green Boole. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. Publishers. New Yorx. 1992). Set in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. this is an environmental history of the Nashua River from its discoveiy by Indians to its death by industrial pollution and its subsequent revitalization. (Upper elementary)
-63-

l.tfs Explorr a R.ivtr: Donald Crump (National
Geographic, Washington. 0C. 1988). Photo essay of the many aspects of a river.
Angd Falls, A South Amcric.an}aurMy. Martin and Tanis
Jordan (Kingfisher. New York, 1995). A beautifully illustrated description of the rainforest riparian environment of the Carrao River in the Venezuelan Highlands and the subsequent fall of the river (Angel Falls) from the mountain top. Auyantepui (Upper elementary and middle school)
\f'hm tht Rivrrs Go Homt-. Ted Lewin (Macmillan. New York. 1992). Set in the Pantanal. a huge marsh in Brazil. this book describes the life of the animals and plants as well as the work of the vaqueros (Brazilian cowboys). (Elementary)
Wh~ /ht R.;,,rr &gins: Thomas Loclcer (A Puffin Pied Piper. Penguin Books, New York, 198-4). A beautifully illustrated description of a journey of two boys with their grandfather over meadows and up foothills to where the river begifts. This unnamed river is reminiscent of the Hudson River in New York. (Elementary)
Hudson Rivrr and Advmturr from tht Mountains to tht Sw, Peter Lourie (Boydes Mills/Caroline House, New York. 1992). Features photos of the 315-mile course of the Hudson from its source in a pond in the Adirondacks to its mouth al the southern tip of . Manhattan. (Upper elementary and middle school)
Sand R.ivrrs, Peter Matthiessen (Bantam Press, New York. 1982). The true story and photographs of a safari into the Selous \X'ildlife Reserve in Tanzania after that country gained its independence and became a socialist stale. Good descriptions of an East African riparian environmen~ as well as the complexities of human interactions. (High school)
Tnt Unfolding R.ivtr: Sally MacEachern. Senior Editor (A Ouarto Book. Running Press Book' Publishers. Philadelphia. PA. 1992). The book is a large foldout of a generic river from source to sea. It is a beautifully illustrated guide to the life of a river, the habitats through which it flows, and the wildlife that depends on il (Upper elementary. middle school and high schoo0
"A Day on tht River: Reinhard Michel (Barron's Educational Series, Inc. Hong Kong, 1985). The story is about the author's youth growing up at the mouth of the Danube in Lower Bavaria. It tells. in pidures and words. of the river in the early 1950s and ends with its death al the present time. (Upper elementary and middle school)
Tnt Paddock a Story in Praist of /ht &rlh, Lilith Norman (Borzoi Book. Alfred A Knop( New York. 1993). A
patch of ground in Australia, formed millions of years ago, endures constant changes. outlasting the elements and the plants, animals and people that come and go around il (Elementary)
"RMr Through lht Ases: Philip Steele (Eagle Books. Troll Associates. USA 199-4). This book takes you on a time journey through a fictitious riparian environment in northern Europe. It examines how people living along the river develop and change their environment over time from the Stone Age into the future. (Upper elementary and middle school)

Ldling Swift RMr Go: Jane Yolen (uttle Brown and C.Ompany, Boston, 1992). This is the stoty of the damming of the Swift River in Massachusetts and the flooding of that riparian environment to create the Ouabbin Reservoir lo supply Boston with water. (Elementary)
Protrx:ting Rivrrs and Stns: Ka mini K.handuri <Usborne Conservation Guides, Usborne Publishing, Ltd.. London, 1991 ). This book contains interesting facts from around the world about how we have destroyed and now musl protect our water resources. (Elementary and middle school)
RIVERS AS ROADS
Exploring Rivrrs: Derek Cullen and John MurrayRobertson (Schoolhouse Press Inc. Needham. MA 1988). The story of the exploration of some of the major rivers of North America. South America, Asia and Africa are included in this book. (Upper elementary and middle school)
Timmy O'Dowd and tht Big Ditch: Len Hilts (Harcourt Jovanovich and Brace, New York, 1988). Stories of the glory days on the Old Erie Canal. (Upper elementary)
Minn oftht Mmissippi: Caney Holling Holling (Houghton Mifflin Company. Boston, 1951). The book documents the journey of a turtle through the riparian environment of the Mississippi River. starting in the North Woods of Minnesota and ending in the Gulf of Mexico in New Orleans. (Upper elementary and middle school)
Paddl, to /ht &a: Caney Holling Holling (Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston. 1941 and 1969). The book documents the journey of a small canoe. carved by an Indian boy. that makes a journey from Lake Superior all the way to the Atlantic Ocean. (Upper elementary and middle school)
"So~ Rivtr-. Ted Lewin (Clarion Books. New York. 1995). The most sacred city, Benares. on the Ganges River in India, is the highest destination of all Hindu pilgrims. This book documents in beautiful walen:olors the journey of boats and people on this sacred road CElemenlaty)
Biography ofII River: Tnt Mmimppi: Edith McCall (Walker. New York, t990l. This book explores every aspect of life on the Mississipp~ &om its history lo commerce. It is a good introduction to Advmturrs of Tom Savr;tr or other Twain classics.
(Upper elementary and middle schooD
On /ht Go: Ann Morris Q.othrop. Lee and Shepard Books. New York, 1990). A photo essay for young children of transportation around the world; many are river transpor!a~n photos. <Primarxl __
Tht Erit Canal: Pder Spier (Doubleday, New Yoric. 1970). An illustrated version of the song. TM Em Canal (Elementary)
"Yangtzt. Oiina's Longest RMr. How lvian Wong (Otina Books and_ Periodicals. San Francisc:.o: 1989). The people, the environment and the journey on the Yangtze is documented in photographs and text. (Middle school and high schooD

0

0

0

0 Rii,m in /ht Dam. Willillm Mulholland 11nd /ht ln1Jt11ting
cf Los Angdts: Leslie Margaret Davis <Haiper
0 Perennial Harper C.Ollins Publishezs, New York,

0 199-4). The political and engineering struggle of
creating a "roaa to bring the water of the Owens

River 250 miles to Los Angeles. Oiigh school)

0

RIVER PEOPLE AND lHEIR EFFECTS

0

ON THEIR ENVIRONMENT
Ri"'1'gods. Exploring tht World's Grrat Rivrrs: Richard

0

Bangs and Otrislian Kallen <Yolly Solly Press

0

0 Book. Sierra Cub Books. San Francisco, 1985). This
is a pho~~ essay and in-depth text about the peo-

ples and terrains of rivers such as the Omo in Ethiopia. Bio Bio in Oiile and the Euphrates in

0

Turlcey and Iraq. lo name ,1 few. Oiigh school)

0

0 Orildrrn oftht Rim, Linda Crew <Bantam Doubleday Dell Books for Young Readers. New York. 1989).

This is the story of a young girl who flees the

0

Khmer Rouge from her river home in Cambodia

0 and her experiences trying to fit in the high school

0 on another river place in Oregon. (Upper elemen-
tary. middle school and high school)

0 Bittrr Mdon. /nsidt Amtric:a's Last Rural Chinrst TOll'II: JeH

Gillenkirk and James Motlow (Heyday Books, Berkeley. CA. 1987). The Sacramento Delta was

0

0 one of the few western sites where Oiincse immi-
grants escaped violence against them by whites.
0 The Oiinese reclaimed the flood lands of l.oclce for 0 agriculture. Many of these refugee farmers were
from the Pearl River region of Oiina. The book (ea-

0 . lures blaclc and white photos and interviews with residents of Loclce who either immigrated there or

were born there. (Middle school high school)

0

Whm tht RMr Runt A Porlrail cfII Refugrt F11mi/y:
Nancy Price Graff (Litle Brown and Company.

0

Boston, 1993). The book dcsaibes in words and

0

photographs the experiences 0 a Cambodian fam-

0 ily as they learn to adjust to a different way of life

0 living on the Oiarles River in Boston. (Upper ele-
mentary, middle school and high schoo0

1nt Molhtr Ditd,, Oliver LIFarge (Sun Stone press.

0

Santa Fe. NM. 1983). The text is in English and
Spanish and describes life along the "Mother

0

irrigation ditch coming &om the Rio Grande in New Mexico. (Upper elementary. middle school

0

and high schoo0

0

-SOcnd River: Ted Lewin (Oarion Books. New York. 1995). The most sacred city, Benares. on the

0

0 Ganges River in India. is the highest destination of
all Hindu pilgrims. This book documents. in beau-
0 tiful watercolors, the journey of boats and people

on this sacred road (Elementary) -sand Rivm: Peter Matthiessen <Bantam press. New

0

0 York. 1982). This book of text and photographs is

the true st0ty of a safari inlo the Selous Wildlife Reserve in Tanzania after that country gains its

0

0 indepe.ndencc and becomes a socialist state. Good
descriptions of an East African riparian environ
0 men! as well as the complexities of human inter-
actions with each other. (High schooD
0

0

0


~ma:an Basin, Vanishing Cl4/1urc: Jan Reynolds .(Han:ourt Brace and Company. New York. 1993).
The Yanomami live in the Amazon River basin. the largest tropical riparian environment in the .world Dramatic photographs and a simple narra-
tive invite readers to experience the daily life of a .vanishing culture. (Elementary)
fll':[Maggit Ltt Say~. Photograph, ofa Ri= Lift: Maggie
.MS.Lee Sayre' (University Press of Mississippi. Jackson, 1995). In 1930, Maggie Lee Sayre' began taking pictures with a camera given to her sister. Mas.gie was born deal She began to use film lo record her
life in a fishing family. on a houseboat along the Ohio and Tennessee Rivers. The camera became a
.way of oommunicating her identity and of engag-
ing in a dialog with a hearing world (Elementary. .middle school and high school)
.nishing Ptapla, Yanornom,: Ptaplt oftht Ant0%Dn: David M Schwartz O.Othrop. Lee and Shepard. New York.
.1995). The Yanomami people live where Braz.ii meets Venezuela. Gold miners are presently poi-
soning their river and destroying their way of life. .This book dOOJments their daily ways in hopes that
ii will encourage people to preserve. not destroy. .their way of life. (Elementary and middle school)
~ Through tht A~: Philip Steele (Eagle Books. Troll Associates. USA 1994). This book takes you on a
. m e journey through a fictitious riparian environment in northern Europe. It examines how people
.living along the river develop and change their .environment over timefrom the Stone Age into the
future. <Upper elementary and middle school)
. h m arr you going Marryonil Catherine Stock (Morrow Junior Books. New York. 1993). The book
describes the long walk to school of a child in Zimbabwe. During the course of the walk we
become acquainted with African life in a rural .area along the Limpopo River. (Elementary)
9":alivi: Amcricmu. Tht Ptoplt and tht l.nnd: Dana Walker
n.. (Frank Schaffer Publications. Carthage, 1993.)
.Interactive. cooperative lessons about conflict over land between the US government and the
.Ouinaull Taos. Flathead and Salish Indians.
e,angtzr. Orina's Longest River. How Man Wong
.~China Books and Periodicals, San Francisco, 1989). 9The people arc explored in this book. as well as .the environment and the journey on the Yangtze.
All of these are documented in photographs and .text (Middle school and high school)
.aw~RS AS BORDERS tht G,uzt River. Irene Beltran Hernandez (Arte Publico Press. University of Houston. TX 1989).
.This is a novel documenting the trials-of a family that crosses the Rio Grande illegally. with a
coyote," to enter the United States at Eagle Pass, Texas. (Middle school)
p.pforing R.ivi:n: Derck Cullen and John Murray Robertson (Schoolhouse Press. Needham. PA
1988). The story of the exploration of some of the major rivetS of North America, South America. .Asia and Africa are included in this book. (Upper
elementary and middle school)

