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Pre-Visit
Activities : What are Watersheds?
Procedures
MAIN
| OBJECTIVES | STANDARDS
| BACKGROUND | PROCEDURES | ASSESSMENT
| RESOURCES
Materials
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Preparation:
The teacher should contact the local water utility company
to determine what source (river, groundwater, reservoir)
local water is drawn from. The teacher should use this
information to determine what watershed the local area
is in and then become familiar with the size and shape
of this watershed, as well as any other pertinent information
about it.
- The
teacher will begin the class by giving a student a glass
and asking him or her to fill it up with water from a nearby
faucet or water fountain. Once this is done, the teacher
will hold up the glass of water and ask the students where
the water came from? Students will brainstorm ideas, until
one of them comes up with a local water source (stream,
river or lake).
- The
teacher will show a laminated physical map of South Carolina
and have students find the nearest local river or lake.
The teacher will then ask the students where does the water
in this river or lake come from. The teacher will first
ask the students which way they think the water in the rivers
is flowing. (Hint: the mountains are in the northwest, the
ocean is in the southeast and water flows from high to low
elevation). The teacher will then ask one of the students
to follow the river upstream with a marker and circle around
all tributaries, the streams and rivers that branch off
of it on the map.
- Once
the river and all its tributaries are traced, the
teacher will remark that this outlined area is the
watershed for the local river. The teacher will define
these terms: watershed, drainage divide and drainage
basin and identify them on the drawing on the map.
The teacher will then ask the students if the local
watershed drains directly into the ocean or if it
drains into another river or lake. If it does not
drain directly into the ocean, then it must be a part
of a much larger watershed. The teacher will ask the
students to follow the local river downstream until
it reaches the ocean at its outlet.
- Two
students will come to the map and look at the outlet
of the watershed into the ocean. Using markers, they
will trace along both sides of the river, one student
per side, enclosing all tributaries, until their pens
meet or they reach the state border. (Coastal rivers
such as the Ashley and Edisto will have their watersheds
entirely within the state. Major rivers such as the
Savannah, Santee and Pee Dee have watersheds that
extend out of the state and students will stop drawing
at the state boundaries for these.) They will be told
that the lines they are drawing are approximating
the drainage divides for this watershed. The teacher
will name the large watershed, and give some information
about that specific watershed (see "Teacher Background"
for information on the watersheds of South Carolina).
- The
teacher will break the students up into small groups.
Each group will be given a laminated physical map
of South Carolina and a nonpermanent marker. At their
desks, students will trace the other watersheds of
South Carolina. The teacher will ask the students
to note on the maps where the rivers meet the seas,
and then use these as starting points to outline the
watersheds for each of these rivers.
- When
the students are finished, the teacher will ask the students
to look at the watersheds they have outlined and to consider
the size of them. The teacher will then pose these questions:
How would you describe our local watershed? About how large
is the drainage basin? Where are the drainage divides? Why
do you think the drainage divides are where they are? When
considering how to improve water quality in our town, can
we only look at the rivers and streams in town? Can the
local water quality be affected by the actions of towns
and people upstream from us? Can our town's actions affect
the water quality of those downstream of us? Can pollutants
in Spartanburg affect the water quality of the Santee River
on the coast? Are there places in South Carolina where one
would have to look at other states to determine all the
factors that might be affecting water quality? Students
will write their answers, thoughts and ideas in their journals.
Top
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Which do you think would have a higher volume of water
flowing, the Edisto River or the Santee River? Why?
- Which
do you think would be transporting more sediment, the
Edisto River or the Santee River? Why?
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