Water Cycle Journey Through the
Red Lake Watershed
Crookston High School, Red Lake Watershed
March 15, 2017
Lesson Plan
Red Lake Watershed Information
Water cycle journey through the Red Lake
watershed
Our main goal was to introduce the watershed in an easy to understand
activity. Because the water cycle is a Minnesota standard for 4th grade, we
tied the water cycle into the lesson plan to help the students understand how
the water moves around in our watershed.
Objectives: We wanted the kids to learn the following things during our
activity:
1. The students can describe the steps of the water cycle: evaporation,
condensation and precipitation.
2. The students can explain what the headwaters, mouth, tributaries, and
watershed area is in the Red Lake Watershed.
Directions for the activities: You will pretend you are a drop of water
traveling through the water cycle. You will get a location to begin, when you
get there roll the dice to see what happens to your drop of water. On your
paper, draw a picture or write where you travel.
River Explorers
Sept. 2017
Red Lake River,
Crookston
Activity: Travel 10-15 minutes
Small Group Discussions (5-10 minutes):
1. Review of water cycle questions
What did you find out about the water cycle?
Describe what happened in your travels?
2. Review of Red Lake Watershed Map
Point out headwaters, mouth, tributaries, watershed area
www.redlakewatershed.org
We used this map to discuss the Red Lake Watershed during our lesson
The Red Lake Watershed
Understanding our Watershed
Headwaters: Red Lake
Assessment: In their science journals the students wrote:
A sentence about what they learned during the activity.
A question they had about our watershed or the water cycle.
Examples of our station dice
Mouth/Outlet: East Grand Forks, empties into Red River
Cities and towns along the river: Thief River Falls, St. Hilaire,
One of our station signs
Red Lake Falls, Crookston, Fisher, and East Grand Forks
Counties: Polk, Red Lake, Pennington, Marshall, Clearwater and
Beltrami.
Populations along the river: 27,337 plus rural population.
Confluence Locations: Thief River in Thief River Falls,
Clearwater in Red Lake Falls,and Burnham Creek in Fisher
Student recording their next move
Dams: River Mile 181, Thief River Falls, outlet at Red Lake
Size (sq mi): 5685.96 Sq. Miles
Wilderness Inquiry on Red Lake River in Crookston
River Words to Know
Example of student recordings
Examples of student’s journal entries
Program Support:
Support for the River Watch Program is provided by the State of
Minnesota Clean Water Fund, the Red Lake Watershed District, and the Red
River Watershed Management Board.
Lesson reflection:
We are very pleased with the outcome of
the lesson. The students were active
participants in the activity and the small
group discussion following. Judging by their
journal entries, the students seem to have
learned about the water cycle and the Red
Lake Watershed. They still have questions,
which would be fun to go back and try to
answer. The students enjoyed the lesson
and some even showed interest in joining
River Watch.
Total watershed stream miles: estimated 193 miles
Describe overall quality and health concerns: Amount of
turbidity, E. coli in tributaries, erosion in Red Lake Falls, and
Headwaters: The beginning of a river
Zebra Mussels in Red River.
Mouth: At the outlet
Stream Gaging Stations: Red Lake River Headwaters, High
Outlet: Ending of the river
Landing, Thief River Falls, Red Lake Falls, Crookston, Fisher,
Confluence: Two streams joining into
Grand Forks
one stream
Tributary: Smaller streams enter into
larger streams
Meander: Bend in the river or stream
Watershed: Land area where in which
Our new River Watch mascot!
water runs into one water body
Thalweg: Deepest part of a river
Team members: Sawyer Bernd, Katherine Geist,
Emily Gillette, Anna Huck, Lisa Lindemoen, Eliza
Meyer, Joey Rodriguez
Advisor/Teacher:
Mrs. Hanson
Beautiful fall paddling!