"A Day on lht River. Reinhard Michel (Bar=n;~s .. Educational Series. Inc, Hong Kong. 1985). The
story is about the author's youth growing up at the mouth of the Danube in lower Bavaria. It tells. in pictures and words. of the rivet in the early t 950s and ends with its death at the present time. <Upper elementary and middle school)
"Nati~ Amtricans, Tht Ptoplt and tlrt Land: Dana Walker
(Frank Schaffer Publications. Carthage. IL 1993) Interactive, cooperative lessons about conflict over land between the US government and the Ouinaull Taos, Flathead and Salish Indians.
Frimdsfrom tht Othtt' Si<k, Amigos dd Otro Lado-. Gloria
Anzaldua (Children's Book Press. San Francisco,
1993). This book is in English and Spanish. A young boy has crossed illegally lo Texas from Mexico and receives help from a brave Mexican American girl (Elementary)
RIVER AS A METAPHOR
Pora/Id Myths: J. F. Bierlein (Ballentine Books. _New
York. 1994). This book explores myths from around the world in depth. Among the many sections presented arc an international collcdion of
creation myths and a similar coiled.ion of flood
myths. (High school)
Hou. tht Former Triclctd tht ,,,1 Dttnon: Alice Lucas (Pacific Asia Press. A Grec.nshower Cor:p. Covina, CA. 1994). This book is written in Hmong and
English. It is a classic Cambodian storyteller tale about a clever rice farmer. (Elementary)
Tnles from tht Amazan: Marin Elbl and J. T. Winik (Hayes Publishing Limited Ontario, Canada. 1986). This book has three tales told by the indigenous
people of the Amazon. (Elementary)
Lrgmds of &,,th, A.ir, Firr and Wnftr. Eric and Tessa
Hadley (Cambridge University Press. New York and London. 1985). This is a oollection of stories from around the world. (Upper elementary)
Tht Ri= that Go~ Gifts: Margo Humphrey (Children's Book Press. San Francisco, 1987). This is an Afro.
American story about four children who make their own special gih lo the beloved elder woman of the town. (Elementary)
The Ri= that Wmt 1o the Sly; Mary Medlioott
(Kingfisher, New York. 1995). Among the twelve
tales of African storytellers in this book. some deal
with rivers. (Upper elementary and middle school)
How We Came lo Ult Ffth Wo,ld, Harriet Rohmer (Oiildren's Boole Press, San Francisco, 1988). The
text is in English and Spanish and is a creation myth from ancient Mexia:>. (Elementary)
HOVI Night Gm,e Joanna Troughton (Bedfriclc/Bladc.ie, New York. 1986) This is a tale told by the Tupi Indians of Brazil The daughter of the great snake living in the river marries a mortal and night and daycome into being. (Elementary)
How the Birds Oiongtti Their f.eathm: Joanna Troughton
(lkdfridc/Blackic, New York. t 986). This is a tale told by the Arawak Indians of Guyana. A rainbow snake living in the rivet is captured and the birds, who are white. gain oolor. (Elementary)

The uzughing RMr. Elizabeth Haze Vega <Rayve
Productions Inc, Windsor, Canada, 1995). The
story of peace is incorporated with scored music and is intended lo be performed with Orff instru-
ments. Instructions for malting some of the instruments are included. (Elementary)
Tht Lrga,d oftht Ri= Li: M Jeanne Lee (Holl
Rinehart and Winston, New York. 1983). This ancient Chinese talc tells of a sea princess who wishes to lessen the hardships of the poor laborers employed in building the Great Wall of China. She seeks help from the Goddess of Mercy and the beauty of th~_ Rivet Li is the result (Elementary
TEOiNOLOGY RESOURCES
Amazon Trail (MECC Macintosh Disks) Students learn about plants. animals and the rainforest environment while trying to survive an expedition lo find a Peruvian Icing.
Dt:cisiom. Disions: Tnt EnllironmmL (Tom Snyder.
Macintosh, IBM Apple). Students interact with the oomputet lo make decisions about the cleanup of a polluted pond The Mayor. with the advice of his advisors, an environmentalis~ a campaign manager. .i scientisl and an economist, must set priorities for the cleanup as the Mayor faces an upcoming election.
Stdio, Sdrools, Projtd RillM Projo:;1 Rivas is a combined
effort of the Stellar Schools initiative of STEM-Net and Cable Atlantic, along with the Friends and Lobbyists of the Waterford River and the Ouidi Vidi/Rennies River Development Foundation. It brings together the resources of all these groups to provide the basis of classroom projects that will use the latest in communications technology to help classes appreciate riparian environments. 710. http//www,stemnetn{ca/Projects/Slellar/stelriv.ht ml(Excite)
Opa-ation Watmhtd. CD-ROM (Windows & Mac). A computer environmental advcnturcthat involves learns of playetS in a mission lo solve environmental problems. Players use oollaborative deci sion malting as they attempt to solve cases. National -'-H Council Supply Service c/o Crestar Bank PO Box 79126 Baltimore. MD 21279-0126 Tel: 301-9612934 Fax: 301-9612937
SOME INTERESTING WEBSITES:
California Academy of Sciences htp://www.calacademy.org
Exploratorium http://www.cxploratorium.edu/
John Muir Exhibit http://aldo.des.ucdavis.edu.John_Muir/John_ Muir_Ehibilhtml
Radar Images of Earth http://www.jplnasa.gov/sircxsar.hlml
U.S. Ceologkal Survey .
http://info.er.usgs.govI
CAn indicates a book listed more than once
because it fits in more than one category.)
-65-

0

0

0

0

0

0

Now the rain is falling, freshly, in the intervals between sunlight

0

0

a Pacific squall started no one knows where, drawn east as the drifts of warm air make

0

a channel;

0

it moves on its way, like water or the mind,

0

and spills this rain passing over. The Sierras will catch it as last snow flurries before

0

summer, observed only by the wakened marmots at ten thousand feet

0

0

and we will come across it again as larkspur and penstemon sprouting along a creek

0

above Sonora Pass next August,

0

where the snowmelt will have trickled into Dead Man's Creek and the creek spilled

0

into the Stanislaus and the Stanislaus into the San Joaquin and the San Joaquin into

0

the slow salt marshes of the bay.

0

0

That's not the end of it: the gray jays of the mountains eat larkspur seeds, which

0

cannot propagate otherwise.

0

To simulate the process, you have to soak gathered seeds all night in the acids of

0

coffee

0

and then score them gently with a very sharp knife before you plant them in the

0

garden.

0

0

You might use what was left of the coffee we drank in Lisa's kitchen visiting.

0

There were orange poppies on the table in a clear vase, stained near the bottom to the

0

color of sunrise;

0

0

the unstated theme was the blessedness of gathering and the blessing of dispersal-

0

it made you gl~J",,for beauty like that casual and intense, lasting as long as the

0

poppies last. /. ;-.,_

0

.....,, -:.~!:': --.--.--".'=.:i-.~.~~.~-. -.

.-'-!'
t~\ .
~/:"'r ..

-Robert Hass "Spring &in"

0 0

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0

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-66-

0

. __ ,.____

__.

.847 BERKELEY WAY

RKELEY, CALIFORNIA

94703 USA



TEL 510.848.1155

FAX 510.848.1008
.f.B:-MAIL: row@irn.org h1tp://www.irn.org RO'X' Ad,,,snr)' BoJrd
CUA.Ill.MAS
t{4.c:Hll B,,ce.r
J.,ME:,. BucH""""s GUt-'1AI,-;[ jL't,;(Al'
~.4LCOL\t ~1AII.G<.1LI:,..
rcTUl \{A.Tllll[~!io[S Ro,..- T11lH-'..rl
l.',"JI.lt'iUlOS.U
ll\US NE"TM'ORK
_.,,
---r-~ c::::::::::-, a..,.._.__,
,~

River of Words: Developing a Sense of Place
Place, like nature, is particular-certain plants grow here, but not there. In order to fully apprehend the significance of a place, and of our relationship to it, we must gather a volume of knowledge and ongoing experience and observation. Below are some ways of assembling a portfolio of __ information about a site.
Geography: Distinctive physical, social, political setting of the site
Include maps to show physical location (local, state, country, world) Note nearby physical characteristics (bays, buttes, valleys, deltas, etc.) as well as parks, museums, other points of interest Be familiar with surrounding communities: rural, urban, small towns and their social and economic components Know major cities within 50, 100, 200 miles Know and define the boundaries of your watershed List state and local capitals, county seats and other governmental districts Assemble maps and surveys of all kinds: topographic maps showing mountains, rivers, lakes, caves and canyons; vegetation maps; soil and geologic maps Know all the creeks, streams and tributaries in the region, underground as well Determine which waterways are free-flowing and which are dammed or channelized Acquire reports from a variety of surveys concerning the natural resources of the site Keep track of weather data and climatic information rainfall, flood and storm patterns, etc.
Ecology: Interrelationships of physical and biological aspects
Notes from walks, lectures, talks with experts in the fields of botany, geology, zoology, forestry Field notes from personal exploration of the site Lists and pictures of flora and fauna, noting which are rare, endangered or threatened Know which birds are migratory, which are resident Know where wildlife and birds rear their young
-67-

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0

0

Scientific reports, studies, readings from naturalists' journals

0

Books and specific field guides

0

0

0

Cultural history:

0

The human influence on and response to the site past and

0

present

0

Interviews with long-time residents and others involved

0

with the site

0

Archeological and anthropological reports and studies

0

Historic routes (trails, waterways, etc.) Settlement patterns

0

Economic development of the area, land use history

0

Specific site histories

0

Historic photos Newspapers, local library and county records -Environmental issues today that affect the site, including

0 0

scientific opinions and local sentiment

0

Books by local authors (past or present) in which the site

0

plays a role Poems, songs, movies or plays about the area

0

Art that depicts the site or its denizens

0

Folkways and crafts of the region (basketry, boat building,

0

etc.)

