The Journey of a River
This lesson introduces Year 7 students to the 'Long Profile' of a river. It covers the three stages (Upper, Middle, and Lower courses), the processes that shape the landscape, and the resulting landforms.
Learning objectives
- Identify the main features of a river from source to mouth.
- Explain the physical processes of erosion, transportation, and deposition.
- Describe how specific landforms, such as meanders and waterfalls, are formed.
Lesson plan (60 minutes)
Introduction · 5 min
Do Now: Brainstorm all the rivers you know and what you think they do to the land.
Teaching · 10 min
Teacher Explainer: The Journey of a River (Source to Mouth) and the Long Profile.
Development · 10 min
Vocabulary Match: Students match key terms to definitions on their worksheets.
Main Activity · 20 min
Differentiated Task: Students complete the Support, Core, or Stretch worksheet based on their target level.
Assessment · 10 min
Knowledge Check: 8-question multiple-choice quiz.
Conclusion · 5 min
Plenary: Exit ticket - name one landform from each course of the river.
Key vocabulary
- Source
- The starting point of a river, often in the mountains.
- Mouth
- The end of a river, where it enters a lake or the sea.
- Erosion
- The wearing away of the land by the force of the water and the load it carries.
- Deposition
- When a river loses energy and drops the material (silt, sand, pebbles) it was carrying.
- Meander
- A large bend in a river.
Core worksheet (first questions)
- Explain how a V-shaped valley is formed.
- Compare the processes of erosion and deposition.
- Why does a river curve into meanders?
- How does a meander turn into an oxbow lake?
Quiz (sample)
1. What is the starting point of a river called?
- A. The Mouth
- B. The Source
- C. The Delta
- D. The Tributary
2. Which landform is typically found in the Upper Course?
- A. V-shaped valley
- B. Floodplain
- C. Delta
- D. Oxbow lake
3. What is the name for the wearing away of rocks and soil by the river?
- A. Deposition
- B. Transportation
- C. Erosion
- D. Evaporation
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Support and Stretch worksheets, every answer and model answer, the teaching explainer and common misconceptions, editable and ready to print as PDF or Word.
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