Lesson plan (English)
Topic: River course sections and their characteristics
Author: Magdalena Jankun
Target group
7th‑grade student of elementary school
Core curriculum
IX. The natural environment of Poland against the background of Europe: geographical position of Poland; influence of tectonic movements and glaciations on the sculpture of Europe and Poland; transitional climate of Poland; the main rivers of Poland and their systems against the rivers of Europe and their systems; main types of soils in Poland; forests in Poland; natural heritage of Poland, mineral resources of Poland.
9). describes the features and natural values of the Vistula and Odra rivers and characterizes the river systems of both rivers and compares them with selected river systems in Europe;
The general aim of education
You will learn how a river behaves in the upper, middle and lower sections.
Criteria of success
You will explain the differences between the main river and a tributary;
indicate the Vistula River and the Oder River, from the source to the mouth, on the map of Poland;
describe how a river behaves in the upper, middle and lower sections;
indicate river sections in which bottom, headward and lateral erosion types dominate;
characterize the process of formation of meanders and old river beds;
explain what contributes to the creation of a delta and an estuary, and give examples.
Key competences
communication in the mother tongue;
communication in a foreign language;
learning to learn;
digital competence.
Methods / forms of work
using ICT tools;
activity with educational material and multimedia on the epodreczniki platform;
using the Google Earth programme;
individual activity, activity in pairs, and collective activity.
Teaching aids
e‑textbook for teaching geography;
interactive whiteboard;
multimedia projector;
tablets/computers;
physical map of Poland;
geographical atlases.
Lesson plan overview
Introduction
The teacher gives the lesson topic and goals in the student's language.
Work with a geographical atlas: the students search the Vistula River and the Oder River on the map of Poland. They find their sources and mouths. Eager students show the rivers on the wall map of Poland, pointing to their sources, geographic regions which they flow through and water regions which they flow into.
Realization
The teacher refers the students to the scheme entitled „Upper, middle and lower course of the river”. The scheme is displayed on the main screen and analysed.
Explanation of terms: headward erosion, bottom erosion, lateral erosion, and indication of sections in which they occur.
The students watch a film showing how a river changes its stream channel. They can repeat this experience alone at home.
Analysis of a photo depicting the meandering Vltava River. The students try to explain the reasons for the formation of meanders and old river beds. They indicate the sections in which they occur.
The teacher plays the film entitled „Development of the river meander (bend) and creation of oxbow lake” in the lesson entitled „River course sections and their characteristics”„River course sections and their characteristics” on the epodreczniki.pl website. This way, the students get a visual piece of information.
Task for the students (work in pairs): using different source materials, explain how, under what conditionsa delta mouth and an estuary are formed.
The students work in pairs, and they use different sources. They characterize the features of three river sections in their notebooks, paying attention to the material carried across the river, speed, location and the characteristic the shape of the valley, the prevailing phenomena (types of erosion, accumulation).
Work in pairs with an atlas. The students look for mouths of the Vistula River and the Oder River. They define the type of the estuary and the way it is created. Then, they search for rivers in Europe that have a delta mouth and an estuary. They show them on the wall map of Europe.
The teacher asks a selected student to search for the deltas of the following rivers in Google Earth: Volga, Danube and Vistula.
Interactive exercise. Match the rivers to the appropriate group according to their mouths: estuary or delta. The students approach the interactive whiteboard one after another and place the river in the appropriate group.
Summary
At the end of the class, the teacher asks the entire class questions, for example, what are meanders, oxbow lakes, where does a river form the V‑shaped valley, where does a river have the fastest current and why, where does a river have the widest stream channel, how does a delta form, and how does an estuary form.
The teacher assesses the students' activity during the lesson, appreciating their engagement and commitment.
The following terms and recordings will be used during this lesson
Terms
akumulacja – proces gromadzenia osadów w wyniku działalności wody, wiatru lub lodowca
delta – ujście rzeki w postaci dwóch lub więcej odnóg na obszarze usypanym z osadów przyniesionych przez rzekę
erozja – procesy niszczenia skorupy ziemskiej, polegające na żłobieniu i rozcinaniu powierzchni przez wody, lodowce i wiatr, połączone z usuwaniem powstających produktów niszczenia
erozja boczna – niszczenie brzegów rzek w wyniku nierównomiernej prędkości przepływu wody
erozja wgłębna – wcinanie się rzek w podłoże na skutek niszczenia dna za pomocą niesionego materiału skalnego; doliny rzeczne tego typu mają w przekroju poprzecznym kształt litery „V”
erozja wsteczna – przesuwanie się źródeł rzeki oraz progów i załomów skalnych w kierunku przeciwnym niż kierunek biegu rzeki; erozja wsteczna powoduje wydłużanie się doliny w górę rzeki
estuarium (ujście lejkowate) – poszerzone przez pływy morskie ujście rzeki uchodzącej do głębokiego morza
meander – fragment koryta rzeki o kształcie przypominającym zakole, łuk lub pętlę, utworzony w wyniku erozji bocznej
starorzecze – jezioro leżące w dolinie rzecznej, powstałe w wyniku odcięcia pętli meandra
Texts and recordings
River flow sections and their characteristics
The course of most rivers is divided into three sections.
In the upper course the rivers often flow in mountainous or highland terrain. Due to large differences in altitude, the water flows at a significant speed and has a large erosive force. Deep deep erosion dominates there as a result of which deeper and deeper valleys are formed, and headward erosion causing the sources to regress and to push the hard rock of waterfalls up the river. Rock material, which is eroded by water, is worn smooth, crushed and transported.
In the middle course the river usually flows slower and thanks to inflows it has more water. Now it destroys the channel differently and changes its character to lateral erosion, causing the river to significantly widen its valley and transport finer material. This process consists in undercutting or undermining the banks, which is caused by an uneven river current. The water undermines concave edges, and it deposits segregated material on convex edges: gravel and coarse sand, forming outwash. The effects of this process include breaking down of rock and earth material, shifting of the edge wall and supplying of new rubble to the riverbed. This process creates meanders. After some time, meanders cut themselves off from the river, which at high levels of waters straightens its course, and small, shallow, fast‑growing lakes are formed and they are called oxbow lakes.
In the lower course, especially at the mouths of the sea or the lake, the river no longer has its erosive force, gradually loses its ability to transport material and accumulates it in its own bed, at the mouth or at the bottom of the reservoir to which it falls. Therefore, characteristic elements of riverbeds in their lower courses are sandbanks (river banks).
Based on the information obtained during classes, do the following exercises.