0

Adapted from "A Sense of Place for Environmental Education

0

and Interpretation," by Teanie & Richard Hilten

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

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Activities to Support River of Words
ii:llitt :: '{:il;:1:1:1::1:Jjl:J::ii1
\;t:: Utt'
"Watch Me Sinku Vidot Beaulieu - State Winnet Dtui~ Hills High School - Atlanta, GA
-69-



River of Words Curriculum Supplement

What's Your Ecological Address?

What follows is an adaptation of a quiz on basic perception of place that was originally published in Co-Evolution Quarterly, now known as Whole Earth Review. The quiz is culture-bound, favoring those children who live in the country over city dwellers, but even questions difficult for urban kids to answer (like naming edible plants in their region, for example) provide interesting possibilities for discussion and research (what kind of edible plants used to grow in_my area?).

1. Where does your tap water come from?

2. Where does your garbage go?

3. How many cfays till the moon is full?

4. \Vhen was the last time a fire burned your area?

5. What were the primary subsistence techniques of the culture(s) that lived in your area long ago?

6. Name five edible plants in your region.

7. From what direction do winter storms generally come in your region?

8. How long is the growing season where you live?

9. On what day of the year are the shadows the shortest where you live?

10. Name five resident and five migratory birds in your area.

11. What is the land use history of where you live?

..12. What species have become extinct in your area?

13. What kind of soil are you standing on? (It's down there somewhere, no matter where you're standing.)

14. From where you're reading this, point north.

15.

What

river

basin

(watershed) are

.

. .

y

o
.

u .

living

in?

16. What creek runs closest to your school? (Remember, it might be underground.)

Quiz compiled by: Leonard Charles, fim Dodge, Pamela Michael, Lynn Milltn11n, Victoria
Stockley

ROW Form 101112/12/96

-71-

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0

from Silenced Rivers: The Ecology and Politics of Large Dams

0

by Patrick McCully

0

A SHORT HISTORY OF RIVERS

0

To write history without putting any water in it is to leave out a large pan ofthe

0

story. Human experience has not been so dry as that.

0

-- Donald Worster

0

Rivers of Empire, 1985

0

0

All land is part of a watershed or river basin and all is shaped by the water which flows

0

over it and through it. Indeed, rivers are such an integral part of the land that in many

0

places it would be as appropriate to talk of riverscapes as it would be of landscapes. A river

0

is much more than water flowing to the sea. Its ever-shifting bed and banks and the

0

groundwater below, are all integral parts of the river. Even the meadows, forests, marshes

0

and backwaters of its floodplain can be seen as part of a river - and the river as part of

0

them. A river carries downhill not just water, but just as importantly sediments, dissolved

0

minerals, and the nutrient-rich detritus of plants and animals, both dead and alive.

0

0

A watershed starts at mountain peaks and hilltops. Snowmelt and rainfall wash over and

0

through the high ground into rivulets which drain into fast-flowing mountain streams. As

0

the streams descend, tributaries and groundwaters add to their volume and they become

0

rivers. As they leave the mountains, rivers slow and start to meander and braid, seeking the

0

path of least resistance across widening valleys, whose alluvial floor was laid down by

0

millennia of sediment-laden floods. Eventually the river will flow into a lake or ocean.

0

Where the river is muddy and the land flat, the sediments laid down by the river may form

0

a delta, splitting the river into a bird-foot of distributaries which discharge into the sea. The

0

river's estuary, the place where its sweetwaters mix with the ocean's salt, is one of the

0

most biologically productive parts of the river - and of the ocean. Most of the world's fish

0

catch comes from species which are dependent for at least part of their life cycle on a

0

nutrient-rich estuarine habitat.

0

0

The diversity of a river _lies not only in_the various_ types_of country it flows tprough but

0

also in the changing seasons and the differences between wet and dry years. Seasonal and

0

annual variations in the amount of water, sediment and nutrients drained by a watershed

0

can be massive, especially in dry areas where most of a year's rain may fall in just a few

0

individual storms. On average 85 per cent of the annual discharge of the Limpopo in

0

southern Africa flows from January through March; only one per cent from August through

0

-72-

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CREATING A WATERSHED IN YOUR HAND
SUMMARY:
Students use crumpled paper to create a miniature watershed model that demonstrates the basic geography of a watershed, how water flows through this system, and the impact people can have on the quality of our water.
GRADES: K-12
TIME: 10 to 30 minutes
MATERIALS: 8 1/2'; x 11" paper; one sheet for each student 3 different colors of water soluble markers several spray bottles of water
SETITNG: classroom
BACKGROUND:
A watershed is a geographic area in which water, sediments and dissolyed minerals all drain into a common body of water like a stream, creek, reservoir or bay. A watershed includes all the plants, animals and people who live in it, as well as the non-living components like rocks and soil. We are all part of a watershed, and everything we do can affect the surface and ground water that runs through this system. When you create your miniature watersheds, be sure to use water soluble markers-as the markers 'bleed' they demonstrate how rain moving through the watershed affects soil erosion and urban runoff.
ACTIVITI':
1. To create the watershed, crumple a piece of paper up into a tight ball. Gently open up the paper, but don't flatten it out completely. The highest points on the paper now represent mountain tops, and the lowest wrinkles represent valleys.
2. Oloose one color of water soluble marker and use it to mark the highest points on the map. Th~e points are the mountain ridge lines.
3. Choose a second color and mark the places where different bodies of water might be: creeks,. rivers, lakes, etc.
4. With a third color mark four to five places to represent human settlements: housing tracts, factories, shopping centers, office buildings, schools, etc.
-73-
From The Kids in Creeks Manual, San Francisco Estuary Institute, 510-231-9539

0

0

0

0

0

5. Use the spray bottles to lightly spray the finished maps. This spray represents

0

rain falling into the watershed. Discuss any observations about how water travels

0

through the system.

0

0

0

DISCUSSION:

What changes do you observe in the maps?

__

Where does most of the 'rain' fall? What path does the water follow?

0 0

Where does erosion occur? What happens to the human settlements- are any

0

buildings in the way of a raging river or crumbling hillside? How does the

0

flow of water through the watershed affect our choice of building sites?

0

How ~oes this map demonstrate the idea of watershed?

0

0

Exf'ENSIONS:

0

Look at a topographic map of the neighborhood to see if you can locate and

0

mark the ridge lines, creeks and rivers that make up your school's watershed.

0

Try to determine how a heavy rainfall and run-off might impact your

0

neighborhood. (See the "Mapping Your Watershed" activity.)
an Create imaginary watershed. Map out the landscape, the creeks and rivers,
and where you might place houses and schools. .

0 0

Discuss issues of land use and water quality. Play a simulation game that will

:.0

illustrate different viewpoints on how we use water. (A good example is the

0

activity, ''Guilty or Innocent?" in Ranger Rick's Nature Scope: Pollution
-Problems and Solutions.)

0 0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

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0

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0

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-74-

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MAPPING YOUR WATERSHED: USING A TOPOGRAPHIC MAP
SUMMARY:
Students use a topographic map to define the boundaries of the watershed around their school.
GRADES:~12
TIME: 1 hour
MATERIALS: topographic map which includes your school site a road map of the area around your school clear sheet of plastic the size of your map (mylar or acetate is available at art and office supply stores) dry erase markers and eraser or tissues other topographic maps for comparison and for learning about reading maps (optional)
SETTING: classroom
BACKGROUND:
A topographic map has lines to help you determine the height of mountains, hills, and valleys. These lines connect points on the map that are at the same altitude. By connecting the high points and ridges on a map you ~ locate the boundaries of your watershed. Locating your school on a topographic map can make it easier for students to understand how they fit into a watershed, where their stream or creek gets its water and how their actions can have an impact on the flow of water, for better or for worse. This activity is a good follow-up to the activity C 11 reating a Watershed in Your Hand."
ACTIVITY:
1. Have stdents study different topographic maps to become familiar with the markings on the maps and what they can tell us. How do these maps help us to determine the highest and lowest points?
2. Cover the topographic map with plastic and tack or tape it up on the wall (Covering the map withplasticwill allow-you to reuse the map for-0th~ classes, or for other activities. H you use dry erase markers you will be able to reuse the plastic covering as well.) Locate your school and mark it with a dry erasepen. You might need to use a street map to help you locate your school, house, etc.
3. Find bodies of water (creeks, streams, reservoirs, marshes, bays, etc.) and mark them in blue.
From The Kids in Creeks Manual, San Francisco Estuary Institute, 510-231-9539
-75-

0

0

0

0

0

4. Locate the highest and lowest points around your school. Use the contour lines and

0

numbers on the map to help you determine where these points are located. Mark the

0

highest points with a large 'X.'

0

5. Starting at the 'X' marks, draw arrows on the map to show the direction runoff will

0

flow. Water always flows downhill, and it usually takes the easiest path. You may

0

find that water has carved out areas of the land. Try to find the places where the

0

runoff will meet up with another body of water.



0

6. A watershed is an area of land that catches and drains water into a particular creek,
stream or river. If you look at the way water flows from the high points to the low

0 0

points on your map, you may find many small watershed areas. To define the

0

boundary olyour school's watershed, use the 'X' markings on the map and draw a

0

line through the marks to connect all the highest points around your school. Try to

0

locate any creeks inside this line. The area inside the line is your watershed because rain falling inside the line will drain down to the body of water near your school.

0

0

7. Once your map is complete, have students take it outside to see if they can observe

0

any of the landmarks they found on the map. How would they describe their

0

watershed? What kinds of plants and animals live in it? What kinds of physical and man-made features do they see? Can they see the highest point of land...any bodies

0

of water? What other things do they see that might affect the flow of water through

0

the watershed? (hills, buildings, power lines, ditches and culverts, etc.) You might

0

want to add some of these features to your map.

0

0

DISCUSSION:
What are the natural features of the landscape that determine and affect your

0

watershed? What are some human-made features that might have an impact on

0

the watershed,?

0

How does what you do at school affect water quality beyond the edge of your

0

map?

.

0

What materials might water pick up as it flows through your watershed? (dirt, leaves, fertilizers, litter, oil, etc.) Where will these materials eventually be

0

deposited?

0

Where does your school's (or home's) waste water go? Lc)cate your waste water

0

treatment plant (or septic tank) on the map if possible and mark its location.

uses? Does anyone at school keep track of how much water the school

What could

you do at schoolto conservewater and improve water quality?

