River of Doubt
Description of the Unabridged River of Doubt Teachers Guide
The activities in this program are arranged in thematic units. Each
begins with a career description on pages designed to be copied and distributed
to students as part of the unit introduction. In addition to the biographical
or autobiographical sketches, each unit includes background information,
activity instructions, additional activities to help students connect what
they have learned, a list of books to read and suggestions for relevant
community excursions.
Unit I: River Chronicles
Autobiography: Danguole Variakojis, World Traveler and Photojournalist
Activity 1: And Now, the Exciting Adventures of __________!
Activity 2: Mapping a Path Through Time
There are many ways to keep ongoing records and to share observations with
others. Several methods of journaling have been used for chronicling the
two expeditions along the River of Doubt. They are demonstrated in the video,
and even used as the primary source for the making of the video. Theodore
Roosevelt kept a written journal (or record) of his team's expedition and
he took some photographs. Years later, Tweed Roosevelt and his team chronicled
their expedition
through written journals, photos, video, and film. In this unit, students
will discover these and other ways of recording their own observations of
the River of Doubt program to share with others. They will then use Roosevelt's
own journal to create a timeline of his exploration and
plot his path on a map of the South American region.
Unit II: In a World of Its Own: The Rainforest Ecosystem
Biography: Jeffrey Rapp, Naturalist
Activity 3: Warning: Tree Under Construction
Activity 4: As a Matter of Fact...
While president, Theodore Roosevelt created almost 230 million acres of
conservation land. During his tenure from 1901 to 1909, he designated 150
National Forests, the first 51 Federal Bird Reservations, five National
Parks, the first 18 National Monuments, the first four National Game Preserves,
and the first 21 Reclamation Projects. He had a lifetime commitment to the
outdoors and to nature. Conservation and change are two of the primary focal
points of his South
American expedition. In this unit, students will develop an appreciation
of the environment
as they build a model tree and use fact cards to create an ecosystem.
Unit III: Riches from the Rainforest
Autobiography: Monina Quindipan, Pharm.D., Investigational Drug Pharmacist
Activity 5: In the Pharmacy
Activity 6: From the Rainforest to Your Medicine Cabinet
Jose Cabral, a pharmacologist, was on the recent trip along the River of
Doubt. He was looking for medicinal plants in the rainforest. That is a
great place to look: one quarter of all our
prescription drugs come from plants, and we do not even know all of the
plants which are in the rainforests of the world! The natives who have lived
in the region for years have knowledge about the forests which they have
to pass on to us. They know natural insect repellents, which plants have
water, and which can be used for other everyday purposes. In the video,
Tata Ray and Hoy Reema share some of their knowledge of the rainforest and
explore some medicinal plants while camping out and enjoying some leisure
time. In this unit, students will gather information from pharmaceutical
labels and discover more about rainforest medicines and a wealth of other
products.
Unit IV: Invention Out of Necessity
Biography: Haroon Ali, Entrepreneur/Inventor of Water Filtration System
Activity 7: Leisure Time Data
Activity 8: Don't Drink the Water!
In the video, the explorers took along a water filtration system with them.
This was necessary
for their well-being, as they did not have a source of drinking water. This
unit focuses on a
man who invented a water filtration system in his free time. Everyone has
hobbies. The
explorers used their free time in different ways, as we all do. Students
will discuss their
personal use of leisure time, and they will use the data to demonstrate
the scientific method. Then, they will investigate the operation of facilities
which treat water for our everyday use.
Unit V: Amazonian Insectology
Autobiography: Irving Eberly, Entomologist/Beekeeper
Activity 9: Too Hot to Trot!
Activity 10: Try This Bug on for Size!
Tweed Roosevelt was an entomologist, a scientist who studies insects. He
found his trip to
the Amazon rainforest exciting because there were many insects there to
observe. The size of
insects there is one of his major observations: Tweed observed that the
insects in South America were much larger than those he observed in North
America, and he hypothesized that
temperature had an effect on their size. This unit gives students the chance
to investigate the importance of the rainforest on the development of insects.
They will also use scales to compare our local insects to those seen on
the expedition and construct their own rainforest insects.
Unit VI: The Ever-Changing Earth
Biography: Dr. John Bolt, Geologist
Activity 11: Acid Blasting
Activity 12: A Living Watershed
Rivers are very powerful forces in nature. The River of Doubt in South America
is no exception. As Roosevelt noted in the video, the gorge they passed
went: from wide to narrow in a very short time. How does erosion create the
physical environment? How do rivers form where they do? In this unit, students
try to erode a piece of stone over time and create a living watershed.
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