River processes and landforms
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can describe processes happening in a river and landforms that they create
Key learning points
- Rivers move water and processes of erosion, transport and deposition create different landforms along a river’s course.
- Rocks pebbles and sediment carried by the river bash against the banks to crack and weaken them.
- Landforms like waterfalls, meanders and floodplains are created by rivers.
- An estuary forms where fresh river water mixes with salty sea water.
Keywords
Erosion - Erosion is the process of Earth’s surface, e.g. rock or soil, being worn away and transported from its original site
Transportation - Transportation is where rivers move sand, mud and rocks
Deposition - Deposition is when sand, mud and rocks are dropped by the river
Landform - A landform is a natural feature created by a process such as erosion or deposition
Common misconception
Rivers always stay in exactly the same place over time.
Rivers can change their course over time due to erosion.
Teacher tip
Use a snow globe or stir some sediment into a clear beaker of water to demonstrate transportation and deposition.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Unscramble the letters to find the missing word; rivers __________ the land.
Q2.How does rainwater that falls on the ground reach the river?
Q3.Can you match the key word to its correct definition?
Q4.What is a reservoir?
Q5.Which city does the River Thames run through?
Q6.The area of land that is drained by a river and its tributaries is called a drainage __________ . Unscramble the letters to help you find the missing word.
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Match these key words with their correct definition?
Q2.Which of these are natural landforms you see on a river?
Q3.Which of these describe how a river transports material?
Q4.Waterfalls can form when a river flows from an area of rock to an area of soft rock.
Q5.What is a bend in a river is called?
Q6.Which of these statements describe a floodplain?
To help you plan your 3 geography lesson on: River processes and landforms, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 3 geography lesson on: River processes and landforms, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 2 geography lessons from the Rivers: what's special about them? unit, dive into the full primary geography curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.