0 0

Are you ever in a place that is not in a watershed?

0

0

0

0

0

0

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0

EXTENSIONS:
Contact your City's storm water representative and ask them to come in to show you how the storm drain system works, and to help you locate this system on
your map. Create a photo display or video illustrating your watershed. Follow the path of
water through your watershed on a walking or driving trip, from one of the
highest points in the watershed down to where runoff would meet up with a larger body of water, and take pictures of the landscape, evidence of runoff,
physical features that impact flow, etc. Do some research on land use and management issues in your community that
might affect rain and runoff in your watershed. Look for articles in the local newspape~ and interview city officials, farmers and gardeners, park rangers, etc. Study the Native Americans that once inhabited your area. Where in the
watershed did they live? How did their actions affect the quality of water?
_____,
-----~--~~~~[]!



I- -y------

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LESSON FROM NAT.IQNAL PR~JECT WET (K-12) CURRICULUM

iRainy-Day Hike



Grade Level: Upper Elementary, Middle School
II Subject Areas: Earth Science, Environmental Science, Geography
!i Duration: Preparation time: Part I: 30 minutes Part II: 30 minul0::'
Actidt\" time:
Part 1: 50 minutes
Part II: 50 minutes
Ill Setting: Classroom, schoolyard
II Skills: Gathering information (collecting, observing); Orga nizing (mapping); Analyzing; Interpreting
M Charting the Course This activity provides a good introduction to watersheds. Students make a model of a watershed in "Branching Out!" Students can investigate the possible effects of the run-off from their schoolyard in "A-maze-ing Water." Following this activity, students can explore aspects of nonpoint source pollution in "Sum of the Parts."
Vocabulary \,.,atershcd, nonpoint source pollution

What do a puddle 011 your playground and a nearby lake or stream have in common?
c,:..,.---....c-u~m~m---'
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,o.,..oa,.,v~ u- c(~
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Objectives Students will: identify the watershed in v-.hich their
school is located. explain the role the schoolyard plays
in the watershed.
MatedaCs Maps of tile local co,mmmity, showing
streams, lakes, and topography Drawing pal'cr
2 sets of copies of the Legend \\"atcrproof 011/erwcn, Cliphoards or sturdy cnrd/loard with
rn/il>a band to scrnre paper (Tape 2 pieces of cardboard to form a book; students can close map inside cardbo.,rd to keep it dry.) - Plastic wmp Pencil~
Making Connections Students may be familiar with the idea of a watershed, but unaware that they live and attend school within one. Observing water flm-ving through and collecting on their school grounds provides students with direct experience in their watershed.
8a~kground Puddles, streams, and lakes all have something in common. They collect water that has drained from watersheds. Watersheds arc like funnels; they are drainage basins where surface water runs off and drains into a common

collection site. Watersheds are separated from each other by land forms (ridge lines or mountain divides). Water falling on each side of the divide drains into different watersheds and collection sites.
Surface runoff flows over a school's grounds on its way ~ the collection site (e.g., a river); therefore, schoolyards are part of a watershed. (Puddles are the collection sites of mini-watersheds: land surrounding puddles are the minidrainage basins that empty into the puddle.) When the puddles overflow or the soil becomes saturated, water is released.
Often, materials carried by water to the school grounds (e.g., litter, twigs, leaves, oil) are left behind. Surface water leaving the school grounds may carry materials to the collection site of the watershed. These materials include soil, leaves, and twigs; litter; oil and gasoline from parking lots; and fertilizer from lawns.
As water flows from the school grounds, it combines with runoff from other land areas within the drainage basin. Materials from these other places are added to the water. While some substances decompose, settle out, or are filtered by soil, other matter continues to travel long distances downstream. Organic materials carried by the water nourish aquatic life. Some substances are toxic, however, and can endanger organisms consuming or living in the water.
Contaminants whose entry point into the watershed is difficult to locate arc classified as nonpoint source pollutants. Along with residential areas, agricultural fields, and paved parking lots, school grounds can contribute nonpoint sou rec pollutants. The schoolyard contributes point source pollution when the source of the pollutant can be traced back to a specific location on the school grounds (e.g., sewer, ditch, pipe).

Tlw Watercourse ;ind Council for E11\'ironme11tal Education (CEE).

-79-

0

---------------1!1

0 0 0

Procedure T Wann Up

map each area. Orient students to

group predict the direction water

0

which direction is north so all maps will flow through their section.

0

Show students a map of the community and identify local rivers or lakes. Ask the class if they think a connection exists between their schoolyard and these bodies of water. Tell the class they will take a fair-weather and a rainy-day hike, to study what happens to the water that falls on and flows over their school property.
Although plans for a rainy-day hike

face the same direction.
2. Remind groups to include the following: school buildings, parking lots, designated playgrounds, natural areas (trees, grass, flower gardens), with emphasis on water features like streams, temporary and permanent ponds, and constructed water features like bird baths and fountains.

Where do students think water will be stored? Are there ponds or low

0

spots?

0

6. Have students survey the

0

0 ground area of their section for pos-

sible sources of point and nonpoint

contamination (oil stains on park-

0

ing lots, trash, tainted soil near the school dumpster). What materials

0

could be on the roof of the school

0

will generate student excitement, th~ wait for a wet day may prove discouraging. The lack of rain offers the opportunity to discuss with

3. After students have completed their initial mapping, if there is a school building in their area, have them consider the following ques-

0 building that could be washed off
during a rain (bird and rodent drop-

pings, insects, dirt, roofing materi-

0

als, leaves, twigs, etc.)?

0

students the idea that people do not control the rain or other aspects of the weather. Remind students that even if people cannot "control" the weather, they can often predict it.

tions. Can they determine where the water that falls on the roofs goes? Does it flow off the roof into gutters that lead to waterspouts or does it fall directly onto the ground? Have

7. Assemble the map sections from the groups and post in the classroom. Have them summarize their predictions. How do the predictions of individual groups

0 0 0

Have students listen to, watch, or

students place an "X" on the build- relate to each other? Where do

0

read weather reports. When is rain ings to indicate the location of

students think water flows onto the

0

predicted? Students can mark the calendar with the date and continue

waterspouts. 4. Make two copies of student

school grounds? Where will it flow off the school grounds?

0

"preparations" for the hike.

maps, one for the fair-weather hike

0

T Tize Activity
P,nt I
l. In planning for the rainy day,

where students make predictions of water flow and one for the rainyday hike when students check their predictions.

Part JI 1. On a rainy day, have students dress properly; take them outside and begin a simple tour of the school grounds. Have students

0 0 0

have students create a map of the school grounds. Divide the grounds into sections and assign groups to

5. For the fair-weather hike, give each group a copy of their mapped section and the Legend. Have each

identify patterns of water flow.

0

0 Discuss what influences the direction
water moves. Have students:

0

0

I

0 0

0

0

0

0

(

0 0

0

0

0

Rainy-Day Hike Project WET Curriculum and Activity Guide

0

-80-

0



90 Angle

note slopes, depressions, cracks in the sidewalk, erosion trails, rocks, buildings, gardens, trees, etc.
compare how fast on;low water flows in different places.
identify ways v-.-a ter affects the surface of the school grounds (e.g .. watering plants, eroding soil, piling up litter, washing away litter) .
note water flo\,ing from the roofs of buildings and waterspouts.
2. Divide the class into their original groups and give each group a copy of their unmarked map section and the Legend. Have students indicate the following on their maps: direction and patterns of flowing water; natural and unnatural materials being carried onto and off their study area; and areas of standing water. Remind students to use pencils-ink runs. They can cover their note pads with plastic wrap or cardboard when they are not writing.
3. When students have completed their investigations, assemble the map sections and post. Arrows of adjacent map sections should line up. If they don't, discuss reasons for discrepancies.
T Wrap Up and Action
Have students summarize the general pattern of surface water as it flows across the school property. They should identify areas where the

flow of water is slowed by landforms and vegetation, collects in depressions, and flows off school property. Have them compare the completed map on the rainy-day hike to the map indicating their predictions. How accurate were their predictions?
Referring to a community map, discuss the school's location within a watershed. Trace the likely course of runoff from the school grounds into a local lake or river.
City engineers or planners have information on storm drainage systems, or can identify destinations of storm water runoff from streets and parking lots.
Have the class list uses of water in local lakes or rivers (e.g., drinking water, animal habitat, irrigation, swimming, fishing, etc.). Do any activities occurring on your school grounds affect, positively or negatively, the water moving across it?
Some school property plans incorporate surface water treatment systems, such as detention ponds, to reduce materials carried by runoff. Ask the principal for a copy of the school site plan. Does the plan show the surface water management system for the school?
If students believe their school grounds contribute to erosion or to point or nonpoint source pollution, they may want to develop a plan to

improve the area. They can plant trees or a garden, encourage parking lot patrons to keep their cars in tune, promote wise use of fertilizers and pesticides, etc.
Assessment
Have students: predict the movement of water
and possible contaminants across their school grounds (Part I, steps 5 through 7). identify the school's location within a watershed or in relation to a body of water (Wrap Up). list ways the school grounds positively affect water passing through the watershed (Wrap Up). locate sources of point and nonpoint source pollution on the school grounds (Wrap Up).
Extensions
To increase the detail of their study area maps, students may include measurements of slope. Slopes can be classified as level, gentle, moderate, or steep. How does steepness of slope affect rates of water flow, erosion, and sediment load? To measure slope, one student.stands at the top of the study are.a (top of the slope) and another student, holding a meter stick, stands at the bottom. The run or distance between the two students is measured. The student at the top holds one end of a string at his ground level and the other end is

-81-

The Watercourse and Council for Environmental Education (CEE).

0

0

0

-------------------1~

0 0

extended to the student at the bottom Resources:

Notes T

0

of the slope. A level is ne-eded to

Doppelt, Bob. 1993. Entering the

0

ensure the string is held straight. The Watershed: A New Approach to Save point at which the string intersects AmeriCJJ's River Ecosystems. Washing-

0

the meter stick held by the second

ton, D.C.: Island Press.

0

student is the rise. Slope gradient is calculated by di\'iding the rise by the

Qt Dorros, Arthur. 1991. Follow the

0

run.

Water From Brook to Ocean. New

0

-rrui-sne-

=

sIope gra d.1ent (expressed as a

percentage)

York, N.Y.: Harper Collins.
Qt Holling, Clancy. 1941. Paddle to
the Se11. Boston, Mass.: Houghton

0 0

On a community map, have students Mifflin Company.

0

use pins to locate the school and their homes. Do students share the same

Qt Locker, Thomas. Where the River

0

watershed address as the school?

