The Mekong River
Mary Frances Higuchi
September 2001

The Mekong & 5 themes

Tracing the Mekong River

Troubles for the Mekong River

Countries of Indo-China

Living on the Mekong River

Pictures of the Mekong River

Level: Grades 3-5

Time: Three 45 minute periods

Introduction: The Mekong is the twelfth longest river in the world. It begins in the high plateau of Eastern Tibet and flows through China, Burma, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam. Many European explorers traveled along or across the Mekong. What is the pathway of the Mekong? What does the landscape look like from the source to the mouth of the Mekong?

In this lesson, students will have a chance to explore the region that the Mekong flows, its pathway, the landscape, how people depend on the Mekong, and future uncertainties. They will apply the five themes of geography to explore the region.

Focus Questions: What is the pathway of the Mekong? How does the Mekong serve as the source of life for the people? How did the wars affect the Mekong? How are improvements affecting the political, social, and environmental future of the Mekong and its people?

World in Spatial Terms: Students use geographic representations to organize, analyze, and present information on people, places, and environments.

(K-3) Read and make geographic representations to locate and describe locations, distances, and directions and scale.

Performance Standards

The student will:

1. Create a map that includes the title, orientation, date, author's name, legend and scale.

2. Show the selected features (man made and/or natural) of the environment being studied.

3. Use geographical terms to describe a specific location and human/physical characteristics of a place.

(4-5) Collect, organize, and analyze data to interpret and construct geographic representations.

Performance Standards

The student will:

1. Show organization of collected data.

2. Construct a map, globe, graph, chart, model, etc., that includes collected geographic data.

3. Explain the meanings, patterns, and relationships found in geographic data.

Places and Regions: Students understand how distinct physical and human characteristics shape places and regions.

(K-3) Use physical and human characteristics to compare and contrast places and regions, near and far.

Performance Standards

The student will:

1. describe the similarities and differences of the physical characteristics of a community with another.

2. Describe the similarities and differences of the human characteristics of a community with another.

3. Show how the physical and human characteristics of a place/region determine the uniqueness of a place/region.

(4-5) Use physical and human characteristics to compare places and regions in Hawaii, the United States, and other countries.

Performance Standards

The student will:

1. Show similarities and differences of the physical characteristics of places and regions.

2. Show similarities and differences of the human characteristics of places and regions.

3. Apply this knowledge to draw conclusions and/or make connections.

Human Systems: Students analyze how people organize their activities on Earth through their analysis of human populations, cultural mosaics, economic interdependence, settlement, and conflict and cooperation.

(K-3) Examine and explain the factors that influence where people migrate and settle

Performance Standards

The student will:

1. Identify factors that influence where people migrate and settle

2. Determine the reasons why people settle in a particular place

3. Show how the factors determine where people migrate and settle.

(4-5) Compare and contrast how human events influence settlement patterns in Hawaii, United States, and other parts of the world.

Performance Standards

The student will:

1. Describe how human events including social, political and economic factors influence settlement patterns in different regions of the world.

2. Apply this knowledge to form generalizations and inferences.

Environment and Society: Students demonstrate stewardship of earth's resources through the understanding of society and the physical environment.

(K-3) Explain how people depend on, adapt to, and modify the physical environment in their community, and demonstrate stewardship of a local environment.

Performance Standards

The student will:

1. Identify the earth;s resources within land, air, water.

2. Describe how and why people use earth's resources to meet their needs.

3. Describe how people change the physical environment.

4. Create and implement a plan to sustain and preserve a local environment.

(4-5) Analyze the consequences of human modification of the physical environment in Hawaii, the United States, and other parts of the world, and implement a plan of action to address the consequences.

Performance Standards

The student will:

1. Identify effects of human activity on the physical environment.

2. Assess the positive and negative consequences on the environment.

3. Devise and carry out a plan to address the consequences.

1. Label a map with the countries, bay, seas, gulf, rivers, and major cities and towns in the Indochina Region.

2. Locate the paths of the Mekong and other major rivers and mark the Mekong watershed.

3. Apply the five themes of geography to the Mekong watershed.

Maps of South East Asia and the Indochina Region

Pictures of the different areas in the Mekong watershed. Prepare a set of pictures ahead of time, or have students use the books to find appropriate pictures. Add descriptions to the backside of the pictures.

Names of the Mekong River that different countries use. Write them on strips of paper.

