Meanwhile at the Mississippi (17th Century)

Art Appreciation

Analyze the painting, shown (right).  Check out the details.

• What do you notice?
• What do you think is happening?
• What does this piece make you wonder?
• What questions come to mind?

Marquette and Joliet

Sometimes we forget that, while we are focused on telling one part of history, other events are happening all around the world.  While we think of the "New World" being the English colonies along the east coast of our part of North America, other nations and explorers were investigating elsewhere.  For instance, closer to our own neck of the woods, and explorer-team was checking out the Mississippi River.

These were Jacque Marquette and Louis Joliet (Marquette and Joliet, not Romeo and Juliet!).  ​Why were they on the Mississippi River?  Watch short video below and find out.

Mood Music

​Draw a picture to show the scene that comes to mind as you listen to this music.  Be ready to write a story to go along with your picture and share it with the class.

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After watching the video to the right, make your own Piasa.  What adaptations will your creature have?  How will it use those adaptations to eat, move, and survive?  Use this face to start your piasa:  Piasa Face.

Finally, let's write organized three-point paragraphs (with teacher assistance).

Another Monster?

Here's something I rolled across while doing some exploring of my own along the Mississippi River near Alton, Illinois (close to St. Louis).  I stopped to take some pictures and have since researched a little bit about something called a Piasa.  See what you think:  is this legend based on something real?

Here is a little more explanation: