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De-Graft is on the River Severn to explore the course of a river, from its source to the river mouth.

Video summary

The hundreds of rivers across the UK share common features, from the river source to meanders to the river mouth. De-Graft is in Ironbridge, kayaking down the River Severn - the longest river in the UK.

De-Graft explains how often there are major towns and cities along the course of a river because historically people have built settlements near access to fresh water. Rivers also allow the transportation goods and people.

The film describes the journey of a river from its source to its end - or mouth - which is most likely at the sea. Rivers can have many different features including rapids, waterfalls, and meanders.

De-Graft meets two local children to consider the risks posed by flooding.

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Teacher Notes

Questions to consider:

  • Where鈥檚 the nearest river to you? What is it like? Is it fast or slow flowing, bendy or straight?
  • Have you ever spotted any wildlife near a river?
  • What is the journey of a river from source to mouth?
  • Why are there often settlements near rivers?
  • What is flooding and why does it happen?
  • How does climate change affect rivers and flooding?
  • How have humans used rivers in the past and present?
  • How do you think we can look after our rivers?
  • What happens if a river runs dry or is dammed up stream?

Suggested activities to further explore learning:

1. River walk

Pupils could find the nearest accessible stream or river to their school using a map and go on a local river walk and take some photos like Ryley and Maisie in the video. Can they find an example of a meander, or spot any river wildlife? Maybe they can see areas where the land around the river is prone to flooding? They could consider how else the river might change as a result of heavy or low rainfall.

If you can鈥檛 get out on a real life field trip pupils could do a virtual one by gathering four images or ariel photographs of rivers in the UK from the internet . Pupils could then label these images to identify key components of a river - eg a river bank, a bridge, rapids.

2. Sand tray river

Put pupils in small groups with one sand tray and some water for each group. Pupils can run some water over the sand in the tray and watch it form channels, make their own meanders by moving sediment (sand or stones), and even have a go at creating their own ox-bow lake. They could add in a bridge as a safe place to cross the sand tray river.

Pupils could then draw an annotated map of the river they鈥檝e created, marking out the tributaries, river bank, etc. Compare the different river maps from the different groups in the class to demonstrate how every river is unique, but also that there are key features that most rivers have in common. What happens if the water is poured (flows) too fast? Is slope important, and if so how?

A large scale version of this can be created in the school grounds using a flower bed on an incline and a hose鈥 be careful not to wash away the plants though!

Key terminology:

Estuary 鈥 where a river meets the sea.

Flooding 鈥 the overflow of water onto land that is usually dry.

Floodplain 鈥 an area of flat land around a river that is covered when the river floods.

Gorge 鈥 a deep narrow valley with steep sides, usually where a river passes through.

Meander 鈥 a winding curve or bend in a river.

Mouth 鈥 the end of a river where it flows into another body of water such as the sea or a lake.

Ox-bow lake 鈥 sometimes a river becomes so bendy it creates an easier route straight across and cuts off the bend, or meander. This forms what is called an ox-bow lake, often in a U-shape.

Rapids 鈥 part of a river where the water moves very fast, often over rocks.

Sediment 鈥 bits of rock and soil that are carried along by a river and deposited when the river slows down.

Source 鈥 the start of a river.

Spring 鈥 a point where water flows out of the ground.

Stream 鈥 a small river.

Valley 鈥 a long area of lower land, often between hills and created by rivers.

Waterfall 鈥 where the water from a river or stream flows over a steep drop, often landing in a plunge pool below.

Suitable for teaching geography at KS2 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and 2nd level in Scotland.

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