The Hudson River

Objectives:

• Students will be able to state the location of the Hudson River and identify it as the river that flows both ways.

• Students will be able to describe how Native Americans used the Hudson River.

• Students will be able to describe the history of the Hudson River as a means of transportation.

• Students will be able to describe the resources around the Hudson River and how they have been used throughout American History.

Suggested Grades:

4th Grade - 5th Grade - 6th Grade

Lesson Procedure:

Print the reading comprehension passage and questions (see below).

Students should read the passage silently, then answer the questions. Teachers may also use the text as part of a classroom lesson plan.

Lesson Excerpt:

The Hudson River flows for more than 300 miles through the state of New York before emptying into the Atlantic Ocean. Fresh water mixes with saltwater from the ocean that flows up the river when the tide is in. The Hudson River is home to crabs, oysters, salmon and other saltwater fish. Mink, beavers, foxes, otters, muskrats and deer live in the forests along its shores. The area is also home to seabirds like sandpipers and gulls as well as woodland birds like blackbirds and warblers.

Native Americans discovered the Hudson River thousands of years ago. They called it Muhheakantuck, which means "the river that flows both ways." The native people who settled along the Hudson River were known as the Leni-Lenape. They used wood and bark to build houses and gathered nuts and berries for food. They also planted corn, squash beans and other crops. The Leni-Lenape were skilled craftspeople. They made baskets, clay pots and other goods. They also created dugout canoes from tree trunks. The Hudson River soon became a highway for trading goods and food among the Indian villages that existed along its shores.

Continued...