Last updated: January 17, 2024
Lesson Plan
Buffalo River Watershed
Download Lesson Plan
274KB
- Grade Level:
- Middle School: Sixth Grade through Eighth Grade
- Subject:
- Science
- Lesson Duration:
- 60 Minutes
- State Standards:
- K-ESS2-2, K-ESS3-3, G.8.K.2, G.9.K.1, G.10.K.1, G.8.1.2, G.9.1.1, 2-ESS2-2, 2-ESS2-3, G.9.2.1,G.8.3.2, G.9.3.1, G.9.4.1, 5-ESS2-2, 5-ESS3-1, G.8.5.3, 6-ESS3-3, 6-ESS3-4
- Thinking Skills:
- Remembering: Recalling or recognizing information ideas, and principles. Understanding: Understand the main idea of material heard, viewed, or read. Interpret or summarize the ideas in own words. Analyzing: Break down a concept or idea into parts and show the relationships among the parts. Evaluating: Make informed judgements about the value of ideas or materials. Use standards and criteria to support opinions and views.
Essential Question
Why is it important to leave as little impact to an area as possible?
How do certain activities change an environment?
Objective
Students will be able to understand how the Buffalo Watershed works and how different activities affect the river.
Background
Learning how the watershed works can help students understand how water travels and that water is all around us. The watershed is affected by many environmental and human factors. It is important for students to know what we can do to understand and help the take care of water.
Preparation
Ensure the following materials are gathered before delivering this lesson. Materials include:
- Large blue ribbon (represents Buffalo River)
- Yarn (represents tributaries)
- Tributary examples: Ponca Creek, Cecil Creek, Mill Creek, Little Buffalo, Big Creek, Rush Creek, Bear Creek, Leatherwood Creek
- Notecards with different pictures of things found throughout Buffalo National River (ex. excess soil, plastic bags, widlife). Examples are provided in the lesson plan.
Lesson Hook/Preview
Students will take a look at 3 main waterfalls found in the Buffalo National River Watershed. Teacher will ask what’s happening in the picture… (ex: water, movement, elevation change, pool, etc.)
Procedure
Step 1: Introduce and define what a watershed is. This includes how water travels down from the sky, onto the land, and into rivers.
Step 2: Interpret a map of Buffalo River area topography. Determine how water travels down to the Buffalo River from surrounding areas.
Follow by performing an activity using ribbon, yarn, and notecards to "travel down" the Buffalo River".
Step 3: Determine good watershed practices vs poor watershed practices. How do both affect an environment?
Step 4: Dissect the various parts of a watershed and define them.
Step 5: Determine which human activities might affect parts of a watershed. Then, distinguish what can be done to help improve the quality of Buffalo River's watershed.
Step 6: Lead students through creating their own watershed map.
Vocabulary
watershed, headerwaters, watershed divide tributary, confluence, pollution