STAGING

Open-and-go lessons that inspire kids to love science.

Sign up now for tons of free lessons like this one!

Back > Share
If you floated down a river, where would you end up?
Work of Water Unit | Lesson 1 of 4

If you floated down a river, where would you end up?

Work of Water Unit | Lesson 1 of 4
Scroll for prep
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen

DISCUSS:

Why do you think a river flows?

Come up with some ideas!

Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen

DISCUSS: Here’s a map showing real rivers in North America. Do the starting points of the rivers have anything in common? What about where they end?

River Map

Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
🎉 That’s it for this lesson! How did it go?
Sign up now for more great lessons!
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
## Extensions

Below are ideas for extending this topic beyond the activity & exploration which you just completed.

Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
# Readings

These readings are free with registration on ReadWorks, a nonprofit committed to providing teachers with research-proven, Common-Core-aligned readings. All readings include comprehension questions.

Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
# Online Resource: Exploring Rivers

Streamer, a website created by the US Geological Survey, lets you explore rivers all over the United States.

  • Click on Go To Map, then type your location in the search box on the upper right.
  • Find a nearby river. To see where that river starts, choose Trace Upstream (at the top of the screen), then click on the river.
  • To see where the river ends, choose Trace Downstream (at the top of the screen), then click on the river.
  • For a surprise, search for the Mississippi River and trace it upstream and downstream. The Mississippi is the biggest river in the United States!
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
### Things to notice: Where does water flow?

Next time it rains, look for puddles. Why are puddles in some places, but not in others? What do you think is different about the places where there are puddles?

riversonbernal

Look at this hillside. Can you see anything that tells you where water has flowed?

Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen

Image & Video Credits

Mystery Science respects the intellectual property rights of the owners of visual assets. We make every effort to use images and videos under appropriate licenses from the owner or by reaching out to the owner to get explicit permission. If you are the owner of a visual and believe we are using it without permission, please contact us—we will reply promptly and make things right.

Exploration
forest by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Aleksey Stemmer
baby owl by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Watthano
deer by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Pierre Watson
frog by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Jay Connors
tadpoles by Aquarium and Terrarium Life
stream by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Maksym Darakchi
kid holding bottle by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: spwidoff
bottle floating by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Fotohunt
bottle floating down a river by LittleBigVoice
water bottle by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: janonkas
ocean by iknowcaleb
tubing on American River by Beyond Limits Adventures
barge by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Lacokozyna
wind in tree by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Meryll
flowing river by Doug Von Gausig
clear stream by Don Bendickson
kid floating in water by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: MaszaS
plains by Richard Webb
hills by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: chaivit chana
mountains by Jon Sullivan
Activity
mountain - aerial view by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: gagarych
spray bottle by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Africa Studio

Grade 2

Erosion & Earth’s Surface

Mapping & Earth's Surface Features

2-ESS2-2, 2-ESS2-3

19784 reviews

Activity Prep

Print Prep

In this lesson, students develop a model of the earth’s surface and use it to discover an important principle about how rivers work. In the activity, Paper Mountains, students take turns using a spray bottle to make rain fall on paper models of mountains to observe patterns of how water and rivers flow.

Preview activity

Exploration

16 mins

Wrap-Up

4 mins

Grade 2

Erosion & Earth’s Surface

Mapping & Earth's Surface Features

2-ESS2-2, 2-ESS2-3

19784 reviews
Slow internet or video problems?