The Five Finger Exercise

THE FIVE FINGER EXERCISE

Lois Lutz
Felten Middle School
Hays, Kansas

Overview:
Students can begin to learn about the importance of keeping our rivers and streams pollution free by beginning a unit with an essay way of remembering the major rivers of northeast Kansas and how the rivers contain particles of every substance that drains into them.

Grade Level: 5-8

Time Needed: 1-2 class periods

Geographic Themes:
Location, Place, Human Environment Interaction, Region

Kansas Social Studies Standards for Benchmarks, Grade levels 8-K:
The student will understand the connections among people, places, and environments in the local school and community, Kansas and its surrounding states, the U.S. and different nations of the world.

The student will understand the roles of government and civic ideals and practices in the local school and community, Kansas and its surrounding states, the U.S. and its region, and the world.

National Geography Standards, Grades 5-8:

#1 The geographically informed person knows and understands how to use maps and other geographic tools and technologies.

#3 The geographically informed person knows and understands how to analyze the spatial organization of people, places, and environments on Earth’s surface.

#4 The geographically informed person knows and understands the physical and human characteristics of places.

#7 The geographically informed person knows and understands the physical processes that shape the patterns of the Earth’s surface.

#14 The geographically informed person knows and understands how human actions modify the physical environment.

Outcomes:

The student will be able to recite the 4 major tributaries of the Kansas River and locate the rivers of the Lower Republican and Kansas River watersheds.
The student will be able to use a series of land usage maps to gain an insight into the importance of knowing what possible pollutants are in the runoff from our farmlands and cities and the impact to the waters downstream.
The student will be able to understand the importance of keeping our water clean wherever it might enter the streams and rivers of our state.
The student will be able to use a dictionary to define and spell vocabulary words and use them correctly in a sentence or paragraph.

Vocabulary: (See Glossary)

watershed sedimentation

no-till atrazine

tributary row crop

pollution upstream downstream runoff

E. Coli bacteria surface water

Materials:

Kansas State Map, Official Transportation Map published by KS Dept. of Transportation, Topeka, KS.
Map of Kansas-Lower Republican Basin KDHE Permitted Beef Facilities, Kansas Water Office, Topeka, KS.
Map of Kansas-Lower Republican Basin KDHE Permitted Pork Facilities, Kansas Water Office, Topeka, KS.
Map of Kansas Counties
Map of Kansas Rivers.
Dictionaries for each student and a notebook to keep notes and vocabulary.
Colored Pencils.
Overhead Projector and Transparencies of the above maps.

Procedures:

1.

Do a “sponge” activity as students enter classroom before lessons begin:
Pass out dictionaries to each table and have each group of students draw from a “hat” one of the vocabulary words for the lesson, write down the definition in their notebooks, and be ready to share when called.

2. Hand out Kansas road maps, colored pencils, and the Kansas river map to each student.

3.

Anticipatory Set:
Tell students to hold up their hand in front of them. Explain that today we are going to learn an easy way to remember the major tributaries of the Kansas River and how important clean water is to everyone in the state of Kansas, no matter where they might live. Then ask students to decide which way they might suppose is downstream if each finger represents a tributary to the larger Kansas River? If our finger tributaries are flowing southward, which way does the Kansas River flow if our thumb represents the Kaw or Kansas River? The water would flow down the fingers and out through the thumb. The thumb even looks bigger, so the little streams are all adding their water flow into the larger river. Ask if anyone can tell what the Kansas River flows into? (Usually nearly everyone knows that the Kansas flows into the Missouri, then into the Mississippi and the Gulf of Mexico.)

Say: So we can say that the Kansas River is also a tributary! A strategy to remember what a tributary is to say that it “contributes” water to the Missouri River. Holding up the left hand for the class, say: Look at your map of the Kansas river systems. By naming our four fingers we can easily remember he major tributaries of the Kansas River. The little finger can be the Smokey Hill, ring finger the Republican, the Big Blue, and finally the Delaware, SRBD, or some rivers bring dirt!

Tell the students that Governor Graves of Kansas and our KS legislators have become very concerned about the water quality of our rivers in our state. They have decided to study the problem of water contamination in the Lower Republican-Kansas River Watershed area. To find out just where this area is on our Kansas River Map, color in the areas with green, outlining the rivers in blue to the Kansas border with Missouri. (Discuss watersheds to be sure of their understanding as the class colors.)

Tell the students that the first three to be studied are 1. sedimentation, 2. atrazine, and 3. Fecal E. Coli bacteria. (Define and discuss these items, students may take notes.)
Have the students now find Milford, Tuttle Creek, and Perry Reservoirs, using the Kansas map if needed.

Discuss how these substances could get into the rivers. Say: Remember that Kansas is a great agricultural state and one way farmers meet the demand for food production is to use chemicals to give crops a better chance against weeds and insects. Inevitably, some of the residue from that application is going to wash off the fields during rainstorms and be washed into our tributaries and streams. The KDHE and Wildlife and Parks officials are monitoring these northeast Kansas rivers by testing the water periodically to keep track of the levels of each.

Have students complete the watershed map of Kansas using various colors. Students can be directed to find their own location on the KS map. Ask: Is there anyway that any of these three substances could reach Topeka if the Hays area was dumping raw sewage, or not observing good agricultural practices? Looking on the river and KS road maps, what communities, reservoirs, and tributaries are upstream from Hays? Should we be concerned?

Brainstorm possibilities and ramifications of oil wells, feed lots, and wildlife, and towns dumping wastes. Discuss holding ponds.

Show transparencies of beef and pork production as overlays.
(This visual should produce ohs and ahs.)

