River, from times immemorial has been the basis of various civilizations. It has truly been the life giver. Plentiful water, and the enrichment of the soil due to annual flooding, made it possible to grow excess crops beyond what was needed to sustain an agricultural village. This allowed for some members of the community to engage in non-agricultural activities such as construction of buildings and cities, metalworking, trade, and social organization. Additional advantages of locating near a river included easy transportation by water as well as good hunting and fishing.
As an ISA project activity for this academic year 2015-16 at Reqelford International School, we have decided to explore the river side. The activity allows students across grades 7 to 9 to explore facts about prominent rivers in 5 different countries and understand the similarities and differences in issues that affect the lives of people who live around rivers.
Skills integrated : Research, Analytical thinking, Critical thinking, communicative and collaborative skills.
Subjects covered: Geography, Environmental Management, English, ICT and Economics.
So without further ado, let's meet the five rivers. Shall we?
The Rivers studied:
1. River Mississippi
2. River Nile
3. River Thames
4. River Yangtze
5. River Ganges
Activity 1 : Digital Fact File of a River
Grades involved: Year 7 and Year 8
To understand the interesting land forms created by rivers and their uses, the students of Grade 7 and 8 were briefed upon the features of a river and its uses. They were then taken out for a campus activity where the Geography teacher showed them the features of a river by using the tap water. The students were then divided into 5 groups based on the rivers – Ganges, Mississippi, Yangtze, Nile and Thames were asked to research the features and uses of the river. They were then trained by the ICT teacher on how to prepare a power point presentation and a blog. Students prepared the Digital fact files of the river assigned to them and presented it for the rest of their classmates.
Activity 2 : SWOT Analysis of a River
Grade involved: Year 9
To understand the strengths and weaknesses of rivers in different parts of the world, the students of Grade 9, as a part of their Geography curriculum activity were briefed upon the ‘Rivers and Coasts’ and as a part of their Environmental science and management activity were briefed upon the ‘Environmental impacts on rivers’ and as a part of ‘Economics’ activity, they were briefed on various occupational and income opportunities and the students were then divided into 5 groups based on the rivers mentioned and were asked to research on the internet and library, gather the information. The students prepared SWOT analysis charts based on the learning derived from concerned subject studies of the river assigned to them and presented it to the rest of the class and also assessed their peers by completing the peer assessment forms.
