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Program
1. Introduce the vocabulary.
Introduce the vocabulary term watershed. Ask students what they think the term means. Display for students the satellite image of the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Then explain that a watershed is the land area from which surface runoff drains into a stream, channel, lake, reservoir, or other body of water. Tell students that people are either directly or indirectly connected to bodies of water, which connect to land.
2. Distribute the worksheet.
Distribute copies of the worksheet Components of a Watershed to each student. Have students label the watershed components using the words along the bottom of the diagram. (Answers: 1. River Source, 2. Upstream, 3. Downstream, 4. Main River, 5. Tributaries, 6. Floodplain, 7. Watershed Boundary, 8. Meanders, 9. Wetlands, 10. River Mouth)
3. Have students identify examples of pollution.
Tell students that people use water for agriculture, industry, manufacturing, power, transportation, and recreation. Explain the meaning of terms point source pollution and nonpoint source pollution. Show students the photo gallery and ask students to identify examples of each. Point sources include facilities such as sewage treatment plants and factory discharges; Nonpoint source pollution includes excess fertilizers from lawns and farms, oil from roads, overflows from city sewers, and animal waste.
4. Have students make a 3-D model of a watershed.
Divide students into small groups. Have each group begin by molding clay to represent mountains in a plastic or metal tray. Next, ask students to form the watershed by gradually leveling the clay so that it leads to the mouth of their river. Then, have them form river channels and coat with blue enamel paint and color the land with tempera paint. Finally, have students place construction paper figures on the model to simulate users of a river system, using the diagram in the worksheet as a guide. Let the model dry overnight.
5. Simulate the flow of water in a watershed.
The next day, have a volunteer from each group pour a slow, steady stream of water from the top of the mountain area. Have students watch how the "river" runs from its source to its mouth and orally describe it.
6. Have students apply their understanding to their own watershed.
Use the models to discuss your community's watershed. Ask:
- Where are its boundaries?
- What are the main sources of pollution in our watershed?
- Who is impacted?
- How can we ensure the watershed is a clean resource for the community?
Subjects & Disciplines
- Biology
- Geography
Learning Objectives
Students will:
- define the terms
- create a 3-dimensional model of a watershed
- apply what they learned to their own community’s watershed
Teaching Approach
- Learning-for-use
Teaching Methods
- Discussions
- Hands-on learning
Skills Summary
This activity targets the following skills:
-
Critical Thinking Skills
- Applying
- Creating
- Understanding
Connections to National Standards, Principles, and Practices
National Geography Standards
- Standard 1: How to use maps and other geographic representations, geospatial technologies, and spatial thinking to understand and communicate information
- Standard 14: How human actions modify the physical environment
National Science Education Standards
- (5-8) Standard F-2: Populations, resources, and environments
What You’ll Need
Materials You Provide
- Blue enamel paint
- Construction paper
- Modeling clay
- Plastic or metal trays
- Scissors
- Tempera paint
- Toothpicks
- Water
Physical Space
- Classroom
Grouping
- Small-group instruction
Background Information
People in a watershed are either directly or indirectly connected to bodies of water that connect to land.
Prior Knowledge
- None
Recommended Prior Activities
- None
Vocabulary
toxic chemicals that enter a body of water from many sources.
pollution from a single, identifiable source.
Websites
Funder
This material is based in part upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. DRL-1114251. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
Partner
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Watershed
A watershed, also called a drainage basin or catchment, is an area drained by a river and its tributaries. Differing in size and shape, watersheds can encompass a small stream or span thousands of miles like the Mississippi River watershed. As water flows over and through the landscape, it transports materials like plastics, and often times, pollutants, moving them downstream and ultimately to the ocean. Teach your students how water moves through a watershed with these resources.
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Freshwater Ecosystem
Freshwater is a precious resource on the Earth's surface. It is also home to many diverse fish, plant, and crustacean species. The habitats that freshwater ecosystems provide consist of lakes, rivers, ponds, wetlands, streams, and springs. Use these classroom resources to help students explore and learn about these places.
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Human Impacts on the Environment
Humans impact the physical environment in many ways: overpopulation, pollution, burning fossil fuels, and deforestation. Changes like these have triggered climate change, soil erosion, poor air quality, and undrinkable water. These negative impacts can affect human behavior and can prompt mass migrations or battles over clean water. Help your students understand the impact humans have on the physical environment with these classroom resources.
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Watersheds
Students learn how watersheds work and why they are important, before locating their local watershed online. Next, they turn their attention to Mount Everest and follow the path of the water from the mountain’s ice to the surrounding watershed. Students then read about the people who rely on Everest’s watershed. Finally, students complete a Project Journal at the close of the activity to reflect on their learning.
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Mapping the World's Watersheds
Students label major rivers and outline watersheds on a world map. They compare the shapes of various watersheds and discuss how topography influences their shapes.
-
Watershed
A watershed, also called a drainage basin or catchment, is an area drained by a river and its tributaries. Differing in size and shape, watersheds can encompass a small stream or span thousands of miles like the Mississippi River watershed. As water flows over and through the landscape, it transports materials like plastics, and often times, pollutants, moving them downstream and ultimately to the ocean. Teach your students how water moves through a watershed with these resources.
-
Freshwater Ecosystem
Freshwater is a precious resource on the Earth's surface. It is also home to many diverse fish, plant, and crustacean species. The habitats that freshwater ecosystems provide consist of lakes, rivers, ponds, wetlands, streams, and springs. Use these classroom resources to help students explore and learn about these places.
-
Human Impacts on the Environment
Humans impact the physical environment in many ways: overpopulation, pollution, burning fossil fuels, and deforestation. Changes like these have triggered climate change, soil erosion, poor air quality, and undrinkable water. These negative impacts can affect human behavior and can prompt mass migrations or battles over clean water. Help your students understand the impact humans have on the physical environment with these classroom resources.
-
-
Watersheds
Students learn how watersheds work and why they are important, before locating their local watershed online. Next, they turn their attention to Mount Everest and follow the path of the water from the mountain’s ice to the surrounding watershed. Students then read about the people who rely on Everest’s watershed. Finally, students complete a Project Journal at the close of the activity to reflect on their learning.
-
Mapping the World's Watersheds
Students label major rivers and outline watersheds on a world map. They compare the shapes of various watersheds and discuss how topography influences their shapes.