The upper course of a river
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can describe the characteristics and landforms associated with the upper course of a river.
Key learning points
- A river starts in the upper course at the source and this is usually an upland area.
- Rivers in the upper course are usually small and slow but have a steep gradient.
- Erosion in the upper course of a river is usually vertical.
- Landforms in the upper course of a river include v-shaped valleys, interlocking spurs, waterfalls and gorges.
- V-shaped valleys are steep-sided valleys caused by vertical erosion.
Keywords
Upper course - the part of a river’s course closest to its source
V-shaped valley - a narrow steep-sided valley with a river at the bottom
Interlocking spur - ridge-like features found along the sides of river valleys
Waterfall - a point in the river where there is a vertical drop in the water
Gorge - a very narrow valley, with steep sided rocky walls
Common misconception
A river has the most energy in the upper course.
The river does not have that much energy in the upper course as there is not a lot of water in the river.
Teacher tip
Use OS maps to find different landforms at stages of the river's journey.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What are the three main river processes?
Q2.What is precipitation?
Q3.What is a meander?
Q4.What is a tributary?
Q5.What causes rivers to flood?
Q6.What is river erosion?
Assessment exit quiz
4 Questions
Q1.What is the upper course of a river?
Q2.What landforms are commonly found in the upper course?
Q3.What is vertical erosion?
Q4.Where does a river usually have the most energy?
To help you plan your 9 geography lesson on: The upper course of a river, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 9 geography lesson on: The upper course of a river, 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 3 geography lessons from the Rivers: How do rivers shape the land? unit, dive into the full secondary geography curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.