Year 5: Rivers

In this unit you will learn:

• About the water cycle and where our water comes from

• About famous rivers of the UK and the world

• Different features of a river, including waterfalls, meanders and oxbow lakes

• How a river erodes

• How a river transports materials

Class writing:

We will use the technical information about rivers to write a non-chronological report on the subject.

Home learning opportunities:

To develop your understanding of this unit further at home, you might like to:

• Create a fact file about a famous river

• Take some photographs of a river near where you live

• Make a boat out of recycled materials and take a picture of it floating

Read more:

The importance of the River Clyde in the history of Glasgow

How a river is formed

Meanders

In the middle course the river has more energy and more water. The is also deeper. A larger river channel means there is less friction, so the water flows faster:

• As the river erode it forms large bends, and then horseshoe-like loops called meanders.

• The formation of meanders is due to both deposition and erosion.

• On the outside of the bend, where the river is faster, material is eroded.

• On the inside of the bend, where the river flow is slower, material is deposited.

Ox-bow lakes

As shown in the video above, sometimes meanders can form an ox-bow lake. This is a horseshoe shaped lake next to a river.

After a long period of time, the meander becomes very curved, and eventually the neck of the meander becomes narrower. The river cuts through the neck during a flood, cutting off the meander and forming an oxbow lake.