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Lesson 4 of 6
  • Year 1

Rivers of the world

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

Lesson 4 of 6
New
New
  • Year 1

Rivers of the world

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

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.


To help you plan your year 1 geography lesson on: Rivers of the world, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

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 (2025), 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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Prior knowledge starter quiz

Download quiz pdf

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

Assessment exit quiz

Download quiz pdf

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