Begins. New York, N.Y.: Dial Books.

0

They can observe surface runoff to see where the water goes. Topographic maps ma~' help locate ridge

Miller, G. Tyler, Jr. 1990. Resource Conservation and Management. Belmont, Calif.: Wadsworth Publish-

0 0

lines within the community.

ing Company.

0

@K-2 Option Have students work in small groups

Project WlLD. 1992. Activities "Puddle Wonders," "Where Does Water Run Off After School?" and

0 0

to investigate sites of flowing ,,ater "Watershed." Aquatic Project WILD.

0

on the school grounds They should Bethesda, Md.: Western Regional observe what is in the water. Caution En\'ironmental Education Council.

0

them not to touch the water, espe-

0

cially if the water is running off a

parking lot. Children can search the

0

area for natural materials with which

0

to construct tiny boats. Have boat

races to see how far and where the

0

boats travel. Students can draw

0

pictures describing what the tiny

boat might encounter if it flowed off

0

the school grounds. Discuss reasons

0

why the school grounds must be kept clean.

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

~

0

0

0

0

Rainy-Day Hike Proicct WET Currirnlum and Activit11 G ,idr

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v S .....................

Legend

arrow5 indicate direction of water flowing onto and away from 5tudy area

a leaf.indicate5 natural material5, such a5 leave5, soil, and twlg5, that might have been carried onto study area from another location

C- . . . . . __~ .;__.__

~ a puddle 5how5 where water collect5 in the 5tudy area

a crumpled ball of paper indicate5 unnatural material5, 5uch a5 litter, oil, and chemical5, that might have been carried onto the 5tudy area from another location

a flower ehow5 thing5 that help slow the flow of water

a 5haded leaf indicate5 natural material5 that are being or could be carried away from the study area

a shaded, crumpled ball of paper indicates unnatural material5 that are being or coul,lbe carried away from the study area
--==~;.;.:~~3- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -...

The Watercourse and Council for Environmental Education (CEE).

SURF AND SAND

A FUN PROJECT WET ACTIVITY DEMONSTRATING % OF: SURFACE WATER ON PLANET EARTH

MATERIALS NEEDED: EARTH BALL

0

ASK STUDENTS WHAT PERCENT OF THE EARTH IS COVERED

0

WITH WATER. (USGS STATISTICS ARE ABOUT 78%) YOU

0

WILL SEE STATISTICS FROM 70-80% AND THAT IS ALMOST

0

ALWAYS WHAT THIS ACTIVITY WILL DEMONSTRATE.

O

0

THROW THE EARTH BALL OUT AND HAVE A STUDENT CATCH

0 0

IT. TELL THEM THEY ARE TO COUNT THE NUMBER OF

0

FINGERS TOUCHING OR PARTIALLY TOUCHING WATER. HAVE

0

ANOTHER STUDENT RECORD THE TOTALS FOR SURF/WATER

0

AND SAND/EARTH. THEN HAVE THAT STUDENT TOSS THE

0

EARTHBALL TO ANOTHER STUDENT. THAT STUDENT COUNTS

0

THE NUMBER OF FINGERS ON SURF AND SAND AND THE

0

RECORDER PUTS THE NUMBERS DOWN. THIS CONTINUES

0

UNTIL TEN STUDENTS HAVE HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO CATCH

0

THE EARTHBALL. (GIVES YOU 100 FINGERS) YOU HAVE YOUR

0

RECORDER OR THE CLASS ADD THE NUMBERS FOR SURF AND THE NUMBERS FOR SAND AND TOTAL THEM. IT WILL BE

0 0 0

AMAZINGLY. ACCURATEII

0

0

THIS IS A FUN INTRODUCTION TO A DISCUSSION ABOUT

0

WATER.

0

0

QUESTIONS - CALL PETEY GIROUX OR MONICA KILPATRICK

0

404-675-1638

404-675-1762

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STATE COORDINATORS/PROJECT WET

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0

0

0

--84-

0

NORTH CAROLINA

Project WET

Environmental Protection Division

0

JS

Miles

Lek Seminal

FLORIDA

GEORGIA RIVERS AND LAKES
Map Produczd by GA EPD Hazardous WISIO Mana&l'Jl)ODI Brandl. 19



-- --------GEORGIA LAKES AND STREAMS

QUESTIONS

1. WHAT RIVERS FORM THE STATE BORDER BETWEEN SOUTH CAROLINA AND GEORGIA?
2. WHAT MAJOR RIVER RUNS THROUGH METROPOLITIAN ATLANTA?
3. NAME THREE MAJOR RIVERS SHARED BY GEORGIA ANO FLORIDA .
4. WHAT MAJOR LAKE IS NORTHWEST OF AUGUSTA?
5. THERE ARE TWO CHATTOOGA RIVERS IN GEORGIA. ONE IS LOCATED IN THE NORTHEAST CORNER OF THE STATE FORMING THE STATE BORDER. WHERE IS THE OTHER?
6. NAME THE FIVE RIVERS WHICH DRAIN DIRECTLY INTO THE ATLANTIC OCEAN?
7. WHAT TWO LAKES ARE CONNECTED BY THE FLINT RIVER?
8 . HOW MANY OF THE MAJOR RIVERS AND LAKES IN GEORGIA END IN -EE"?
9 . WHAT COUNTIES ARE IN THE OCHLOCKONEE RIVER BASIN?
.
10. WHAT RIVER BASIN IS COLUMBUS, GEORGIA IN?
11 . THE TALLAPOOSA RIVER RUNS THROUGH WHICH COUNTIES IN GEORGIA?
12. UNSCRAMBLE: UMENOSE - THIS LAKE IS SHARED BY TWO STATES
13. THIS RIVER IS NAMED FOR A TYPE OF STONE USED BY THE NATIVE AMERICANS TO START FIRES. WHAT IS THIS RIVER?

__________ -........................................................................................................

- - - - -.....................-.....
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0

0.

0

------------------

0

0

0

14. WHAT RIVER ALMOST REACHES FROM THE NORTHEAST

0

CORNER OF GEORGIA TO THE SOUTHWEST CORNER?

0

15. WHAT ARE TWO MAJOR RIVERS IN GEORGIA THAT FLOW

0

SOUTH TO NORTH? (HINT: STRANGELY, THEY ARE ON

0

OPPOSITE ENDS OF THE STATE.)

0

0

16. WHAT 1996 OLYMPIC EVENT WAS HELD AT SIDNEY LANIER LAKE?

0

0

17. WHAT MUDDY RIVER IN GEORGIA DO PEOPLE OFTEN RAFT

0

DOWN?

0

18. NAME ONE OF THE TWO MAJOR RIVERS WHICH HAVE A LARGE

0

WATERFALL .BY THE SAME NAME IN NORTH GEORGIA.

0

0

19. WHAT LAKE IS DOWNSTREAM OF ATLANTA?

0

20. HOW MANY RIVER BASINS ARE THERE IN GEORGIA?

0

0

21 . . WHICH MAJOR GEORGIA RIVER HAS ITS HEADWATERS

0

(START) IN THE HELEN, GEORGIA AREA?

0

.. ~

0 0



0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

.0

0

0

0

0

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-----------

----------------

0

-88-

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,,,. . :- .

ANSWERS

1 . SAVANNAH RIVER & CHATTOOGA RIVER

2 . CHATTAHOOCHEE RIVER

3 . SUWANEE RIVER ST. MARY'S RIVER ALAPAHA RIVER WITHLACOOCHEE RIVER OCHLOCKONEE RIVER

4 . CL.ARKS HILL LAKE

5 . IN THE NORTHWEST CORNER OF THE STATE AND PARTLY IN ALABAMA .

6 . SAVANNAH RIVER ALTAMAHA RIVER SATILLA RIVER

OGEECHEE RIVER ST. MARY'S RIVER

7 . BLACKSHEAR LAKE AND SEMINOLE LAKE

8 . SIXTEEN (THIS NUMBER MAY VARY IF ANOTHER MAP IS USED}

9. THOMAS COUNTY
COLQUITT COUNTY GRADY COUNTY

MITCHELL COUNTY WORTH COUNTY

10. CHATTAHOOCHEE

11 . HARALSON COUNTY PAULDING COUNTY CARROLL COUNTY

12. SEMINOLE LAKE

13. FLINT RIVER

____ _ ____________ ___ -....-..................................._............._.................. ..

......._......................_....__......

.

__ ..,___..... ..........._............. .... .~

-89-

8

---------- ,__._______,_______________I

Q 0

Q

0

C)

0

14. CHATTAHOOCHEE RIVER

0

15. ST. MARY'S RIVER AND TOCCOA RIVER

C)

C)

16. ROWING

0

8

17. CHATTAHOOCHEE, (CHATTOOGA)

0

18. TOCCOA RIVER AND TALLULAH RIVER

0

0

19. - WEST POINT LAKE

0

20. FOURTEEN

-0

0

21. CHATTAHOOCHEE RIVER

0

0

0

0

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0

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Can )'OU ti.ad the rwnes o(ihcsc 41 Georgia rivers. W:.c:s and rcs.cnoin?

RIVERS:
Alapaha Alcovy Alwnaha Apala.chec
Broad Canoochcc Chaaahoochec Chattooga Chattooga Conasauga
Coosawan~

Elijay Etowah Flint Ochlod::onec Ocmulgec Oconee Ogecchec Ohoopcc Oosanaula Satill.a

Savannah Soque
South
StMuys Suwannee Tallapoosa Ta.Dulah Toccoa Yuga.loo Withlacooehee
Yellow

LAICESAND RESERVOIRS:
Allatoona Blackshear Bwtor1 Carten Ctwugc ClatbHill l-wtwclJ Jaclcson

Oconee Nottcly Russell Seminole Sidney Lanier Sinclair Walter F George WestPoint
-91-

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Can you find the u.amcs ofthese 48 Georgia rivers. bk.cs and rc:scnvirs?

