Curriculum Connections
for River Friendly, River Wild
by Jane Kurtz
Thematic
Strands in Social Studies
River
Friendly, River Wild has a wealth of curriculum connections, from Social
Studies to Language Arts and Science. It may be used to address five of the
Ten Thematic Strands in Social Studies that underlie the NCSS (National Council
for the Social Studies) Standards as published in Expectations of
Excellence: Curriculum Standards for Social Studies:
Strand I. Culture
The study of culture prepares students to
answer questions such as: What are the common characteristics of different
cultures?
Strand II. Time, Continuity and Change
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<>Social studies programs
should include experiences that provide for the study of the ways
human beings view themselves in and over time.
Strand
III. People, Places and Environments
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<>Social
studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study of people,
places, and environments.
Strand V. Institutions, Groups and Individuals
<>Social studies programs
should include experiences that provide for the study of interactions among
individuals, groups, and institutions.
Strand VIII. Science, Technology and Society
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<>Social studies programs
should include experiences that provide for the study of relationships among
science, technology, and society.
Standards for the
English Language Arts
River
Friendly, River Wild also offers many curriculum connections in the Language
Arts. The book may be used to address 5 of the 12 standards as published in Standards
for the English Language Arts by the NCTE (National Council of Teachers of
English) and the IRA (International Reading Association):
Standard 5
Students employ a wide range of strategies as
they write and use different writing process elements appropriately to
communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes.
Standard 6
Students apply knowledge of language
structure, language conventions (e.g., spelling and punctuation), media
techniques, figurative language, and genre to create, critique, and discuss
print and non-print texts.
Standard 7
Students conduct research on issues and
interests by generating ideas and questions, and by posing problems. They gather,
evaluate, and synthesize data from a variety of sources (e.g., print and
non-print texts, artifacts, people) to communicate their discoveries in ways
that suit their purpose and audience
Standard 8
Students use a variety of technological and
information resources (e.g., libraries, databases, computer networks, video) to
gather and synthesize information and to create and communicate knowledge.
Standard 12
Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish
their own purposes (e.g., for learning, enjoyment, persuasion, and the exchange
of information).
Curriculum
Summary
Many
of these Social Studies strands and Language Arts content standards can be
addressed when working with the themes in River Friendly, River Wild. In addition, Science
content standards may be addressed in the study of weather and natural
disasters.
Book
Pairing
River Friendly, River Wild tells of a flood caused
by natural causes. Jane Yolen has written a book, Letting Swift River Go, that tells quite a
different story about a flood created intentionally and the toll that flood
took on another community.
Letting Swift River Go -- (Illustrated by Barbara
Cooney, Little Brown, 1992; ISBN# 0-316-96899-4 hardcover o.p.,ISBN#
0-316-96860-9 paperback. This book is available as an Econoclad edition, ISBN:
078578036X )
Read about another flood in Mary Calhoun's Flood (Morrow, 1997). This
book tells the fictional account of a young girl's home and its destruction
during the 1993 Mississippi River flood.
For another account of a flood read Come a
Tide
by George Ella Lyon with illustrations by Stephen Gammell (Orchard, 1990). Come
a Tide has been described as a young girl's account of the spring floods
at her rural home. Compare and Contrast Come a Tide with the story Jane
Kurtz told through her poems in River Friendly, River Wild.
Find Out More
About the Author: Students may wonder what
life experiences led Jane Kurtz to write a flood story. Read more about her
Red River flood experiences, and view photographs, at her website at www.janekurtz.com.
About the Red River Flood: For more information
about the Red River flood, read: Faces of the Flood : Manitoba's
Courageous Battle Against the Red River by Tom Thomson (Illustrator), and Shirley
Sandrel. (Stoddard Publishing, 1998; ISBN: 0773730559).
Hands-on Activities
Communities Rebuilding: After reading River
Friendly, River Wild and Letting Swift River Go, use a T chart to help
students to compare and contrast the communities in the aftermath of the floods
described in these two books. Compare the children's experiences with watching
their homes destroyed in the Red River Valley to those of the young girl who
watches her town become a watery wilderness as the government floods entire
towns of Western Massachusetts to create the Quabbin Reservoir.
Invite A Speaker (Live or Virtual): Invite a meteorologist, or someone from the
National Weather Service, or the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to
come to speak to your class about floods. If you live in a region where a
different kind of natural disaster is more likely (such as wildfire,
earthquakes, hurricanes, or tornadoes), you might find a speaker to come talk
about that speaker for contrast.
Research Project and Class Booklet: Encourage students to research at the
library media center the natural disaster that is most likely to happen in
their region. Challenge students to learn as much as they can about how the
disaster happens and how to stay safe if it does. They can conduct some of
their research at http://www.yahooligans.com. Once students have completed
their research, work with them to design a class safety booklet that describes
what to do when disaster strikes.
Flooding Then, Flooding Now: As students study ancient Egypt and the
role of the Nile River in the lives of the Egyptians, ask them to think about
the parallels between ancient humans and modern humans living on the banks of
rivers. Ask students to write a persuasive essay in which they take a stand.
Humans should (or should not) build communities on the banks of rivers. Each
essay should include three strong supports for the student’s opinion.
Observations and Poetry: Jane Kurtz constructed many of the poems
that tell the story of River Friendly, River Wild while observing flood clean-up in and outside her own home. Ask students to identify places where the
five senses appear and where Jane uses other elements of poetry, such as
alliteration and simile, to create vivid images. Challenge students to observe
a piece of their own environment (such as a playground or classroom) and write
a non-rhyming poem, using the five senses and other poetic devices that will
create a picture in the reader’s mind. For further examples Jane’s
web page <www.janekurtz.com> has examples of student poetry written after
the flood.
One Terrific Neighborhood: Ask students to identify the elements of
the “one terrific neighborhood” in River Friendly, River Wild. Pair students to brainstorm elements
that make their own communities special and unique. Provide space for them to
create a display showing their own terrific neighborhood.
©
2002. This study guide prepared by Jane Kurtz and Toni Buzzeo. Permission is
granted to reproduce this guide for educational use in the classroom/library or
in conjunction with student activities, educational non-profit workshops, or
in-service courses in which River Friendly, River Wild or the work of the author is a focus. This page is located
at: http://www.janekurtz.com/books/rfrw.htm. Permission notice must remain on the
printed guide.
