Litter and debris often end up in waterways after a storm. Rain water funnels litter down sewer overflows and into rivers and streams. Ask your students what kinds of litter they've seen on the streets and in parks. Talk about how different types of litter affect waterways. For example, the compounds in discarded cigarette butts are biohazards to the water flea, an important insect at the lower end of the aquatic food chain. If the water flea disappears, plants such as the bladderwort, which captures water fleas and digests them, will be affected. As a follow-up activity to classroom lessons, visit an Illinois waterway and ask your students to clean up as much litter as they can as a service project. Then ask them what kinds of litter they found and how they can prevent litter from entering Illinois' waterways.
The Mississippi River has helped to cultivate a river culture throughout the Midwest. Many river cities in Illinois continue to keep that cultures alive. Ask your class to read excerpts from Mark Twain's "Tom Sawyer" and "Huckleberry Finn," which reveal the river culture of the 19th century. Discuss what cities can do to encourage river culture or give students an opportunity to design a riverfront park on paper for an imaginary Illinois town. If possible, follow up with a visit to one of the following river-friendly Illinois towns: Joliet, Hennepin, Ottawa, Havana, Peoria, Kampsville, Grafton or Beardstown.
To help students visualize how erosion occurs along waterways, make a pile of sand at one end of a 9-by-13-inch baking pan. Pour water into the other end of the pan. The sand represents the shore, and the water represents the waterway. Swish the water back and forth in the pan, and have students record their observations of what happens to both the shore and the water. Lead a discussion about what people can do to prevent erosion in waterways.
During a rain storm, or a snow melt in the spring, water collects in streams, creeks and rivers across Illinois. The land area that drains into a specific waterway is called a watershed. Print enough Illinois watershed maps so each student has one. Watershed maps are available on the Illinois State Water Survey website. Ask students to color different watersheds in different colors. Then ask each student to come up with two or three questions about watersheds. For example: "If a thunderstorm hits Urbana, which river will swell?" Read the questions to the whole class and award prizes to students who answer the quickest. This activity teaches map-reading skills and improves their understanding of watersheds.