This year 6th graders explored the questions ‘How has the Mississippi River affected humans?  How have humans affected the river?’.  They explored the geology of the river’s formation, learned about it’s importance to First Nation Peoples, and explored how pollution is harming the river (and how Minnesota lawmakers are trying to help).  

The culminating project around the river was a documentary about the river.  Students picked topics – ranging from how the river was used in the Underground Railroad to how flooding and droughts have become big problems facing the river today.  They conducted research, organized their research using nonfiction text structures, and wrote multiple drafts of a script before creating their final documentary.

The documentaries are loosely organized based on topic, with similar themed documentaries grouped together.  We hope you enjoy these documentaries and learn something new about the Mississippi River!

This is page 1, you can use these links to access the other pages:
Page 2 – Invasive Species
Page 3 – Milling
Page 4 – Pollution
Page 5 – Miscellaneous

Since the Mississippi river basin is so large, it is prone to flooding in times of high water and feels the impacts of low water. These are some of those stories.

Flooding Video 1

Flooding Video 2

Flooding Video 3

Flooding Video 4

Drought Video 1

Drought Video 2