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Down the Colorado: John Wesley Powell, the One-Armed Explorer

Publication Information

Author: Ray, Deborah Kogan

Illustrator: Ray, Deborah Kogan

Title: Down the Colorado: John Wesley Powell, the One-Armed Explorer

Date: 2007

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux

City: New York

ISBN, paperback: 978-0-374-31838-3

ISBN, hardback:

Recommended audience:

ABE/ABLE: Yes

ESOL:

Family:

Young Adult:

Picture: Yes

General Information:

Book Type(s): biography and autobiography

HSE Descriptor(s): science| social studies

Summary:

This biography of John Wesley Powell, son of an Ohio abolitionist, a teacher who lead a group of the first exploration of the treacherous Colorado River in 1869--despite the loss of an arm in the Civil War. A timeline, bibliography, and an author's note expand the teaching possibilities of the book.

Teaching Ideas:

Readers will want to follow the exploration on a map. Students should note the incidents in Powell's background that prepare him for the expedition. Although the subtitle of the book points to his handicap, how did the loss of an arm affect his career as an explorer? Although the narrative emphasizes the exploration of the Colorado, Powell's career included many accomplishments that can be researched online. Students could research and discuss how people overcome physical challenges. Students could also research Civil War medical practices, rehab, etc. Use a map to chart the journey and look at old maps to study changes. Find out more about an area that the explorers visited-- then and now.

Teaching Strategies: