De-Graft visits Lake Windermere to find out about lakes, lochs, reservoirs and the water cycle.
Video summary
De-Graft is on Lake Windermere, in the Lake District, to find out about lakes, lochs, reservoirs and the water cycle.
There are thousands of natural lakes across the UK, as well as man-made lakes called reservoirs, which often have dams.
De-Graft explains how lakes are part of the water cycle - when water warms up, evaporates, rises into the atmosphere as water vapour, condenses, and falls as precipitation. When the rain hits the ground it either runs straight into rivers and streams, which is called surface runoff, sinks into the ground, which is called infiltration, or is intercepted by vegetation. The water might end up finding its way back into a lake and the process starts again.
Teacher Notes
Questions to consider:
- Have you ever visited a lake? What was it like? What wildlife did you see?
- What is the process of the water cycle? Do you know the different components of the water cycle?
- What do you think about the Lake District once being the site of bubbling volcanoes? What about when it was completely frozen and full of glaciers carving their way down the mountainsides?
- What potential hazards are there in lakes, reservoirs and rivers? How would you stay safe?
- What鈥檚 the purpose of a reservoir? And of a dam?
- What activities do you think people can do on a lake? Have you ever tried any water activities?
- Do you think lakes are important? Do you think it鈥檚 nice to have lakes across the UK? Why?
Suggested activities to further explore learning:
1. Tourism poster
- Pupils could design an illustrated information tourist poster or even a short booklet for Lake Windermere (or a different lake near you).
- Describe some of the wildlife tourists can keep an eye out for whilst visiting. What are some of the dangers to consider whilst being close to water? What activities could people try on the lake? Include some facts about the size or depth of the lake, and how the lake was formed.
- There will need to be a combination of informative and persuasive writing and images.
- Encourage pupils to think of the different ages of tourists that might be visiting and what might be appealing to families, younger children, older individuals for example. Pupils might wish to target one demographic or design an advert that will capture all ages.
2. Water cycle demonstration
- Ask pupils to create a demonstration of the water cycle in groups. They could use different methods, for example one group could act out the different stages of the cycle through movement and actions, another could create posters or large diagrams, and another group could create a poem or a rap to explain the water cycle from the perspective of a water droplet.
- Which ever form of presentation style the group chooses they should emphasise the vocabulary associated with each component.
Key terminology:
Condensation 鈥 the process of water vapour turning into liquid. In the water cycle it鈥檚 when water vapour in the atmosphere reaches colder air and turns back into a liquid which then forms clouds.
Evaporation 鈥 the process of liquid changing to a gas. In the water cycle it鈥檚 when water in a lake or sea, for example, warms up and rises into the atmosphere as water vapour.
Glaciers 鈥 glaciers are large areas of thick ice that remain frozen all year round and flow very slowly.
Infiltration 鈥 when rain water sinks into the ground.
Precipitation 鈥 the process of water droplets in clouds becoming too heavy and falling as either rain, sleet, hail or snow.
Surface runoff 鈥 when rain water falls, hits the ground, and runs straight into rivers and streams.
Water cycle 鈥 the journey of water from bodies of water on the ground, to clouds, to rain, and back into rivers, lakes or oceans.
Water vapour 鈥 water in the form of a gas after having gone through the process of evaporation.
Suitable for teaching geography at KS2 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and 2nd level in Scotland.
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