To close lesson for the day, have students write a ten sentence paragraph to be handed in about what they have learned and what we might to learn more about these substances. From their suggestions, posters, speakers from the city and county could be brought in to speak, and letters to our state officials about our concerns over clean water could be pursued.

Review the 5 finger exercise to remind students of the four major tributaries of the Kansas River. Some Rivers Bring Dirt = Smoky Hill R., Republican R., Blue R., and the Delaware R. Also, review which way the tributaries are flowing - southernly, and the Kansas River flows eastward (the thumb).

Assessment:

Quiet voices in cooperative groups.
Successfully complete objectives tests over vocabulary/ also spelling.
Student should be able to write a paragraph about the importance of checking our water to keep track of possible pollutants.
Write a letter to their city councilmen, state legislators, and the governor illustrating their understanding of the importance of clean water in Kansas and their knowledge and concern about our environment.

Extensions:
Begin testing water in local area. Keep charts.

Guest speakers from the city water department, Wildlife and Parks, and the County Extension Office.
Continue the study of clean water with an interdisciplinary unit with the science teacher.
Visit the Kansas State Fair and have irrigation experts talk to the students about the benefits of herbicides and pesticides and proper usage.

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FHSU Geoscience | Kansas Geographic Alliance
National Geographic Society | Kansas Water Office
Fort Hays State University | Kansas State University
e-mail: pphillip@fhsu.edu

irc staff / jh 03/16/98 (updated kn 06/23/99)
Disclaimer

#1	The geographically informed person knows and understands how to use maps and other geographic tools and technologies.
#3	The geographically informed person knows and understands how to analyze the spatial organization of people, places, and environments on Earth’s surface.
#4	The geographically informed person knows and understands the physical and human characteristics of places.
#7	The geographically informed person knows and understands the physical processes that shape the patterns of the Earth’s surface.
#14	The geographically informed person knows and understands how human actions modify the physical environment.

watershed	sedimentation
no-till	atrazine
tributary	row crop
pollution	upstream downstream runoff
E. Coli bacteria	surface water

1.	Do a “sponge” activity as students enter classroom before lessons begin: Pass out dictionaries to each table and have each group of students draw from a “hat” one of the vocabulary words for the lesson, write down the definition in their notebooks, and be ready to share when called.
2.	Hand out Kansas road maps, colored pencils, and the Kansas river map to each student.
3.	Anticipatory Set: Tell students to hold up their hand in front of them. Explain that today we are going to learn an easy way to remember the major tributaries of the Kansas River and how important clean water is to everyone in the state of Kansas, no matter where they might live. Then ask students to decide which way they might suppose is downstream if each finger represents a tributary to the larger Kansas River? If our finger tributaries are flowing southward, which way does the Kansas River flow if our thumb represents the Kaw or Kansas River? The water would flow down the fingers and out through the thumb. The thumb even looks bigger, so the little streams are all adding their water flow into the larger river. Ask if anyone can tell what the Kansas River flows into? (Usually nearly everyone knows that the Kansas flows into the Missouri, then into the Mississippi and the Gulf of Mexico.) Say: So we can say that the Kansas River is also a tributary! A strategy to remember what a tributary is to say that it “contributes” water to the Missouri River. Holding up the left hand for the class, say: Look at your map of the Kansas river systems. By naming our four fingers we can easily remember he major tributaries of the Kansas River. The little finger can be the Smokey Hill, ring finger the Republican, the Big Blue, and finally the Delaware, SRBD, or some rivers bring dirt! Tell the students that Governor Graves of Kansas and our KS legislators have become very concerned about the water quality of our rivers in our state. They have decided to study the problem of water contamination in the Lower Republican-Kansas River Watershed area. To find out just where this area is on our Kansas River Map, color in the areas with green, outlining the rivers in blue to the Kansas border with Missouri. (Discuss watersheds to be sure of their understanding as the class colors.) Tell the students that the first three to be studied are 1. sedimentation, 2. atrazine, and 3. Fecal E. Coli bacteria. (Define and discuss these items, students may take notes.) Have the students now find Milford, Tuttle Creek, and Perry Reservoirs, using the Kansas map if needed. Discuss how these substances could get into the rivers. Say: Remember that Kansas is a great agricultural state and one way farmers meet the demand for food production is to use chemicals to give crops a better chance against weeds and insects. Inevitably, some of the residue from that application is going to wash off the fields during rainstorms and be washed into our tributaries and streams. The KDHE and Wildlife and Parks officials are monitoring these northeast Kansas rivers by testing the water periodically to keep track of the levels of each. Have students complete the watershed map of Kansas using various colors. Students can be directed to find their own location on the KS map. Ask: Is there anyway that any of these three substances could reach Topeka if the Hays area was dumping raw sewage, or not observing good agricultural practices? Looking on the river and KS road maps, what communities, reservoirs, and tributaries are upstream from Hays? Should we be concerned? Brainstorm possibilities and ramifications of oil wells, feed lots, and wildlife, and towns dumping wastes. Discuss holding ponds. Show transparencies of beef and pork production as overlays. (This visual should produce ohs and ahs.) To close lesson for the day, have students write a ten sentence paragraph to be handed in about what they have learned and what we might to learn more about these substances. From their suggestions, posters, speakers from the city and county could be brought in to speak, and letters to our state officials about our concerns over clean water could be pursued. Review the 5 finger exercise to remind students of the four major tributaries of the Kansas River. Some Rivers Bring Dirt = Smoky Hill R., Republican R., Blue R., and the Delaware R. Also, review which way the tributaries are flowing - southernly, and the Kansas River flows eastward (the thumb).