Teaching rivers creatively How to make geography fun

Rivers is a technical topic to teach and the pupils need to understand and be confident using the correct technical vocabulary as well as have a good understanding of the processes and how they work. Teaching about a rivers long profile can be challenging, as it is rare that pupils get to see the whole long profile in reality, so find it difficult to make the connections.

Why be creative ? How we teach has an impact on how well pupils learn Lecture 5% Reading 10% Audio-visual 20% Demonstration 30% Discussion 50% Practice by doing 75% Teaching others 90%

Key terminology and ideas Key features Key processes/ terminology Source Waterfall Rapids V shaped valley Meander Upper, middle and lower course Floodplain Ox bow lake Mouth/ estuary River cliff Slip off slope Erosion – hydraulic action, attrition, abrasion. Transportation – solution, suspension, traction Deposition Velocity – highest/ lowest Hellicoidal flow Fastest flow

The course of a river

Building a river long profile There are two different techniques here that you can use. One group is going to use the marble run the other produce a river in a box. Both groups will need to be able to describe and explain the process taking place on their model using technical terminology.

Creative rivers River marble run River in a box Using only what is in the box make a working model of a river. It must have a source, rapids waterfall, meanders, ox bow lake, floodplain and mouth. You must be able to run both marbles down together Label the main features and describe the processes taking place. Using only the materials in the box make a model of a river from source to mouth in the box provided. It must have a source, rapids waterfall, meanders, ox bow lake, floodplain, mouth and ‘V’ shaped valley, Label the features and describe the processes taking place.

Some examples to inspire you

Helpful material www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdFZy4n2wwA www.rgs.org/NR/rdonlyres/2749E26E-78E3-4606-9CAE-D7D2838DF0BA/0/Primaryfieldworkrivers.pdf