Minnesota River

High school (ages 12+)
Geography

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/minnesota-river

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. How long is the Minnesota River?Approximately 332 miles (534 km)
2. What is the dakota name meaning?'Mnisota Makoce' translates to 'land where the waters reflect the sky'
3. Where does the Minnesota River start?It starts in Big Stone Lake on the border between Minnesota and South Dakota, near a place called Traverse Gap. From there it goes southeast, then turns northeast to meet the Mississippi River near the Twin Cities.
4. How did the Minnesota River get its name?The river was first called St. Pierre by French and English explorers, but the Dakota people named it Minnesota, meaning "land where the waters reflect the sky." In 1852, the U.S. Congress officially made that name the river’s official name.

Physiographic Region: An area of land characterized by distinct geological and landform features.
Laurentide Ice Sheet: A massive sheet of ice that covered much of North America during the last glacial period.
Nutrient Loading: The excessive input of nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, into a body of water, often from agricultural runoff.
Watershed Restoration: Efforts to improve the ecological health and function of a drainage basin.