Geographic Alliance of Iowa

Let The River Run

by Catharine Freeman
Immaculate Conception

 

Let the River Run

I chatter, chatter,
as I flow
To join the brimming river,

For men may come
and men may go,

But I go on
forever.

-from "The Brook,"
by Alfred, Lord Tennyson

 



 

A River Ran Wild
by Lynne Cherry

Cause
Effect

List as many cause and effect relationships as you can find from the story.
Hint: The pictures are clues.

 



 

Streambed
  1. Grade Level: Elementary 

  2. Geographic Themes/Key Ideas: Location, Place, Human/Environment Interaction

  3. Geography Elements/Standard(s) Emphasized:
    * Standard 7: The physical processes that shape the patterns of earth's surface
    * Standard 15: How physical systems affect human systems
    * Standard 17: How to apply geography to interpret the past

  4. Time: The basic part of the lesson including the activity would take one class period, however, this lesson has been designed to be integrated into a thematic unit that could be a day or a week.

  5. Materials/Equipment: world atlases, large (at least 12"x22" plastic container, clear or white plastic sheet (at least 3x3), newspaper, water, food coloring (optional), watering can or spray bottle, water-soluble colored markers, Stream Drawing (master handout), white paper and drawing materials

  6. Objectives/Goals:
    * identify and illustrate parts of a stream
    * describe how and why a stream develops
    * design your own stream

  7. Suggested procedure for teaching the lesson:
    1. Introduce unit by reading A River Ran Wild by Lynne Cherry.
    2. Use the Cause and Effect skill worksheet.
    3. Do a vocabulary web.
    4. Identify the six parts of a stream.
    5. Open the lesson. Individually or in groups, have students locate the Nile, the Amazon, and the Colorado rivers in their atlases. Identify their common features: Their sources are in the mountains; they flow overland for a great distance; and they eventually flow into an ocean, sea, or gulf. Locate and describe their sources. Remind students that all streams flow from higher to lower elevations under the influence of gravity. Review the six parts of a stream.
    6. Demonstration: Explain that students will experiment with water to demonstrate
      *the force of gravity on water
      *the way some rivers begin
      *how all rivers flow from high to low points
    7. Conclude the lesson. Have students draw and label the six parts of a stream. Include features of the surrounding landscape, such as mountains, hills, valleys; a lake, gulf, or ocean at the mouth; and people along the banks using and enjoying the water. Students may want to tape their drawings together to create a longer course for their river.

  8. Extending the lesson:
    River Research
    * Find out how great civilizations of the past depended on rivers for their growth such as the Chinese and the Egyptians.
    * Explore which cities, towns, and industries have been established in proximity to rivers.
    * Find out how the presence or absence of a river has affected your community.
    * Other research topics-Erie Canal, Pittsburgh, trading on the Mississippi, textile manufacturing, and the Grand Canyon
    Field Experience
    As a class or as individuals, study a nearby river or stream. Visit it frequently to note changes throughout the school year. How will the water flow affect the bands and course of the stream? Use journals, photographs and drawings. Compare and analyze throughout the year.
    Study the effects of floods
    * Research the Mississippi River flood of 1993. Have students research one aspect of this disaster and report to class.
    * Role play: Have students debate whether or not people should move back into an area that floods regularly. Have one group take the role of home owners, and the other take the role of government leaders who want to keep people from building homes too close to some rivers.
    Literature Links
    * Up River by Frank Asch
    * Minn of the Mississippi and Paddle to the Sea by Holling Clancy Holling
    * Common Ground: The Water, Earth, and Air We Share by Molly Bang
    * The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

  9. Evaluation/Assessment: The concluding activity previously mentioned is the assessment.

  10. Resources:
    * Curriculum Guide: Earth 2U, Exploring Geography, Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service, 1996.
    * Arthur Dorros. Follow the Water from Brook to Ocean. HarperCollins,1991.
    * Michael March. The Unfolding River: From Source to Sea. Running Press,1992.
    * Eleonore Schmid. The Waters Journey. North-South Books, 1990.