Starter quiz
- What is the source of a river?
- The point where the river meets the sea
- The highest point where a river begins ✓
- A small lake along the river's course
- The area where tributaries join the main river
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- What is a river’s mouth?
- Where a river begins
- Where a river joins another river
- Where a river flows into a lake or the sea ✓
- Where meanders form
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- What process involves the wearing away of the riverbed and banks?
- Transportation
- Erosion ✓
- Deposition
- Precipitation
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- What is the term for material carried by a river?
- Sediment ✓
- Floodplain
- Rapids
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- What is the main river channel?
- A small stream that joins a river
- The main body of flowing water in a river ✓
- A lake that feeds into a river
- The area where a river meets the sea
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- Which of these is a famous river in the UK?
- The Nile
- The River Thames ✓
- The Ganges
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Exit quiz
- What is a tributary?
- The point where a river meets the sea
- A bend in the river
- The main river channel
- A smaller river that joins a larger one ✓
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- How does a river transport material?
- By lifting it into the air
- By carrying it in the water ✓
- By pushing it into the ocean
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- How does a river valley change as it moves downstream?
- It becomes steeper with more waterfalls
- It becomes deeper and narrower with no change in width
- It stays the same from source to mouth
- It gets wider and flatter with gentler slopes ✓
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- What is the name of the area that drains water into a river?
- Waterfall
- Delta
- Drainage basin ✓
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- Match the lesson's keywords with their definitions.
- gradient⇔refers to the steepness or slope of the land or riverbed ✓
- lateral erosion⇔the process where a river erodes the sides of its channel ✓
- channel⇔pathway through which water flows in a river or stream ✓
- cross section⇔a section taken sideways across the channel or valley ✓
Worksheet
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Presentation
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Video
Lesson Details
Key learning points
- Rivers exhibit a distinctive long profile from source to mouth.
- River and valley cross profiles change between their upper, mid- and lower courses.
- River channel characteristics in the River Eden change with distance downstream.
Common misconception
River valleys remain V-shaped from source to mouth.
A river valley changes from a V-shape to a U-shape as they flow towards the mouth due to processes like lateral erosion and deposition.
Keywords
Gradient - refers to the steepness or slope of the land or riverbed
Lateral erosion - the process where a river erodes the sides of its channel, widening the valley
Channel - pathway through which water flows in a river or stream
Cross section - a section taken sideways across the channel or valley
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