Internet+Seach-Literature+List

Internet Seach-Literature List

__Compilation of Group's Internet Resources__

 * 1. St. Johns River Keeper**

http://stjohnsriverkeeper.org This website provides information in regards to the preservation of the St. Johns River. The River Keeper “is a private non-profit organization that serves as a ‘watchdog’ for the St. Johns River, its watershed and the public to whom it belongs.” The site provides an overview of the history, ecology, locations for recreation, and issues plaguing the river. A link titled “Our Work” provides information in regards to the River Keeper’s mission, goals and an explanation of the ways in which they fulfill their mission. The site also provides a virtual tour of the St. Johns including 360° views of the river. Other links that can be found on this site include volunteer opportunities, how to create river friendly yards, and how to conserve water. We would use this site to promote good citizenship and awareness to conserving our natural habitats. This site is a great source in helping the students feel that they are making a difference because the St. Johns is so close to home. During our computer lab time we would have the students browse the website and look for ways in which they would be interested in helping, then as a class we would decide on a class project to participate in during the year. This site is appropriate for 4th through 6th grades, and would be perfect for a fourth grade class.


 * 2. Silvers Springs**

http://www.silversprings.com

Silver Springs is a theme park founded in 1870 and is home to the ever famous glass bottom boat! This website contains historical information about the establishment of this theme park as well as educational information in regards to field trips and daily activities provided by the park. This would be a resource that we would use to obtain historical information about the importance of the park and its location on the river. We would also use it as a resource in developing a field trip for my class. Before taking the field trip, we would show parts of this site to the students to help them become excited about their future trip. We would incorporate the information found within the website (in regards to the history) and utilize the information in the game developed for their assessment at the end of the unit.


 * 3. The Alligator Princess**

http://alligatorprincess.com/Home_Page.html

This website is about the alligator princess, Michelle Thatcher, who was the first woman to journey across the entire St. Johns River. We would use this website by first showing the YouTube video on her journey to the students to create motivation for learning about the St. Johns River. We could create a video questionnaire sheet for the students to fill out while they are watching the video. The video and the website can tie into many learning opportunities for students. Students can learn about, the name of the 3 major tributaries of the St. Johns River. She used a map on her journey and got lost so; we can discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using a map compared to a GPS. We can discuss wildlife in the St. Johns River. Student’s can learn about the Alligator Princess’s journey and the “river characters” that she met such as the Tree Trimmer who squats on the river and picks up trash. We can tie that in with the importance of recycling and understand the problem with pollution in the river. The video briefly talks about the history of the river, however, the website goes a little bit more into it. We would like to be able to have the Alligator Princess herself as a guest speaker if not that then we would like to be able to take my students on a field trip to one of her upcoming presentations.


 * 4. 11 St. Johns River Facts by News Thirteen**

http://www.cfnews13.com/News/Sidebar/2008/8/24/st_johns_river_facts.html

This website has 11 facts about the St. Johns River which I can use as “Fun Facts” to share with the class.


 * 5. St. Johns River Life**

http://www.stjohnsriverlife.com/FactsHistory.html

There is a part of this website that focuses on the history and facts of the St. Johns River that we would want to use in the classroom. It explains some of the very early history of the river and what the river was used for and the different names explorers gave the river throughout history, which is something that we did not know until we came upon this website. Teachers can have the students explore this website during center time and have them complete a website exploration about the history of the river from using just this site. The website also has other great links for other sites about the history of the St. Johns River that students could explore. There are both good artifacts as well as good historical information we could use in my lesson plans. This website would be appropriate for fourth and fifth grade students.


 * 6. The River Returns**

http://www.theriverreturns.org/index.php

This website is a great site with information and links that are wonderful for both adults and children. It is interactive maps of the river and an interactive timeline about the history of Florida and the St. Johns River. It is full of artifacts and pictures of the river and it explains in detail the different basins of the river. It has pictures and information about the animals found in the river as well. Another part of the site takes about protecting the river. It also explains places to visit and go see the St. Johns River. We could use this website to take the students on a virtual field trip using the interactive map to show what cities in Florida the river runs through; when we use the interactive map, pictures of the different areas with good captions. Students could use this website during center time to explore. It also has a glossary so if the students want to look for something specific or learn some new vocabulary they can. We could use the glossary to find vocabulary words to focus on. The website also has a part that is specific for educators with programs and lesson plans that are focused on the St. Johns River. This website is good for both four and fifth grade.


 * 7. Teachers and Students Resources**

http://www.sjrwmd.com/sitemap.html#teachersstudents

This website is a great resource because it provides great tools for both students and teachers focusing on the St. Johns River. It provides ideas for lesson plans, water conservation activities, as well as ideas for literature to incorporate. It also informs teacher about programs and workshops that they can attend. Students can use this site for both fun and educational proposes. It has games for the students focusing on the river and a glossary of river terms that are for students. It also has links to facts about water and animals that live in the river. We would have the students use the website during center time and use the glossary for an art project. The students would have to pick ten of the words and then draw different pictures of the terms. This website is appropriate for third, fourth, and fifth grade students.


