The Mississippi River Traveling Trunk focuses on Mississippi River geography, history, economics, and transportation, as well as the musical heritage of the Mississippi River Delta.
With this trunk students will have an opportunity to
- Measure the length of the Mississippi River between ports and calculate its elevation and depth
- Use maps to plan and advertise a trip through Mississippi
- Listen to authentic Mississippi River Blues music, compose their own Blues song, and learn to play Blues instruments
- Write a story about the Mississippi River Flood of 1927 and then dramatize it
A teacher’s notebook and material list is included in the trunk. This trunk is organized as a five-day unit but teachers are encouraged to organize, revise, and adapt its contents to best fit the needs of their students.
For questions about the Traveling Trunk Lending Policies and Procedures or the content of a specific trunk, contact our Outreach Programs Coordinator at 601-576-6997 or outreachprograms@mdah.ms.gov.
Trunk Weight and Dimensions
- Weight: 36 lbs.
- Dimensions: 9” (h) x 23” (w) x 30” (l)
A detailed list of the traveling trunk materials is available here.
Day One
Explore the geography of the Mississippi River using maps to emphasize the significance of the river both locally and nationally. Other names and phrases associated with the river are also discussed.
Create imaginative poems about the Mississippi River.
Day Two
Use river vocabulary and Mississippi maps in additional geographical activities.
Use math skills in a study of the gradual slope and flow of the river between port cities in the state.
Use a map scale and a piece of string to find the length of the western border (the Mississippi River) of Mississippi.
Day Three
Explore the connection between the Blues and the Mississippi Delta.
Write a Blues song and play the diddley bow.
Day Four
Investigate riverboat travel and examine a model of a flatboat.
Practice measurement skills using the units of feet and fathom with a rope depth gauge.
Learn more about travel on the river through books by Mark Twain and other literature.
Day Five
Write mathematics word problem after reading an excerpt from Twain’s Life on the Mississippi, then illustrate the problem and solve it.
Create a story about the Mississippi River Flood of 1927 and give a dramatic interpretation of it.
Create and present a travel brochure about the Great River Road (Highway 1).
