Pre-Visit Activities : What are Watersheds? : