Generic Enquiry Task: River processes and landforms (2017 submission)
Theme Generic Enquiry Task
2
Investigate variation in river
processes and landforms along a
river channel
Key Question
4.2 How do geomorphological
processes contribute to the
development of distinctive fluvial
landforms?
4.3 What landforms are produced?
Page in
Specification
18
How tasks may be contextualised
Centres may provide students with an overarching enquiry question such as
How and why is the river Gipping and its associated landforms different at point X when
compared to point Y.
Alternatively, centres may present the tasks to their students as a hypothesis such as:
The river Gipping and its associated landforms in Grid Square 1245 display all the
characteristics and features of a river in its mature/middle stage of development.
Coverage of river processes could include processes of erosion (attrition, solution, hydraulic action
and corrosion), deposition and/or transportation (bed load, suspended load, solution). Landforms
may include those created by erosion and/or those created by deposition.
The focus must be on river processes and the development of distinctive fluvial landforms.
Coverage of human influences, management strategies or flooding hazards are not appropriate in
this context.
Primary and Secondary data
Primary data
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Channel measurements eg velocity, depth, wetted perimeter, gradient etc.
Bed load measurements eg shape and size.
Field sketches and photos that can be labelled and annotated eg sketches of river features
and landforms.
Bank full measurements, eg bankfull width and depth.
Valley profiles, sketches and photo annotation.
Mapping of river landforms.
Secondary data
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Annotation of large scale sections of relevant OS maps.
Use of old photos/maps to compare past and present landforms or river locations.
Use of geology maps.
Past years data from the same site.
Drawing long profiles/cross sections from map data.
How to encourage independent thought:
Time must be allowed for students to become involved in the planning process before the fieldwork
is conducted (see page 34 of the specification). Students should be encouraged to contribute to
discussions about data collection and sampling techniques. Student guidance sheets should be
designed with suggestions to prompt individuality with more differentiation built in to challenge the
brightest.
Whilst all students are involved in some data collection, students could also be given the opportunity
to select one additional data collection technique.
Students should, of course, not be told which presentation technique to use with which data. They
must be given the opportunity to select the data processing and presentation techniques that they
feel are most appropriate across a range of graphical, cartographic, statistical skills.
As well as answering the main contextualised title students could choose from a suggested
selection of guiding questions to investigate the data further eg how and why velocity/bed load
shape/bed load size/depth varies downstream or affect the main variable.
In some cases it might be appropriate for students to compare their study area with another river.
This could be done by sharing students work from another school, using it as secondary data, or by
a video or virtual field trip via the internet.
AO2 Application (see page 36 of the specification)
The mark scheme criteria for AO2 should be checked thoroughly when designing the fieldwork
enquiry. Students should apply their understanding of river processes and resulting landforms to
the processes and landforms seen at the actual sites they have visited. They could apply concepts
relating to process (erosion, transport, deposition) or theory such as the Bradshaw model. They
might also apply their understanding of the processes which influence valley and cross profiles.
More able students may be able to hypothesise that variations in discharge of the river they have
visited can be predicted with reference to widely understood processes such as the typical reaction
of impermeable rocks to heavy rain. This would come through their analysis of the data they have
collected in relation to the hypothesis or overarching questions – does the site visited match up with
the theory, totally, in certain aspects, not at all, why, why not etc. Showing evidence of “application”
may be more difficult for Foundation tier students. One way to allow them access to at least the
lower levels of the mark scheme is to ask them to compare and contrast the river/sites they have
visited to a named river from a case study seen in a textbook or video/CD.
Useful weblinks
http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate/uk/stationdata/index.html The Met Office provides historic data
for 37 sites across the UK. Choose the site in the catchment of your river to use rainfall data as
secondary data.
http://www.ceh.ac.uk/ The centre for ecology and hydrology provides data on catchments, National
rivers flow archive.
http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/homeandleisure/floods/riverlevels/default.aspx This section
of the Environment Agency website provides live reports on many rver levels. Use it to check that
your river is safe immediately before you visit.
http://www.geography.org.uk/projects/ks4ict/idea17/#top A Geography Association web page that
describes how data may be collected and presented in rivers fieldwork.
http://www.rgs.org/OurWork/Schools/Fieldwork+and+local+learning/Fieldwork+techniques/Rivers.ht
m RGS website has this useful section on rivers fieldwork, has links to an activities document
showing how to complete some of the measurements and what to think about when choosing a river
site for fieldwork.