Supplemental Curriculum Activities to accompany Holling Clancy Holling's Paddle-to-the-Sea

Ohio Sea Grant College Program

Developed with support of The Ohio State University and Ohio Sea Grant.  Marcia Seager, Tim Taylor and Rosanne Fortner, authors.

1. Description

Paddle-to-the-Sea is an award-winning children's book about how a carved wooden Indian in a toy canoe travels throughout the Great Lakes from headwaters in melting snow north of Lake Superior. On the bottom of the boat is etched: " I am Paddle-to-the-Sea. Please put me back in the water." As "Paddle" drifts through the lakes, readers of the book learn about the history, economy and ecology of the lakes through his eyes. The library book is for about grades 4-8, and has excellent illustrations. It is available from Ohio Sea Grant or local bookstores.

This book of "Supplemental Curriculum Activities" provides at least one classroom activity for each of the 27 chapters Holling wrote. An outline map of the Great Lakes is included so students can track Paddle's progress on the bulletin board.

2. Topic Areas and Activities Included
 
 

Great Lakes geography Travel to the sea Carving a Paddle person In one lake and out another How big is a crowd? Rivers in the air Tour by mail Time Line What do you "see" in the Great Lakes? Taken by surprise Animal snowshoes tracking a good story Pond diorama Beaver's point of view Forest careers Uses of trees Logs to lumber How waves move Passport to adventure Energy flow and food webs

Food chain tag Travel math Uses of iron ore Something's fishy Going fishing Thunderbirds and sunsets Oral history Breeches buoy rescue How locks work Clean campaign Forest fires -- Good and bad Building a "birchbark" canoe Harbor guides Over the falls Great Lakes bulk carriers Parlez-vous français? Life in an estuary Sharing ecosystem resources The sea at last! Paddle makes headlines A dream comes true