GO WITH THE FLOW
Lesson Five
Overview
Watersheds are areas where water on
the surface of the earth flows toward a
water body including creeks, lakes,
rivers, and oceans. A ridge or other
area of elevated land, called a divide,
separates one watershed from another.
Streams on one side of the divide flow
a different direction than streams on
the other side. Watersheds are
important because scientists can study
them in order to help determine how
much surface water is available for a
community’s needs.
Streams within a watershed are
created from rain water, runoff,
snowmelt, and springs. As this water
flows over a watershed, it recharges
(or fills) surface and ground-water
supplies.
Advanced Preparation
Discuss the definition of a watershed.
1. Begin by demonstrating the concept of a watershed and runoff with your
students. Take a hard-cover book and place it with the spine facing up and
the pages opening down. Ask the students to pretend that the book is a hill
or a mountain.
2. Place a ball on the left downward slope of the book. Ask the students to
pretend the ball is rain. Ask the students, “If I drop the rain (ball) on this
side of the book, which way will it roll?” Solicit responses. Release the ball
and note the results.
3. Place the ball on the right downward slope of the book. Ask the
students “If I drop the rain (ball) on this side of the book, which way will it
roll?” solicit responses. Release the ball and note the results.
4. Explain to the students that the low area where the rain fell (ball rolled
to) on each side of the mountain (book) is called a watershed. In nature,
this is where rain water (precipitation) runs off. These watersheds are
usually found in the form of a creek or river.
At the conclusion of this lesson, your
students should know what a
watershed is and how runoff affects the
watershed.
Objectives
TEKS objectives that will be addressed
in this section include: Science 1.A,B,
2.A,B, 6.D, 7.B, 8.A
Completion Time
40 Minutes
Materials
1. Hard-cover book
2. Copies of Rain Gauge Journal(Journal Page #7-enough for each
student)
3. Blue crayon (or blue colored pencil)
4. Three signs-one with the river
symbol, one with the lake symbol and
one with the ocean symbol (See
attachments for examples. Please use
any symbols you might feel appropriate
for this exercise.)
5. Exploration Backpack-Small earth
ball
Science
ENGAGEMENT
1.
GO WITH THE FLOW
Lesson Five
Outside Exploration-Go with the Flow
1. Begin by having the class check the rain gauge placed in the school yard during Lesson Four. Is there any water
(precipitation) in the gauge? If so, how much water is there?
Using the Rain Gauge Journal Page (Journal page #7), have the students color in the amount of water found in the
rain gauge on the rain gauge illustration marked Day 1 with their blue crayon or colored pencil. If the gauge is empty,
the students should not color anything on the illustration. Remind them that you will also check the rain gauge again
during the next lesson.
Inform the students that any precipitation that might have fallen from the clouds can run off the land through a
watershed and form a water body such as a river, creek, or lake. To demonstrate how this happens, tell the students
that they will now participate in an activity about runoff and watersheds.
1. Select an outdoor location with enough open space for the students to move around freely.
2. Select eight students to play the role of a watershed divide. Explain to the class that a watershed divide is the very
top of a hill or mountain where two watersheds come together. A divide separates one watershed from another
watershed. Ask the “watershed divide” students to stand in a line all facing the same direction, and evenly spaced
apart (about 5 feet apart). (Please see A on the illustration).
3. Select three students to play the role of surface water—one will play a river, one will play a lake, and the other will
play the ocean. Give the sign with the river symbol to one student, give the sign with the lake symbol to another
student, and give the sign with the ocean symbol to the final student. Ask the “river” student to stand on one side of
the “divide” holding up their sign so everyone can see it. Ask the “lake” student to stand on the opposite side of the
“divide” also holding up their sign so everyone can see it. Have the “ocean” student stand at the end of the
“watershed divide” facing those students and holding up their sign so everyone can see it. (Please see B, C & D on
the illustration).
4. Inform the remaining students that they will play the role of rain drops falling to the earth from a rain cloud. Ask the
“rain drop” students to make a group at one end of the “watershed divide” (preferably behind the students forming
the watershed divide). (Please see E on the illustration).
5. Once everyone is in place, tell the students that they are going to go with the flow.
6. Explain to the class that during a storm, rain drops fall from the sky and land on top of a hill or mountain. Some of
the rain begins to flow down one side of the mountain (ask half of the “rain drops” to flow (walk) on the “river” side of
the “divide”). Once they reach the bottom of the mountain, they enter a watershed and become part of a river (have
the students take a curvy path toward the ocean mimicking the flow of a river). After many days and even weeks, the
rain drops eventually make it to the ocean (have the students gather together once again around the ocean sign).
Their runoff journey is now complete!
7. At the same time, some of the rain begins to flow down the other side of the mountain (ask half of the “rain drops”
to flow (walk) on the “lake” side of the “divide”). Once they reach the bottom of the mountain, they enter a watershed
and become part of a lake (have the students group around the lake sign). Here they stay for a long while until they
too are released from the lake into a river (have the students take a curvy path toward the ocean mimicking the flow
of a river). After many days and even weeks, the rain drops eventually make it to the ocean (have the students
gather around the ocean sign) and meet back up with their other water drop friends. Their runoff journey is now
complete!
8. If time allows, allow the students to switch roles and act out the story once again.
2.
GO WITH THE FLOW
Lesson Five
Go with the Flow
Set-up Illustration
E
B
A
C
D
3.
GO WITH THE FLOW
Lesson Five
Sign-Examples:
These are some examples of symbols you might choose to use. Feel free to use any symbols
you believe appropriate for this exercise or better yet, have your students create their own
symbols.
4.