The River Inside Teacher Workshop
Tennessee State Museum
Monday July 21, 2008
Time: 8:30 am to 3:30 pm
The River Inside Workshop was a one day interdisciplinary workshop opportunity that focused on ways teachers can implement cross-curricular classroom lessons that focus on river education. Teachers learned the significance of rivers and waters to Tennessee and examined ways to teach curriculum-based activities through the themes of language arts, history, social studies, art, and science. The workshop was based on a museum exhibit called John Guider’s: The River Inside scheduled to open at the Tennessee State Museum on October 3, 2008.
John Guider’s: The River Inside: This exhibit chronicles the story of an artist from Williamson County who one day decided to launch his canoe into the creek in his back yard. From there, Mr. Guider entered the Harpeth River, floated down the Cumberland all the way to the Ohio River. From the Ohio, John Guider paddled his tiny canoe all the way down the length of the Mississippi River to the city of New Orleans. Along the way, Mr. Guider recorded his experiences through photographs and journals. The exhibit highlights one man’s remarkable journey and the life changing experiences he encountered.
Highlights of The River Inside Workshop
- John Guider spoke about his incredible journey.
- He previewed the photography of the exhibit.
- Teachers leareds practical ways to integrate curriculum based river education into your classroom.
- Teachers received valuable educational resources such as lesson plans, trade books, geographic aids, and The River Inside short video.
Workshop Leaders included:
Jeff Sellers, Curator of Education, Tennessee State Museum
Susan Knowles, Guest Curator of the River Inside exhibit at the Tennessee State Museum
John Guider, Featured Artist for the The River Inside Exhibit
Judy Butler, Educational Consultant and Former Teacher
Cindi Smith-Walters, MTSU Center for Environmental Education
Karen Hargrove, Environmental Education Consultant
Angela Smith, Historian / designer / new media instructor who teaches classes at MTSU, Belmont, and the Diversity Institute
Ann Zangri, The Tennessean Newspaper in Education Program
Share with us your stories of the river!
Click here to visit the Reflections on the River blog.
Handouts for the River Inside Workshop as .pdfs.
Judy Butler’s Presentation
Click here for a handout given out during the workshop.
Click here for a short handout with Judy’s drawings.
Click here for handout with stories about mussels.
The River in Trade Books (gr. 3, 4, 5) - Cindi Smith-Walters, Karen Hargrove
Click here for the book list.