A river is a natural stream of water that flows through land and empties into a body of water such as a sea or lake.

The mouth of a river is where it enters the sea or a lake.

Rivers of the world

Geography

Earth view: using globes and satellite images

Mapping the world: locating the continents

The world's five oceans

Mountains and landmarks of the world

The UK's place in the world

This unit builds basic knowledge needed to engage with the next unit 'Seasons' where pupils will need to talk about the world and some knowledge of its basic geometry.

This unit builds on pupils' knowledge of the world from their experiences in EYFS and their perceptions from other media and first hand experiences and expands their view of the local area as studied in 'Local area: Where do we go to school?' and 'Local area: Where do we live?' to a global scale.

This unit uses globes, maps and satellite images to explore the world’s continents, oceans, rivers and mountains. Pupils locate key features and landmarks and begin to understand the UK’s position in the wider world.

Continents and oceans: what can we find out about the world?

the start of a river in a hill or mountain

Rivers carry fresh water from the source.

The source is in high places like hills or mountains.

The river flows downhill to lower places.

The mouth of a river is where it flows into seas, oceans or lakes.

Put these statements in the correct order to explain what a river is.

What are the two longest rivers in the world called?

The Yangtze River is the third longest river in the world and the longest river in which continent?

A river is a body of water and flows downhill into a hill. 

A river is a body of water and flows uphill into a lake, sea or ocean. 

A river is a body of water and flows downhill into a lake, sea or ocean. 

Which of these are ways we can cross a river? 

Starter Quiz

What are rivers?