 * 8. River of Lakes (video)**

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MKFDgvMGno

This short video is an educational tribute done by a man who finds himself very fortunate to have lived on the St. Johns. I think that students will find it very interesting and hopefully become more passionate about the river, like the producer of the video is. It can be shown during our unit to give a more realistic connection to the river. The video also shows some animals that can be found along the river. It is a great resource to contribute to our unit.


 * __Compilation of Group's Literature__

**
 * Title: St. Johns River Guidebook

====This book goes into detail about the history of the river, the towns and cities along the river, the animals and wildlife that live around in the river; it is full of pictures and artifacts on the St. Johns River, which makes it fun for the students. The teacher could use this book to find history and facts for a lesson or everyday during the St. Johns River Unit, have a read aloud about a different city that is located on the river. You could leave the book out for the students to read when they are in centers or have some free time. “Regional author Kevin McCarthy has scored another win with his St. John's River Guidebook, taking the reader on a leisurely trip from the river's headwaters in Central Florida to the mighty Atlantic. Each chapter includes historical anecdotes and cultural attractions, and is copiously illustrated. This book belongs on the shelf of every Florida resident, in the car of every motorist, and every boater on the St John's.” (Amazon.com Review)====


 * ====__Title: Florida’s American Heritage River: Images from the St. Johns Region__====

ISBN-13: 978-0813033525
===="If you are looking for an elegant way to navigate up the St. Johns River without leaving your armchair, allow me to recommend spending time with this book. It is beautifully illustrated and a wonderful read."--John Delaney, president, University of North Florida. (Amazon.com Review) This book is much too long for the teacher to read the entire book to the class but it is a great book for research and for artifacts. It has wonderful pictures of areas along the St. Johns River and of the river itself. It is full of paintings, photographs, sketches, sculptures, and other materials of the culture of the river. It is a great book to show the artistic aspect of the culture of the St. Johns River. We think that students would enjoy going through the book in their free time to look at the many illustrations the book has to offer.====


 * ====__Title: River of Lakes: A Journey on Florida’s St. Johns River__====

ISBN-13: 978-0820323442
===="The St. Johns," writes naturalist Bill Belleville, "is surely one long and meandering palimpsest," a place that has been remade many times over as humans have sought to grow crops, raise livestock, and otherwise make the river bend to their will. With 3.5 million people now living in its broad valley, the St. Johns is coming under increased pressure to change, its dense forests cleared for shopping malls and housing developments.” (Amazon.com Review) In this selection, Bill Belleville takes a journey down the St. Johns, going places that the Natives once thrived. This selection is rather mature for a fourth grade classroom, but we would utilize “snippets” from the text to help paint a rich and colorful picture of the St. Johns for the students. Belleville utilizes strong descriptor words to help truly capture the imagery of the river in a way that almost sounds like poetry.====


 * ====__Title: Highways and Byways of Florida__====

====“There was a Masonic Hall and an Odd Fellows Hall. The method used to notify the public when a meeting was to be held in one of these halls was for an official to go to an open window and blow a horn. You can judge that the city was not extensive, for the people could all hear the tooting.” This title is full of excerpts that I would use in the classroom to provide the students with an understanding of how life was vastly different along the river in the early 1900s compared to today. This title is not suitable for young readers, but we would utilize the “snippets” as read alouds in the classroom to provide examples of daily life along the river. We feel that it is important for students to gain a genuine appreciation for today’s advances and that this title would help do just that.====


 * ====Title: __Waters Journey- The River Returns DVD__====

Publisher: Karst Productions Inc.
====“For several weeks, a houseboat-based team of scientists and filmmakers explored the 310-mile length of Florida's St. Johns River to produce The River Returns film.” (theriverreturns.org) This DVD will give the students a firsthand tour of the St. Johns through aerial views on flying inflatable boats, kayaking along the river at sunset, diving below the river into underwater caves and zooming along the saw grass marshes on an airboat. This DVD will provide the students with a virtual fieldtrip of the 310 mile long river without leaving the classroom. This DVD series also provides footage of the Everglades and Northern Florida to the famous Ichetucknee Springs.====


 * ====Title: __Saving the St. Johns River: One Person Made a Difference__====

====This is a great book written by an actual volunteer who truly cares about the St. Johns River. The book includes how others can help keeps the St. Johns River clean and beautiful, what he did to contribute to the well being of the river, and many pictures. We think that this book would be a great read aloud for the classroom when covering the topic of the St. Johns. It is written at a higher level than fourth grade but the kids can look at the book throughout the day.====


 * ====Title: __Trouble on the St. Johns River__====

====This is a great kid friendly book about the St. Johns. It is about two kids starting their summer vacation; they begin fishing but end up on an adventure cleaning up the river. Not only does the book cover information about the river, but also about environmental education. It is also very relatable to children. The book won the prestigious Moms Choice Award which honors excellence in family-friendly media, products and services, “Jane Wood does a tremendous job of integrating fun, fictional characters, and historical fact and local concerns with just the right amount of suspense and drama.”====


 * ====Title: __St. Johns River: An Illustrated History__====

====This is a beautifully illustrated book which highlights the 310 miles of the St. Johns River. “Illustrated by 300 vintage postcards, this book takes a virtual tour from St. Johns River’s source to its basin, with stories of its history, tributaries, cities, and attractions along the way.” This would be a great resource for children to look through while learning about the river. We would keep it on the board available to them whenever they have free time.====