BIG PICTURE: What is a drainage basin?

Learning OutcomesLearning OutcomesWHAT: Identify what a drainage basin is.

HOW: By describing the key features of a drainage basin.

WHY: So I can analyse the Mississippi drainage basin.

CONNECTWrite down 3 geographical questions that you want answered about this photograph

Activate:Activate: What is a drainage basin?

• A drainage basin is A drainage basin is the area of land the area of land drained by a river and its drained by a river and its tributariestributaries..

• A tributary is a small river that feeds into

the main river.

• Today you are going to create your own Today you are going to create your own drainage basin!drainage basin!

Cut out the template.

Make sure you cut up the vertical line.

Using a brown crayon, shade

around the circumference of the

circle.

Using a blue crayon, shade the left triangle, draw some blue lines

running from the top of the triangle and branching out towards the edge

of the circle.

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3

45

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Watershed the area of high land forming the edge of a river basin. Source where a river begins.

Mouth where a river meets the sea.

Confluence the point at which two rivers meet.

Tributary a small river or stream that joins a larger river.

Channel this is where the river flows.

Drainage Basin this is the area of land drained by a river and its

tributaries.

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You will now need a pen. Number the

following features on your template.

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3

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Stick the glued triangle under the shaded triangle, so it fits

neatly.

Open your book to a double page. Glue the triangle and

the bottom sides of the diagram. Stick this firmly

across the cease of the book. The tip of the triangle should

correspond to the crease.

It should look like this!

Watershed the area of high land forming the edge of a river basin.

Source where a river begins.

Mouth where a river meets the sea.

Confluence the point at which two rivers meet.

Tributary a small river or stream that joins a larger river.

Channel this is where the river flows.

Drainage Basin this is the area of land drained by a river and its

tributaries.

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Give your diagram the title ‘River Basin’.

Write neatly the numbers and

corresponding definitions into your

book.

Homework: Produce a River Fact File on the Mississippi, including the following items:What are the names of its tributaries?Where is its source?Where is its mouth? How long is the river?What are the problems of living next to a river?

Watershed

ReflectCan you answer any of your key questions

about this satellite image now?