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Year 1

Rivers of the world

I can explain what a river is and give examples of different rivers in the world.

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New
New
Year 1

Rivers of the world

I can explain what a river is and give examples of different rivers in the world.

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Share activities with pupils
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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Rivers carry water from high places such as mountains to a sea, ocean or lake.
  2. There are rivers on every continent, and some of the biggest rivers are the Nile and the Amazon.

Keywords

  • River - 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.

  • Source - The source is the start of a river.

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

Common misconception

There aren't any rivers in Antarctica.

There are rivers in every continent. Rivers in Antarctica are frozen or beneath a sheet of ice.

You can relate knowledge of rivers to a river local to you to support children to bridge the gap between local and global rivers.
Teacher tip

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
What are rivers?
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.
Correct answer: A river is a body of water and flows downhill into a lake, sea or ocean.
Q2.
Which of these are ways we can cross a river?
Correct answer: walking
Correct answer: boat
Correct answer: bridge
bicycle
Q3.
What can fresh water be used for?
Correct answer: washing
Correct answer: growing plants
running
Correct answer: animals drinking
Q4.
How many continents contain rivers?
four
five
six
Correct answer: seven
Q5.
Where is the river Thames located?
Northern Ireland
Wales
Correct answer: England
Scotland
Q6.
Which images shows a river?
An image in a quiz
Correct Answer: An image in a quiz
An image in a quiz
Correct Answer: An image in a quiz
An image in a quiz

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
What type of water do rivers carry?
salt water
sweet water
Correct answer: fresh water
Q2.
Match the terms to the statement.
Correct Answer:source,the start of a river in a hill or mountain

the start of a river in a hill or mountain

Correct Answer:mouth,where a river enters the sea or a lake

where a river enters the sea or a lake

Correct Answer:downhill,the direction a river flows

the direction a river flows

Q3.
Put these statements in the correct order to explain what a river is.
An image in a quiz
1 - Rivers carry fresh water from the source.
2 - The source is in high places like hills or mountains.
3 - The river flows downhill to lower places.
4 - The mouth of a river is where it flows into seas, oceans or lakes.
Q4.
Which continents contain rivers?
England
Correct answer: Asia
Correct answer: Europe
Correct answer: South America
Q5.
What are the two longest rivers in the world called?
The River Danube
Correct answer: The River Nile
Correct answer: The Amazon River
The Mississippi River
Q6.
The Yangtze River is the third longest river in the world and the longest river in which continent?
North America
Europe
Correct answer: Asia
Africa