Classroom Investigation: Wild and Scenic Rivers

The three activities in the teaching guide help students find wild and scenic rivers, explore the history of the passage of the 1968 Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, and develop their own river-inspired poetry. Students use a web-based story map to examine the river values that form the basis for the act, and they navigate an interactive map to find the wild or scenic river nearest to their school. Activities also include reviewing the writings of advocates of the act. The unit can be adapted for high school and upper elementary levels. Civics and history teachers who are covering lawmaking or civic participation may find the unit useful, as may language arts teachers who want to provide engaging primary source documents for their students.