Curriculum Plan for: Geography Rivers QCA Unit 14
Year: 5
Term: 5
Unit Success Criteria
most children will:
recognise selected physical processes relating to rivers and begin to appreciate how these can change the character of places; draw on their own
observations and secondary sources and use their awareness of river events to suggest geographical questions and raise issues that might be
studied, eg floods, drought, pollution
some children will not have
made so much progress and will:
offer appropriate observations about river features; identify how people affect the environment and recognise ways in which people try to manage it
some children will have
progressed further and will also:
use confidently a full range of skills and different kinds of maps and resources to undertake independent investigations; offer explanations for river
features observed; relate local river work to generalisations about rivers elsewhere
Lesson
Objective
Connection/
Big Picture & Introduction
Activities
Success
Criteria
Demonstrate/ Plenary
 about the water
cycle, including
condensation and
evaporation
 how rivers erode,
transport and
deposit materials
producing
particular
landscape
features
Warm-up: Give the children 1 minute to list all the words
that that can think of which are associated with Rivers.
Use pictures, charts and video to reinforce any previous
work on water, and identify and discuss with the children
the components of the water cycle.
Activity 1:
Concept map
Activity 2:
Identifying Upper Source
Features
Activity 3:
Describing Upper Source
Features (PCM 1)
- identify and
sequence the
components of the
water cycle
- identify features of
the upper course
Discuss the features
identified in the upper
course photo. Encourage
children to make link
between water cycle and
upper course processes.
2
- To understand the
geographical
features of the
middle course
 how rivers erode,
transport and
deposit materials
producing
particular
landscape
features
Warm-up: Looking at the Map of the River
Severn, how many places along the river can
the children name.
Watch video 2 – Take notes
Discuss the features that the children notice in
the middle course.
Warm-up:
Naming places along the
Severn
Video/ Activity 1: Take notes
on the features of the middle
course
Activity 2:
Annotate map of River Severn
middle course
I can describe
the features of
the middle
course of the
River Severn
Recap features and key
processes which occur in
the middle course.
3
- To understand the
geographical
features of the
middle course
Warm-up: Ask the children to name all the
features discovered so far.
Watch video 2 – Take notes
Discuss the features that the children notice in
the lower course.
Video/ Activity 1: Take notes
on the features of the middle
course
Activity 2:
Annotate map of River Severn
Lower Course
I can describe
Recap features and key
the features of
processes which occur in
the lower course the lower course.
of the River
Severn
4
 to undertake
fieldwork
 to make plans
and maps
 how rivers erode,
Warm-up: Ask the children to identify the
stream next to the school from an OS 1:10000
map.
Fieldwork Task 1:
Calculate flow speed of the
stream
Fieldwork Task 2:
Create a scale cross-section
 draw sketch maps of
a river and label the
main features
 identify parts of the
river system
1
Use an atlas of digital map to trace the journey of the
River Severn to the Source. Discuss contour lines and
what these show. Show the children a variety of
photographs of the Upper Course. In pairs, on
whiteboards ask the children to list the landscape
features that they can see.
Watch video 1
Show photo 12 and highlight features and key vocabulary.
In-class: Show the children the route of
Collate findings and discuss what
this tells us about the stream
system