www.canadiangeographic.ca/atlas
Alberta – Grade 7
A river runs though the centre of my city
Lesson overview
This lesson offers students the opportunity to investigate the impact of Bow and
Elbow Rivers on the city of Calgary, focusing on the development of the Calgary
Stampede, the impact of development on the watershed and the work being done,
such as the development of Riverfront Park, to preserve one of the most important
watersheds in the country.
Grade level
Grade 7
Time required
One 60 minute lesson
Curriculum connections
Alberta, Social Studies, Grade 7
7.2.3 appreciate the challenges that individuals and communities face when
confronted with rapid change (I, CC, LPP)
7.2.7 assess, critically, the impact of urbanization and of technology on individual
and collective identities in Canada
Additional resources, materials and equipment required
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Chart paper or SMART board
Markers, pencil crayons, etc.
Student journals
Computers to access the following websites:
o The Bow River Website
http://www.thebowriver.com/bow_river_basin_waterscape.htm
o Canadian Geographic Watershed Awareness
www.canadiangeographic.ca/watersheds
Calgary Stampede photos (attached)
Main objective
Students will demonstrate an understanding and appreciation of why the Elbow and
Bow Rivers are an important water source; the impact urbanization has had on the
eco-system and what can be done to preserve this water source.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the lesson students will be able to:
Explain the origin of the water in the Bow River Watershed
Explain the impact that settlement and development has had on the rivers
Understand the ideas that the Stampede will implement in their new river
plans
Evaluate the information presented and create ideas to preserve this fresh
water
Introduction
Teacher activity
Begin the lesson by discussing the
water cycle and where your water
Student activity
Students will participate in the
discussion and learn about their
www.canadiangeographic.ca/atlas
comes from. If possible, show both
the Canadian Atlas Online Watershed
Awareness thematic the Canadian
Geographic Protect your watershed
interactive map and find your
watershed.
Alberta – Grade 7
watershed.
Show the YouTube video from Alberta
Water, and discuss the connection
between development and the water
cycle.
Lesson
development
Talk to your students about the
Calgary Stampede Centennial
happening in 2012. Ask them what
they know about the Calgary
Stampede and what impact they think
that the Stampede has had on the
watersheds in and around Calgary.
As a class, or in smaller groups,
discuss how the land and Elbow River
around Stampede Park has changed
over time.
Examine photos of the Elbow River
and how Calgary has developed
around it. Refer students to
www.ourfutureourpast.ca (Calgary
Stampede Archives, click on historical
air photos) and the attached photos.
Direct students to look at the Calgary
Stampede’s Environment website and
discuss the initiatives they have taken
to ensure the health of their
watershed. Have students write a
journal entry describing the following
things:
1) What are some initiatives that
Calgary Stampede does to
ensure the health of their
watershed?
2) Do you think there are other
initiatives that might
compliment what they are
already doing?
3) What other
initiatives/organizations are
working to protect the
watershed?
Students will participate in the
discussion and make educated
guesses about the impact that
the Stampede has had on local
watersheds.
Students will use the SMART
board and mark the significant
changes in the river, if any, and
the development of the city with
particular emphasis on the area
around Stampede Park..
Student will develop a plan or
ideas that would help to keep the
Elbow River clean and not
affected by the activities that
occur on Stampede Park.
Activities could involve writing
letters with suggestions to the
Stampede Environmental
Department, drawing a plan or
building a model.
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Conclusion
Bring students back together and have
them share their ideas. Encourage
students to ask questions about the
ideas and initiatives of their peers.
Alberta – Grade 7
Students will explain their ideas
and their reasoning as well as
comment on their peers’ ideas.
Lesson extension
Have students make an aquifer to show the impact of unclean water on natural
watersheds. Two sets of instructions can be found on the following websites:
• http://www.groundwater.org/kc/activity5.html
• http://dnr.wi.gov/org/caer/ce/eek/cool/ameliaedibleaquifer.htm
Assessment of student learning:
• Participation in group discussions
• Journal responses
• Letter, model or picture that represents future ideas for the Stampede
Further reading
• A River Ran Wild by Lynn Cherry
• The Elbow River and the Life of a City by John Gilpin
• Icon, Brand, Myth: The Calgary Stampede. Foran, Max, ed. (Athabasca: AU
Press, 2008). http://www.aupress.ca/books/120142/ebook/99Z_Foran_2008Calgary_Stampede.pdf
• Dixon, Joan & Tracey Read. Celebrating the Calgary Exhibition and Stampede:
The Story of the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth. (Calgary: Rocky Mountain
Books, 2010).
Link to Canadian National Standards for Geography
Geographic Skills
• Interpret information obtained from maps, aerial photographs, satelliteproduced images and geographic information systems
• Develop and present combinations of geographic information to answer
geographic questions
1) The world in spatial terms
• Distribution of major human and physical features at country and global
scales
2) Places and regions
• Changes in places and regions over time
3) Physical Systems
• River systems of Canada and the world