RIVERS:

Alapaha Aleovy Altamaha Apala.cbce Broad Canoochee Chattahoochee Chattooga Cbauooga
Conasaug.a
Coosawattce

Elijay Etowah
Flint
O:hlockonee Ocmulgee Oconee Ogeccbee Oboopec Oostanaula Satil1a

Savannah Soquc
South StMafys Suwannee
Tallapoosa Tallulah Toccoa Tugaloo Withlacoochc:c: Ydlow

LAI<ESAND
RESERVOIRS:
AJlatoona Blackshear Bwton Carters Chatugc ClarlcsHill Hartwdl Jackson

Oconee Noudy Russell Seminole Sidney Lanier Sinclair Walter F George Wc:st"Point
-~2-

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Georgia River Quilt Project
Linking Our C.Ommunities & Rivers through Visual Ans
A Partnership between
Oxbow Meadows Environmental Learning Center & Georgia River Network

CREATING A VISUAL LEGACY1LLUS1RATING SUPPORT FOR 1HE RIVERS OF GEORGIA BY 1HE STATE'S OTIZENS
TI-if GEORGIA RIVER QurLT PROJECT LINKS OUR COMMUNITIES BY:
Creating a pennanent visual representation of the support for Georgia's rivers, streams, wetlands, lakes, ponds, estuaries, groundwater aquifers, and ocean by the people who live near these water resources and depend upon them;
Expanding the network of students, scouts, businesses, civic organizations & clubs, environmentalists, historians, government officials, recreation enthusiasts & others who support protection of the water resources in Georgia;
Exploring the challenges -which face our rivers and considering potential solutions; and Promoting the fonnation of new relationships among communities, citiz.ens, schools, and
businesses and helping to dissolve artificial governmental boundaries between communities.

TI-if A.I.MS OF THE GEORGIA RIVER QUlLTPROJECT ARE:

For teachers

- to provide a creative way to teach about our environment and water resources

For students

- to provide a way to learn about nature & the impacts of our actions on the environment and our water resources

For communities - to instill awareness of our aquatic resources in the people of Georgia

- to provide a visual bond that illustrates the flow of water through our lives

- to create an endless myriad of quilts that will blanket the state

- to display the quilts in gatherings with schools, scouts, clubs, civic organizations, government entities or businesses - at any place where citiz.ens with an interest in our rivers are gathering

ENTRY DEADLINE: JANUARY 30, 2004

QUlLTS \X'lLL BE JUDGED IN THE FOLLOWING CATEGORIES: ELEMENTARY, MIDDLE, & HIGH SOiOOL. FOR NON-SOiOOL GROUPS, CATEGORIES WILL ING.UDE YOUIH OR.GANIZATIONS
AND ADULT ORGANIZATIONS.

SELECTED QUILTS WILL BECOME PART OF A TOURING COLLECTION FOR 2004-2005
TO RAISE AWARENESS OF RIVER ISSUES AND DEMONSTRATE PUBLIC SUPPORT OF OUR WATERS.

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0

0

Georgia River Quilt Project - School O:>ntest Sign Up Form

0

D Yes! I, or my organization, want to participate by making a panel for the Georgia River Quilt Project.

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D No! I, or my organization, cannot participate at this time, but please contact us at a later date.

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D I, or my organization, am interested in displaying the quilts.

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Name:- - - -

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School: - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

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Phone: - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Fax: - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

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iMail to: i Dr. Becky O,arnpion Ox~ow ~ea~ows/ C.Olwnbus State University

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, 422:, Uruversity Avenue

C.Olumbus, GA 31907

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For inquines about the school categories, including specific instructions, please contact:

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Dr. Becky Oiampion

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Oxbow Meadows Environmental Leaming Center

Ph:

(706) 687-4090

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Fa..-x:

(706) 687-3020

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E-mail: champion becb@colstate.edu Website: http://oxbow.colstate.edu/

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GEORGIA'S 14 MAJOR RIVER BASINS ARE VITAL To Us All

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Georgia is blessed with a wealth of natural resources, including fourteen river basins that support a rich diversity of native fish and mussel species. These basins include the Altamaha, Oianahoochee, C.oosa, Flint,

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Ocklocknee, Oconee, Ocmulgee, Ogeechee, Satil13:, Savannah, St. Marys, Suwannee, Tallapoosa, and

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Tennessee. A river basin consists of the entire geographic area from which water flows into the primary river.
Rain falling within a river basin, or watershed, will run downhill until it reaches a stream Small streams join
other streams, growing in size and volume and forming an extremely important network until they reach the

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main river. Nearing the coast, our rivers flow into estuaries, diluting ocean water to the perfect salinity to form

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nurseries for the young animals upon which our seafood industry depends, until they reach the Atlantic Ocean.

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Rivers not only provide habitat for fish, aquatic invertebrates, amphibians, and terrestrial fauna, but they are

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used by people for water supplies, recreation, irrigation for agriculture, and transportation. Our quality of life is

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dictated by the quality and quantity of water in our rivers. Unlike many states, all of the rivers in Georgia are

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born in Georgia. Thus, the citizens of Georgia are both responsible for and have a vested interest in the protection and conservation of the waters in our state.

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LEARN MORE ABour WHAT You CAN Do To PROTECT OUR RIVERS AThttp://oxbow.colstate.edu/

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InspitationaI Stories from
Georgia Teachers
"Photogtaphet At Wotk" uuta Myers - National Finalist Dtuid Hills High School -Atlanta, GA
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J.C. Booth Middle School Students Discover the Flint River Watershed
I teach enrichment (gifted) science to sixth, seventh, and eighth grade middle school students. As a first semester major project, my students selected and completed a project to be entered in a national science contest. Some of the projects the students chose from included the NASA Student Involvement Program, Toshiba Exploravision, and Craftsman Young Inventor. I was always seeking additional and diverse selections from which my students could choose so that each might tap their interest and creativity strengths. River of Words was brought to my attention at the end of the 1999-2000 school year.
I offered River of Words as a project choice in the fall of 2000. Approximately 20% of my students chose to participate in this contest. The structure for this project included background research into our watershed, a poetry entry related to their research, and an art entry related to their research. Students of each grade level chose this option.
To get the project off the ground, we were fortunate enough to have Kristen Sanford of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources meet with students who had chosen this project. She related information and answered students' questions, as well as offered them her email as a contact should they have questions throughout the project. Her talk inspired students to seek all they could on the Flint River watershed and to devise both prose and pictures in a creative fashion. Their research took them to the Internet for data and to the banks of the river for inspiration
The project due date brought wonderful results. Students proudly presented their work to their classmates, told what they had learned about their watershed, read their poetry and presented their drawings or photographs. At each grade level, this project option tapped creativity not offered by the other contests, which was ever so appropriate for the students who made this selection. Their enthusiasm was contagious and I was very pleased with the work submitted to the national contest.
In our first year effort, two of my students were state winners, one for poetry, one for both poetry and picture. In the second year, only one student was a state winner, however her poem appeared on the state poster. With these successes and what was learned by all involved, this contest became a mainstay of the choices.
With the new emphasis on science fair, the contest projects have been moved to second semester. Last year I made River of Words the only choice. The work was amazing and the interest level was high. Creativity blossomed and I proudly sent their entries to be judged. Four of my students rose to the state award level, one in poetry and three in art. I am very proud of all my students and very pleased to have been able to offer them this opportunity to learn about and enjoy their watershed.
Jennifer Ritter J.C. Booth Middle School Fayette County School
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Inspirational Story from Jennifer Ritter's Student, 2003

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First it started out as another school project. I thought "Who wants to take pictures of

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water, or even worse, write about it?" I borrowed my mom's digital camera, and I rode

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my bike down to the Line Creek Nature Area, a wooded area with trails and streams

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running through it. Line Creek is a tributary into the Flint River, which is my

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watershed. I was not happy because of two reasons, the first one being I didn't want to

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ride my bike when there were more comfortable ways of transportation, and second of

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all, I couldn't go over to my friends house because I had to do schoolwork on the

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weekend.

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I got there and started taking pictures at various points along the streams. I took a lot of

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Iu \ pictures. The more pictures I started taking the more I got to thinking, "It isn't that stupid
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to be taking pictures of water, I mean water has been one of the building blocks oflife,

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and it always will be. It is a symbol for freedom. Constantly flowing and never ceasing."

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I wanted to capture the view point of water always twisting and turning to a new place. I

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finally found a spot where the stream went over a rock and it made a small waterfall. I

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took many pictures of tha't same spot, and decided on one where I was down low and

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right up close to the fall. I now have a different viewpoint about what water is. I realize

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that it is taken for granted and that it may not always be there. It was, is, and always will

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be an essential for humankind to exist.

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Craig Handy 8th Grade

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J.C. Booth Middle School

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River of Words lets The Mind Flow... ..and flow. .. and flow. .. and flow. ..
For the past three years The River of Words Program has inspired a wave of enthusiasm out of the students of the little Casa Montessori School here in Marietta. I first heard about the program from a former teacher at Casa who had brought the program from her previous school. We adopted it into our Upper Elementary (4,5,& 6th grade) curriculum and it has mushroomed into a project enjoyed by many of the teachers at different levels.
Casa is a special and unique place. Conservation on all levels has been practiced here for many years. Respect for our land and resources is taught to the very youngest of 2 1/2 year olds. From only bringing lunch packed in reusable containers, using"cloth napkins, saving scraps for the compost pile and learning to care for plants in the garden.
The students I teach have been brought up through this mindset so that when I get them they are ripe for the picking! We make several overnight field trips d ming the year to get a real immersion into the environment. Last year we camped on Georgia's National Seashore, Cumberland Island and in the mountains of North Carolina. This year I an1 taking them backpacking along the Appalachian Trail. I can't wait to see what creative material they will come away \\"ilh .
RiYer of\Vords is the pedect way to incorporate water education into an art form. The creati,e juices flow and so much pours out of their young minds. I start by opening all the doors and drawers of the art room and let each child pick which medium suits them best. \Ve have water color, pastels, crayon, pencils and chalk all going at the s,m1e time. Poetry is also encouraged. This acts as an equalizer for those who may not feel as confident using one material verses another.
The contest is an equalizer not only on the classroom level but on the school level as well. Paiticipating in this national contest gets the students so excited about somehow being connected to a greater purpose. We will continue to let River of \\1ords keep our minds and ideas flowing as water to the sea.
Theresa Dean Upper Elementary AI1 Teacher Casa Montesso1i School Marietta, Georgia
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GEORGIA ROW RECEIVES RECOGNITION THROUGH THE NATIONALRIVEROFWORDSPROGRAM GEORGIA ART TEACHER, PAMELA SEGERS IS NATIONAL RIVER OF WORDS TEACHER OF THE YEAR-2000
Georgia Riwor of Words was honored at the Library of Congress in April~ 2000 with a National Grand Prize Winner and with the National Teacher of the Year for River of Words. We asked Ms. Segers to write about her experience with River of Words and the following is what she
would like to share with other educators in Georgia.
Whco I first lea.med of the River of Words contest, it was from a student who had seen a poster advertisement and brought it in. This is important because if Angela Giles, last year's Grand Prize Winner, had not brought the opportunity to my attaition, I _would not have gone to Washington., D.C. to accept the av.'3.fd of National River of Words Teacher of the Year. It is also important bcwuse it indicates ho,v eager my students at Avondale High Schoo~ and others across this great nation, arc for these opportunities. They are thirsty for a chance to experience these aspects of Life. One of these aspects is the idea of a river. Making people aware of our
eO\ironrnent is an important issue in today's society.
By participating in this contest, students develop their creativity and gain a better av.-areoess of their cn.,ironrncnt. More specifically, they learn the impact of v.'3.ter and how its presence, or in some cases, its absence, can directly and indirectJy affect their lives. The River of Words gives students a way to express that awareness in a unique and creative way.
TI1c students at A vond.ak High School were honored at the Library of Congress because they h.:wc truly worked hard at developing their creative abilities. Creativity is believed by many, a
gift given to a ch()S{.,--n few. I believe creativity is indeed a divine gift, but one that has been gjvcn
to us all. Anyone and everyone ca.n be creative. Everyone can be more creative than he or she is
currently. Everyone can because each of us possesses creative abilities that can be exercised and
strengthened, just like our physical abilities.
Psychologists have discovered that creative ability is distributed more or less equally among all of
us. The difference in crcati,ity solely depends oo bow effectively each individual uses his or her inner resources. To be more creative, all you need to do is to flex and exercise your creative muscles. Children arc widely rcx:ogni.z.ed as being more creative than adults. One reason for this
is that muscles, physical or mental, atrophy with disuse. The child in us grov-.;s old and much of our naturaJ creativity is ignored or repressed.
So, I challenge other teachers and students. Do not allow your creative muscles to be repressed. The Riw~r of Words cont.est offers a wonderful opportunity for a creative workout. You will have to workout in order to improve your creativity and the only doors closed in Y<?ur path are the ones you fail to open. You can be anything or do anything that you set your mind to do, although you won't be abk to do it alone or without a good workout.
Pamela Segers Art Teacher A vondak High School Dekalb County
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River of Words: A palette for inspiration

