Ch 9: Running Water Lesson Plans
About This Chapter
Weekly Syllabus
Below is a sample breakdown of the Running Water chapter into a 5-day school week. Based on the pace of your course, you may need to adapt the lesson plan to fit your needs.
Day | Topics | Key Terms and Concepts Covered |
---|---|---|
Monday | Drainage basins | Runoff, drainage divides and the development of river systems |
Tuesday | Erosion and deposition | Effects of mechanical and chemical weathering, types of erosion and deposition |
Wednesday | Landform diagrams | Uniformitarianism, the law of original horizontality and the law of superposition, crosscutting relations and unconformities |
Thursday | Streams | Stages in stream valley formation, ultimate and local base levels, characteristics of laminar and turbulent streamflows |
Friday | Bedrock and alluvial channels | Stream power, the abrasion and plucking processes of bedrock channel formation, characteristics of meandering and braided channels |

1. Drainage Basins: Definition & Characteristics
Do you know where the water in your area flows? In this lesson, we will explore the system of drainage basins and how they help develop river systems. We will also investigate some extreme examples of drainage basins.

2. Laminar & Turbulent Streamflows
Streams come in many different shapes and sizes. They can also vary in speed and direction of flow. In this lesson, we will explore two different ways that water can flow through a stream.

3. Effect of Erosion and Deposition on Landforms
Landforms are constantly being broken down and reformed by the processes of weathering, erosion, and deposition. In this lesson, we explore chemical and physical weathering and how the face of the earth gets changed.

4. How a Landform Diagram Describes the Geological Progression of a Landscape
This lesson describes what a landform diagram is. We'll also discuss some basic laws of geology that can help scientists deduce both the order of events that create a landform and the geologic events that occur after a landform's formation.

5. The Formation of Stream Valleys
Running water is very powerful and has the ability to change the land around it. In this lesson, we will explore the creation of stream valleys and how they are shaped by the water that runs through them.

6. Base Level of a Stream: Definition & Effect on Erosion
Water stops flowing when it reaches its lowest level; this is called the base level. Learn about the base level of a stream, how it affects erosion, and some examples of local base levels, including lakes, dams and waterfalls.

7. Bedrock Channels: Formation & Process
Bedrock channels are eroded paths cut through solid rock foundations known as bedrock. Learn about bedrock channels and the processes that form them, including abrasion and plucking.

8. Alluvial Channels: Definition & Types
An alluvial channel is a water channel made up of loose sediments called alluvium. Learn about the types of alluvial channels, meandering channels and braided channels, and the characteristics that make them unique in this lesson.
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Other Chapters
Other chapters within the Physical Geology Syllabus Resource & Lesson Plans course
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