Study Guides

Unit Summary

This unit teaches pupils about how river processes shape the land and affect our lives. Pupils will use fieldwork to investigate downstream changes in rivers and use GIS to analyse flood risk across geographical space. Pupils will also evaluate different methods of flood management.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to describe features of a river system and explain how water flows through a drainage basin to a river.

Key Notes

• A drainage basin is the area of land drained by a river and its tributaries.
• The edge of a drainage basin is known as the watershed.
• Source, mouth, confluences and tributaries are parts of the river system.
• Precipitation that falls in the drainage basin moves to the river through a series of stores and flows.
• A drainage basin is an example of an open system.

Vocabulary To Learn

• drainage basin: the area of land drained by a river and its tributaries
• watershed: the boundary of a drainage basin
• tributary: a smaller river that joins the main river
• confluence: the point where two rivers meet
• mouth: where the river enters the ocean

Common Mistakes To Avoid

• There is one source to a river.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

More Lessons In This Unit

• Fieldwork: Analysing, concluding and evaluating river data Study Guide
• Fieldwork: Planning a river enquiry and collecting data Study Guide
• Fieldwork: Presenting river data Study Guide
• GIS: Analysing flood risk Study Guide
• Planning river management Study Guide
• River management Study Guide
• River processes Study Guide
• The causes of flooding Study Guide
• The effects of flooding Study Guide
• The hydrological cycle Study Guide
• The middle and lower course of a river Study Guide
• The upper course of a river Study Guide