For the past three years my art and photography students have participated in The River of Words International Environmental Poetry and Art competition. I usually avoid "poster" contests like the plague and was reluctant when in November of 1999 an exuberant and wonderful first year teacher and coworker, Lynn Giroux, told me about River of Words. (Actually when I $aw the word "poster" the flight instinct almost had me out the door.)
Lynn was excited and had great ideas. She succeeded in convincing me that we should provide this opportunity to our students. We sat down together and designed a lesson plan. It took me about two seconds to begin to see the wonderful teaching opportunities that this program could offer to our students. That first year we focused on the elements of art, specifically pattern and repetition. The students' images revolved around ecosystems, wildlife, and flora and fauna indigenous to the state of Georgia. Lynn and I taught the students about the 52 Georgia watersheds, focusing on the metro Atlanta area. The results were wonderful! Beginning art students received state and national recognition. I was hooked. I expanded my horizons by developing units for my photography and Advanced Placement classes.
The project has proven to be successful on all levels. Not only are my students completing assignments that are aligned with my art curriculum, they are creating images that are addressing an issue that is becoming more and more relevant as our drought continues. Each year the sophistication of my students' work inspires me. They create relevant and moving imagery that communicates the importance of ,,vater in all aspects of our lives. They also create imagery that illustrates what the not so distant future may hold if we destroy our watersheds. Each year my students participate I am more excited about the possibilities.
I am hoping to expand River of Words at Druid Hills to include an ESOL class. RO\\T is a perfect venue for teaching English to non-native speakers. There is the wonderful opportunity to utilize maps, photographs, pictures and realia to teach concepts and new vocabulary. And, more importantly, ROW would provide the opportunity to teach ESOL students about the new environment in which they live.
ROW is a wonderful palette with which to inspire your students. Three years ago I was inspired to utilize ROW in my classroom. 1 wasinspired by a first year teacher with the skills of a veteran. That inspiration has been like a drop of water on pond. The light continues to catch on the silent ripples traveling in a wide arc.

Betsy Eppes Druid Hills High School

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Lewis Elementary School Project WET School of the Year 2000-2001

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We were thrilled ,vhen we received the news that Travis Baker and Shannon O'Keefe were

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National Grand Prize Winners in the 2001 River of Words contest. These students in the 2nd

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grade at Lewis Elementary School in Cobb County were eager and ready when the ROW contest was presented to them.

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Here at Lewis Elementary, the entire staff used "water" for it's year-long theme. Le\\ris

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Elementary School was the Project \VET School for the Year for 2000-2001. Using the Project
WET activities and Curriculwn Guide, students K-5 were introduced to the ma.r:iy facets of water

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and were very prepared for the "Make a Splash with Project \VET Water Festival" that kicked

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off the school year in September.

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Some of the student's favorite activities we used to further prepare our students for the ROW poetry and an contest were:

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Reading The River Ran Wild by Lynn Cherry, the students found out how pollution

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effects their daily lives. This activity caused the students to think about their own watershed and they decided to have a "clean-up" of our school campus, which includes a

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stream.

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The importance of water in the lives of people long ago was discovered through our long

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ago unit and field trip to the Tullie Smith House, and read the Atlanta History Center. We also included the Project WET activity, The Long Haul and read the Project WET

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story, The Bath.

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Our study of the Water Cycle taught students about water and how it flows.

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Discovering and discussing the importance of water in the lives of animals and their

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habitats.

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Walking through the ROW "River" display at school was an additional motivation for students.

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It was quite impressive. We feel the combination of the water festival and the ROW display

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inspired students to participate in the ROW contest who might not have entered otherwise.

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The 2nd grade teachers at Lewis Elementary School use a team-teaching approach using the

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strengths from each teacher. Students received emphasis on art, language, geography, and other

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areas that they could pull from during their ROW creations.

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As teachers, we learned a lot from the students who entered the ROW Art and Poetry Contest.

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Seeing the value of the River of Words Contest, in the future, we have decided to make it a class

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project having each students in our classroom create their very own poetry and art to reflect what

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they have learned about their watershed.

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Debbie Ellington - 2nd Grade Teacher of Travis Baker, National Grand Prize Winner-Poetry

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Stephanie Maynard - 2nd Grade Teacher of Shannon O'Keefe, National Grand Prize Winner-Art

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Cobb County Schools

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Photography and River of Words
Why are photographs so compelling? What makes photographs so important to our life experience?
A photograph provides visual proof and confirmation of our experiences. Photographs supply the evidence of what happened or what was seen. Happy occasions like weddings, birthdays and anniversaries are re-lived over and over again with photographs. Travel and vacations are also remembered through photographs. Did you really see the Eiffel Tower? Yes! Look at the photographs.
And when there is a crime, there are always photographs. Photographs show exactly what the crime scene looked like, and they may be used as evidence or to provide proof m coun .
I teach photography to 135 high school students. Throughout the school year, each of my
students will complete about 20 photography assignments. I already know that the
assignments in which my students will excel are those that mean something to them. Photograph Your Best Friend, Photograph Your Family, and Photograph Your Neighborhood- these are deeply personal assignments to my students - and each student will produce a different result to these assignments. Because these are individually, intrinsically meaningful assignments, each student will also do well.
Therefore, Riier of Words is a perfect photography assignment. Environmental protection and conser,ation is important to my students, their families, and friends. Photography is evidence; photography is proof; photography is an accurate record of a moment in time. And, for my students, the daily assault on our environment is deeply personal - it's a community-based issue. Our own community has problems with overdevelopment and runoff. Our lakes are silting up, and habitats are being lost. We have spills near our school that kill fish in our local streams.
The River of Words assignment asks students to show what is happening in our environment. Students may use both positive and negative images. Essentially, camera in hand, students are asked to look for evidence that the environment is in trouble or that it is improving.
We do not start our River of Words assignment by studying the environment, however. We begin by studying photographer W. Eugene Smith who did work on mercury pollution in Minamata, Japan. My students are fascinated by his work.
Then, we talk about watershed problems and opportunities. We are looking for ideas and concerns. We identify descriptive words about pollution and environmental damage. We talk about other photographers' images of the environment. We paint word pictures of images that come to mind. Frequently, these images come from things students have seen on TV or in print. This reinforces the concept of photography as evidence. We discuss what comprises evidence, where evidence may be found, why it is important to
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photograph real evidence vs. staged, and how to photograph evidence - either positive or negative. Finally, students relate personal stories - involving themselves, their families, or their friends - in identifying and repairing environmental damage in their little. comer of the world.
A high interest level drives the River. of Words assignment. Many families get involved with their students in this opportunity. In our area, for instance, we have parents who are involved in trying to save a local lake from filling up with sediment from uncontrolled runoff. Other parents are active in neighborhood organizations whose activities have an environmental impact. This assignment frequently becomes more than the sum of its parts. Students work colJaboratively, with each other, with their families, with their friends, with their neighborhoods, to use photography to record environmental images of conservation or damage or protection accurately and compellingly.
When Smith used photography to document the mercury poisoning in Japan, his photographic images changes a little part of the world. My students who participate in the River. of Words assignment photograph the environment, and in so doing, change a linle part of !heir world.
Dave Smiley Chamblee High School Dekalb County

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Why River of Words?
Colorless, tasteless, and odorless, water is essential for life and learning. It has shaped history, inspired artists, and transported civilizations. Used for religious rituals, water has been feared and respected. Everyone needs and uses water. As the demand for water grows, education is essential. As a teacher, I feel strongly that it is my responsibility to teach the value of this limited resource.
Water can be used as a theme for an interdisciplinary unit at any grade level. Leaming to monitor water quality, students at Henderson Middle School have participated in the Adopt-A-Stream program. They are also regular participants of the Rivers Alive Stream Clean-Ups. In addition to classroom instruction, these experiences bring water conservation into focus. Students with diverse backgrounds, abilities, and experiences witness the condition of community streams on a personal level. As a team, they attack a problem to better their community and the world .
The River of Words program provides an opportunity to address water education in art forn1. Students are given the chance to express themselves in ways other than the traditional paper-pencil assignment. Many students must be taught to look and listen to the world around them. A trip to the local park, nature center, or stream clean-up can provide the perfect setting for such an experience. Used in conjunction with Project WET or as a culminating activity for water education, River of Words can be utilized by an individual teacher, department or entire school. Office walls or PTSA meetings can provide the occasion and location to display final products. As a result, student recognition and public awareness regarding water conservation is improved. We must make every effort to address water quality at a local level. The River of Words program can impact many in a creative way!
Dr. Linda McCuen Henderson Middle School DeKalb County

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Students Flow with River-of Words

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The River of Words Program has offered us a wonderful avenue for helping our

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students develop in areas of creative thinking and personal expression. The lessons

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provided in the manual supported our focus for the year, and the contest became an outlet

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for developing their creative writing and artistic skills.

