A model river

A model river

Pencil and paperOnline interactive
Overview
Using this Resource
Connecting to the Curriculum
Marking Student Responses
This task is about using a model to investigate rivers.
How to do this task 

  • Your teacher has built a model of a river. A slip has occurred and some gravel has fallen into the river.
  • Your teacher will pour some water onto the gravel. This represents water in the river.
  • Watch carefully to see what happens when the water is poured onto the gravel, and as it flows down the spouting.

Question 1Change answer

a)  Write down all the things you notice when the water is poured onto the gravel, and as it flows down the spouting.

Question

b)  Where would you most likely find large rocks in a river?

    • At the start

    • In the middle

    • Near the sea

Question

 

c)  Where would you most likely be if the riverbed was muddy and silty? 

    • At the start

    • In the middle

    • Near the sea

Task administration: 
Equipment 2 m of PVC plastic spouting (blocked at one end, open at the other); river gravel; 2 L milk container; bucket; water.
  • Set up the "model" river as in the diagram.
  • Pour the 2 L of water continuously, but not too quickly onto the gravel at the closed end of the PVC.
  • This task could be assessed verbally.
diagram of experiment
Level:
3
Curriculum info: 
Science, Investigating in science, Planet Earth
Keywords: 
interacting systems, rivers, erosion, observation, models
Description of task: 
For this practical task students investigate and report on what they noticed about a model river and how different sized materials are moved by the water.
Curriculum Links: 
Science capabilities
The capabilities focus is brought about by the conversations you have and the questions you ask.
 
Capability: Gather and interpret data
This resource provides opportunities to discuss mehtods for gathering information from investigations. 
 
Capability: Interpret representations
This resource provides opportunities to discuss:
  • the use of models in science as a tool to understand phenomena that are too big or far away for us to see.
  • what a model shows, and how it is the same and different from the real thing.
Science capabilities: 
Gather and interpret data, Interpret representations
Making Better Sense: 
Erosion Water/Wind
Answers/responses: 
a)
  • The smaller pieces of gravel/sand travel further.
  • The larger pieces of gravel do not move/move far.
  • Some of the water looks dirty.
b) A (At the start)
c) C (Near the sea)

NOTE: You might want to use photographs of a (local) river to go with these questions.