New
New
Year 2

The River Taff

I can describe the course of the River Taff and explain how the River Taff has changed over time.

New
New
Year 2

The River Taff

I can describe the course of the River Taff and explain how the River Taff has changed over time.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. The River Taff flows from the north to the south of the city and drains into Cardiff Bay, a freshwater lake.
  2. Over 200 years ago, a famous engineer called Isambard Kingdom Brunel changed the course of the River Taff.
  3. Cardiff Station was then built in an area that used to flood before the river was diverted.
  4. The River Taff used to be heavily polluted but is now home to trout, salmon and other wildlife.

Common misconception

Pupils may think that rivers simply stop or disappear, rather than flow into a larger water body.

All rivers are part of the water cycle; water in a river flows overland along its course until it reaches a larger body of water, often at the coast. For example, water from the River Taff flows into Cardiff Bay.

Keywords

  • Course - The course of a river is the path it takes from its source at the start to its mouth at the end

  • freshwater - Freshwater is water that is not salty

  • Divert - To divert something is to make it take a different route

  • Pollution - Pollution is anything that makes the environment dirty or unhealthy

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).

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6 Questions

Q1.
Which of these modes of transport would you find on water?
trains
Correct answer: Aquabus
taxis
planes
Q2.
Which of these is a National Park?
Cardiff Bay
River Taff
Taff Trail
Correct answer: Brecon Beacons
Q3.
What do people use Cardiff Central Station for?
Correct answer: to catch trains to other places
to catch planes to other places
to catch ferries to other places
to catch cars to other places
Q4.
Complete the sentence. An express service takes people from Cardiff city centre to the international airport.
Correct Answer: bus, Bus
Q5.
Match the words to the definitions.
Correct Answer:Cardiff Bay,a body of water on the Cardiff coast

a body of water on the Cardiff coast

Correct Answer:Brecon Beacons,a National Park north of Cardiff

a National Park north of Cardiff

Correct Answer:Penarth,a town near Cardiff reached by Aquabus

a town near Cardiff reached by Aquabus

Correct Answer:River Severn,a body of water that the M4 motorway crosses

a body of water that the M4 motorway crosses

Q6.
Complete the sentence. Wales is connected to by the M4 motorway.
Correct Answer: England, england

6 Questions

Q1.
Where does the River Taff begin?
Correct answer: Brecon Beacons
Cardiff Bay
Penarth
Pontyprydd
Q2.
Which of these historic people was an engineer?
Queen Elizabeth II
Correct answer: Isambard Kingdom Brunel
William Shakespeare
Charles Dickens
Q3.
Match the words to the definitions.
Correct Answer:course,the path taken by a river

the path taken by a river

Correct Answer:divert,to make something change direction

to make something change direction

Correct Answer:source,where a river starts

where a river starts

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

where a river enters the sea or a lake

Q4.
Which of these species would you find in the River Taff?
Correct answer: salmon
shark
tropical fish
Q5.
Complete the sentence. A lot of pollution in the River Taff came from the industry.
Correct Answer: coal
Q6.
What problem is shown in the picture?
An image in a quiz
dirt
rubbish
Correct answer: pollution
plastic