Supplies: pens and chart paper

• Site includes links to the countries that border the Mekong...Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, China, and Vietnam. Click onto any of the flags to get more information of the Mekong in each country.

http://www.mekongexpress.com/

• Site includes a calendar with aerial photographs.

http://www.mekongexpress.com/laos/ecommerce/lao_cal_1999.htm

• Jewels of the Mekong include different sections that take you on a trip through the Mekong River...The River; The Jewels; The People; Cambodia; Yunnan, China; Lao PDR; Myanmar; Thailand; Vietnam

http://www.travelmedia.com/mekong/

• Map of Mekong

http://www.mekongresearch.com/MkRegion.html

• Taming Southeast Asia's Mekong River: A Recipe for Development or Disaster?

http://www.disasterrelief.org/Disasters/990805mekong/

• The Water Page - Global Water Page - Mekong River Basin
http://www.thewaterpage.com/mekong_river.htm

• Cambodia Tour

http://www.cambonet.com/CamboProv/mekongriver.html

• The Mekong River

http://hawley.hispeed.com/vietnam/Mekong. htm

• The Bassac River Tour (West delta tributary of Mekong River)

http://hawley.hispeed.com/vietnam/bassac2.htm

• Mekong River Delta Fishing

http://www.e-trip.com/vietnam/viet6.htm

1. Map skills. Getting to know the Indochina Region.

a. Students work in groups to fill in the Indochina Region map with names of countries and waterways.

b. Have student trace the path of the Mekong River with a blue crayon or felt pen.

c. Have students color in the Mekong watershed.

2. A Glimpse at the Landscape. Getting to know what parts of the Mekong watershed area looks like.

a. Depending on the resources, divide students into groups. Provide each group with a description, "Tracing the Mekong," and a set of pictures. For example, the Quinghai Province and Tibet; the Yunnan Province; Golden Triangle area; Laos; Vietnam. Photos can also be used: My Tho; Luang Prabang; Midland Village; Vientiane; Tonle Sap

b. Students will read the descriptions for their section. Using the pictures and descriptions, each group will prepare a short presentation on the assigned section. Tape pictures on the wall in the path of the Mekong. While students are describing their section, others will write notes on their maps.

c. Have students match the name of the Mekong River that each country uses. Place names on the group of pictures that the students placed on the board in "b."

d. Generalization - After everyone has presented the information and discussions have been made, students will write a generalization about the Mekong River.

3. Apply the 5 themes of geography to the Mekong River.

Divide students into 5 groups. Each group will be given one of the themes to work on. Use "Five Themes of the Mekong River." "The Mekong Story" is included as an option to the "Five Themes of the Mekong River."

4. Students should write a reflection on what they've learned about the Mekong River and how their lives relate to it.

5. Debrief.

1. Tracing the Mekong River

2. Indochina Region Map

3. List of Place Names for the Map

4. Five Themes of the Mekong River

5. The Mekong Story

Children of Vietnam. Marybeth Lorbiechki. Photographs by Paul P. Rome. Carolrhoda Books, Inc. 1997.

Dia's Story Cloth, the Hmong People's Journey of Freedom. Dia Cha. Lee & Low books Inc. New York. 1996.

Flight Across the Mekong. Jennifer Cook. Feb. 2000.

Grandfather's Dream. Holly Keller. Greenwillow Books. Singapore. 1994.

Mekong A Journey on the Mother of Waters. Michael Yamashita. Takarajima Books. 1996. (Out-of-print)

The Mekong River. Kim Dramer. March 2001

Postcards from Vietnam. Denise Allard. Raintree Steck-Vaughn Publishers. 1997.

Teaching with Folk Stories of the Hmong. Dia Cha and Norma J. Livo. Libraries Unlimited, Inc. Englewood, Colorado. 2000.

Vietnam: The Culture. Bobbie Kalman. Crabtree Publishing. 1996.

Vietnam: The Land. Bobbie Kalman. Crabtree Publishing. 1996.

Vietnam: The People. Bobbie Kalman. Crabtree Publishing. 1996.

The Whispering Cloth. Pegi Deitz Shea. Boyds Mills Press. 1995.

Debriefing: Discuss what students have learned and how they relate to the Mekong River. Discuss how students can also use the five themes to study other areas or literature stories.

Read Grandfather's Dream to the students. Have them apply the five themes of geography to the story. (Or, have students apply the themes to a place they are studying. Students should create a poster and write an explanation of their poster.

The poster should include the following: 1) Map that shows where the story takes place and events that take place; 2) Physical and human characteristics; and 3) Interaction between the people and the environment over time.

The explanation should include: 1) Region where the story takes place; 2) Description of the place; 3) Interaction between people and the environment

Extension:

1. Students can create a "Postcards From the Mekong" book. Share Postcards from Vietnam with students. Have them use that as a model to create their own postcard book. Share with other students.

2. Read Dia's Story Cloth and The Whispering Cloth to the students. Share story cloth pictures with students. One of the scenes depicts the people crossing the Mekong River. Have students mark the states where the Hmong have settled and trace the migrations of the Hmong from ancient times. Have them check where the people crossed and where the refugee camps they arrived at. Compare the stories of the Hmong with the students' stories of their ancestors. Depending on the students' age, share Dia's Memories of escaping, village life, and refugee camp life fromTeaching with Folk Stories of the Hmong. Dia also describes farming and food. Several folk stories are included in the activity book, as well as, information on musical instruments, story cloths, etc.

3. Older students can investigate whether the Mekong should/shouldn't be dammed. See "Troubles of the Mekong: To Dam or Not to Dam."