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Last year we developed a yearlong unit called "A River Runs Through." Our

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third graders adopted a creek nearby the school in Chimney Springs. After gaining

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knowledge of stream ecology and training in water quality testing, teams of students ran

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monthly assessments on the creek. The visits included chemical, visual, and biological

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assessments, velocity tests, temperature readings, and litter clean up of the area. As

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teams completed their assessments, they would sit by the creek and begin reflecting in

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their journals. These reflections included personal thoughts, responses to a prompt given

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in advance, poetry, and sketches. The students became passionate about their

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responsibility to the creek and their need to protect our water resources.

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Based.on their enthusiasm, we saw the River of Words contest as an opportunity

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to help them further pursue their passion through creative writing and art. We began

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teaching them styles of creative writing .such as using similes, metaphors, and

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personification. Our students absolutely loved using personification in their writing.

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This year every student proudly entered the River of Words contest. Using their

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newfound skills, many students entered poetry while others chose to submit artwork.

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Although the majority of our students were not state or national winners, they had the

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personal satisfaction of knowing they had made a difference in this world. The

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certificates they received were a confirmation of their commitment to the environment.

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Wendy Limerick & Tamera Neal

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Tritt Elementary

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Cobb County

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GEORGIA TEACHERS "ROW" WITH SUCCESS

For many, the year'2000 arrived amid ~ excitement and anticipation ofthe new millennium
acoompanied by hopes and dreams along with renewed aspirations for the future. As an educator, I too

pondered dreams of the future for the children under my tutdage. 1be opportunity to achieve one of those

dreams while making a significant impact for an enjoyable and successful learning experience with real life

applications had its beginning in the aulwnn of 1998 when my then principal. Tony Mellon, banded me the

River of Words (RO'ff'J infonnation. He was aware that as a speech and drama teacher I was always

searching for ways lo highlight the talents of students. Moreover, Mr. Melton was oogniz.ant of my intrinsic

respect and appreciation for the environment as I spent many hours on horseback in the North Georgia

Mountains. What a perfect avenue to facilitate a oonscious awareness of a life giving force and its global

impact!

To embrace the ROW program would allow me to utilize my unique teaching position to include sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students in poetry writing since my exploratory course was taught on a six

weeks rotational basis. As I planned for this project I requested and received oollegial support. Mike Poore,
an eighth grade science teacher, generously loaned me watershed information, intemet site addresses, and an
incredlbly large map of watershed and environmental factors that impact water quality. Janet Newman, a

sixth grade language arts teacher and subject coordinator, graciously answered a plethora of questions about poetry styles and provided me with supplemental poetry materials. 1be ROW Teacher Guide was

perused as I forged ahead in sometimes ..murky" waters." Oh, the drama that unfolded as the students and I

brainstormed, talked about watersheds, looked al maps, shared stories, played out skits, and learned together!

lo our classes, we incorporated creativity and imagination with facts as we navigated through personal

awaking awareness of a valuable natural resource directly under individual influence. Sucx:essl Later,

imagine the thrill of learning that two of my students were chosen as poetry winners for Georgia! My first experience with the ROW project was so fulfilling and notable that I believed it was time

to enlist other teachers and incorporate the process into an interdisciplinary fortnat for the 1999-2000 school

year. Along v.ith Mike Poore and Janet Nev.'lllall, Jennifer Ross committed her seventh target science class

to the ROW project. The atlm.inaling experience for Jennifer's class would be a field trip to Tybee Island.

Before the trip, Jennifer utilized suggestions from the ROW Teacher's Guide along with analysis and

problem solving activities for the classroom taken from a Council for Environmental Education (CEE)

resource text. In addition, art teacher Pam Acitelli and I spoke with Jennifer's class regarding art and poetry

respectively. At the conclusion of the field trip, each student would decide on an art or poetry selection.

Excitement filled the air as Jennifer's class returned from Tybee and worked on their individual projects.

Also, this class taught the basic ecological concepts to other science classes. Again, success for many

students \\ith the added bonus that one of Jennifer's students was selected as a National Merit honoree for

her artwork!



After evaluating two years of incredible results, I decided the program should be expanded

throughout the school. Furthermore, the Environmental Oub would be invited to participate for the 2000-

200 l school year. Every teacher I approached expressed excitement and an eagerness to participate in this

most worthy endeavor, as did the Environmental Oub sponsor. This year will begin with a oommitmeot to

ROW from language arts, science, and select target teachers representing the sixth, seventh, and eighth

grades. Equally important, the Environmental Club will pursue the educational and ecological objectives and

strive for community involvement Working together in this way will involve every student at our school.

Achievement through team effort is the underlying foundation of a shared dream whereby children assume

respoDS1bility to proactively nurture and perpetuate the life giving force which must be respected and shared

by all.

As I reflect on past accomplishments and look ahead to the upcoming school year, I am again
consumed with excitement and anticipation. For this I thank Georgia Project WITT for providing the

opportunity and the requisite lea.ming tools necessary for building a firm foundation for our childrens future.

Likev.ise, please allow me to include my personal appreciation to Petey Giroux and Monica Kilpatrick,

Georgia River ofWords Coordinators, who have been enthusiastic and an integral resource as my oolleagues

and I strive to include every student in this partnership for a better tomorrow.

Reba Welch Pine Mountain Middle School Cobb County, Georgia

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Georgia Teachers "'ROW" With Success

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As o second year teacher, I om always on the lookout for new and exciting ways to

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present material to my classes. As a result. I was very excited lost year when the

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science coordinator for my county suggested ..River of Words. H I requested a ROW"

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Teacher's Guide from Georgia Project WET and received it just as my earth science

classes were beginning to study the earth's fresh water supply. I was thrilled when I

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opened the resource book and found several activities that were fun, easy to prepare,

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inexpensive, educational and taught objectives included in my county's cuPriculum.

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I am fortunate to work with a team of gifted teachers who are both creative and very

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supportive of one another. When I told our language arts teacher. Nikki Bolton, about

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the project, her eyes lit up. Nikki was thinking along the some lines as me - "'River of

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WordsH fit the curriculum, sounded interesting.and provided an opportunity for an

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interdisciplinary unit!
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. Together we.got busy. The National ROW Teacher's Guide, provided through Georgia

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Project WET. was critical to our start. I introduced the topic of the earth's fresh

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water supply with the activity ..Creating a Watershed in Your Hand. My classes spent time outside in different types of weather exploring our very own watershed and then

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mopping it using "finding Your Bioregion. Using our senses of sight, hearing, touch

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and smell, we ..sensed" our watershed. In language arts, Nikki used the information

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we gathered outside to aid the students' in a poem writing exercise. She guided the students in the development of collaborative poems and artwork where students gained

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insight from pictures of water. Being the creative soul that she is, Nikki went one

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step further and ployed water sounds from a CD while reading "Song of the

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Chattahoochee." She then facilitated a discussion of our own watershed.

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You can imagine my delight when our students walked in bubbling over with excitement

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about their language arts efforts. They loved seeing their collaborative poems on

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display in the hall and were bringing their individual work to me for ..approval. While

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Nikki was guiding students' artistic efforts, I was teaching lessons about our valued water resources. A wonderful thing was happening in our school - our eighth grade

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students were developing on appreciation for their environment. having fun and learning .

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the objectives set forth by our school system. Nikki and I were ecstatic. We even

n
\_.I

got caught up in the buzz ourselves.

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More excitement was soon to follow. One of our students was selected as a Notional

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Finalist in Art. Additionally. four more of our students were selected as poetry

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winners for Georgia!

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As I write this article, Nikki and I are getting excited once again preparing to launch

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this yeors ..River of Words project. We thank Georgia Project Wet for coordinating

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ROW in Georgia and adding Georgia specific information and we thank the International

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Rivers' Network for developing su~h a _"user friendlyH and innovative resource guide.

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Brittany Charron Haynes Bridge Middle School

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Fulton County

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Inspirational Story from Pamela Seger's Student, 2001
Water!
\Vater was the mother of the first life on earth. No matter what you are, who you are, where you are, you always need water. Water is the most important thing for living creatures.
In my country, maybe because of the war, nobody cared about water Everybody --Used water everyday, but no one appreciated it. The governors closed both of their eyes. One of the rivers is being spoiled by the mineral-searchers. The entire river was full of thick, brown water All of the people that live in that area are using some chemicals to mix in the water in order to get clear (not clean) water for using. Most parts of the country, people use rivers, streams, and lakes as their garbage can. All the garbage is thrown into the Water. Even myself, I did the same as them. \Ve didn't know how important the water was.
\Vhen I arrived in Atlanta, my eyes were opened, my brain was washed. Everywhere I go, I meet clean water. Not only in my house, I can find clean water, but also in a tiny creek near my house. Everyday when I walk to school, and walk back, I always stop by the tiny creek and watch all the happy fish enjoy their home and their water
As I think of my friends that live in my country, I feel sorry for them. I can't predict when they could see and use clean water like my family and I. I'm so glad that I have a chance to see such beautiful water
Chansereyratana Lim Avondale High School
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Take yout students'

live leatning futthet in Octobet!

Wetterwetk:j cLeetV\.vc:p

: What is Rivers Alive?

Rivers Alive is a volunteer cleanup event that targets all waterways in the State of Georgia including streams, rivers, lakes, beaches and wetlands. The mission of Rivers Alive is to create awareness of and
involvement in the preservation of Georgia's water resources. Rivers Alive is held annually each October
e and is sponsored by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources' Georgia Adopt-A-Stream Program and the Georgia Department of Community Affairs' Keep Georgia Beautiful Program, in cooperation with the
e Columbus "Help the Hooch."

Why should you get nvolved?
Georgia's 70,150 miles of streams and rivers need your help! Our waterways provide us with fresh drinking
water, great recreational opportunities like canoeing and fishing, and they serve as a pleasant respite from our busy day to day lives. Everyone contributes to pollution in our streams. This is your opportunity to help by giving something back to the environment! Help us clean our rivers, streams, lakes, beaches and wet lands by supporting Rivers Alive!

i How you can get involved: For those of you who would simply like to join a cleanup, please visit our website (www.riversalive.org) in the Fall to search our maps to find a cleanup near you and
contact information.
If you are considering organizing a local Rivers Alive cleanup event, go to the Rivers Alive website (www.riversalive.org) and register your event and receive free t-shirts for your volunteers. Event registration begins in June and runs through July 31st. On our website, you can find a River Cleanup Guide with ideas to make your event more successful, sample press releases, waivers, maps and detailed contact
information so that volunteers can find your event, and links to your local Rivers
Alive cleanup web pages! .......................................................................... ..
For more information contact:
Kim Morris-Zarneke, Georgia Adopt-A-Stream Phone: (404) 675-1636 Email: kimberly_morris-zarneke@mail.dnr.state.ga.us ........................................................................... .

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