Los Angeles Unified School District
River Systems
Scholars must react to the ecosystems of a river. They use inquiry-based learning along with maps and visuals to better understand the impact of rivers on everyday life. To finish, they create final written projects and presentations.
Curated OER
River System
Fifth graders explore the parts of a river system and understand the importance of each part. For this river system lesson, 5th graders diagram a river system and write a paragraph explaining its parts.
Teach Engineering
Flow Rates of Faucets and Rivers
Go with the flow and use a helpful resource. A set of two activities has learners investigate flow rates. They first determine the flow rate of a faucet by measuring how long it takes to fill a bucket. Using the results, they make a...
Curated OER
The Birmingham River System
After a lesson on geography and the features of a river, students view a map of the Birmingham river system, which is in England. They are then asked to label 4 features on the map.
Kenan Fellows
Let's Learn About Stewardship and River Basins
What does it mean to be a good steward? Middle school environmentalists learn to care for their state's waterways through research, a guest speaker, and poster activity. Groups must locate and learn more about a river basin and the human...
K12 Reader
The Mississippi River
After examining a short passage about the Mississippi River system, readers use the provided graphic organizer to identify the main idea and supporting ideas in the article.
Curated OER
Human Impacts on Major Rivers of the World
Learners explore motivations behind human intervention in the stream flow of selected rivers, infer kinds of interventions and their results, and evaluate level of success of such interventions of stream flow as well as environmental...
Curated OER
User-friendly rivers
Students explore and explain their connection to rivers through watersheds. They break into three groups. Each group needs: Blue enamel paint, Miniature objects to simulate a model river system, modeling clay, Tempera paint, Toothpicks...
Curated OER
Rollin' on the River: The McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System
Middle schoolers take a close look at the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation system. They study how the Army Corps of Engineers built and monitor the system. Learners discover how a lock and a dam work, and study three benefits of...
Curated OER
Earth Day Unit Plan: Pollution in the Anacostia River - Biology Teaching Thesis
Sixth graders are able to explain that there are pollutants in the Anacostia River, what these pollutants can cause, and how to prevent further pollution. They examine the impacts that the pollutants of the Anacostia River could have on...
Curated OER
Water Quality and Watersheds: A GIS Investigation
Requiring more than one class period, this resource takes earth science learners on a journey through a watershed. Using ArcGIS Explorer, an online geographic information system, they view maps of watersheds and surrounding landscapes....
Curated OER
The Tennessee River: The Tie That Binds
Seventh graders examine the Tennessee River to see why it is still a major transportation artery in lieu of the age of modern transportation such as interstate highways, air cargo, and elaborate railway systems.
Curated OER
Growth of a River
Students evaluate geography by drawing an image in class. In this river instructional activity, students identify a list of vocabulary terms associated with bodies of water. Students identify how a river is formed and draw a picture of...
Curated OER
Rivers
Middle schoolers examine how rivers are used in our modern world. They create and analyze a large class mural of a river illustrating the ways rivers are used by people and wildlife, and write an essay on how rivers should be used and why.
Curated OER
Rivers, Maps, and Math
Students use maps to locate and label the major rivers of North and South America. Using the internet, they identify forests, grasslands, mountain ranges and other landforms on the continents as well. They compare and contrast the...
Curated OER
River of Life
Students explore the composition and function of blood through a variety of media and hands-on experiences. This lesson is a very good introduction to blood and the circulatory system.
Curated OER
Mary and the Red River Raft
Upper elementary and middle schoolers examine how the clearing of rivers such as the Red River helped to boost the Arkansas economy of the mid-1800's. They listen to a story called, "Mary and the Red River Raft," then conduct research on...
Curated OER
The Geography of the Middle East
Topographic, political, and satellite maps establish the world of the Middle East for your class- a land about which they have heard quite a lot, but might not really understand. This presentation would be a good introduction into a unit...
Curated OER
Two Rivers Ran Through It
Sixth graders discover the problems that early Mesototamian farmers faced while developing agriculture in the land between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. They design a working model that solves those unique challenges.
Curated OER
Historical Pollution in the Hudson: Part 2
Ninth graders practice how to format and enter data into an Excel spreadsheet, make a graph, and interpret graphed data. They recognize how the pollution in the Hudson River has changed over time, and explain the consequences of these...
Curated OER
Controlling the Flow of the Colorado River: A Study of Dams
Young scholars research and map the Colorado River and its dams and predict the effects of a dam on an area. They suggest reasons a dam would be built and compare the Colorado River system with other major river systems within the US and...
Curated OER
Lesson Recap: The Anacostia River & You - Biology Teaching Thesis
Seventh graders give examples of local sources of pollution and postulate reasons as to why local sources of pollution can harm the ecosystem. They address the following question in short answer form: "Why is litter/chemical pollution...
Curated OER
Transporting Coal
Some really interesting worksheets on Amtrak's national routes, and the major river systems of the United States accompany this lesson on the transportation of coal throught the country. This is an exceptionally well-designed lesson that...
Curated OER
Journey of Discovery and Rivers
Students investigate the rivers encountered and mapped by the Corps of Discovery. They analyze maps, outline and label rivers on a blank map, complete a chart, and answer discussion questions while watching a National Geographic video,...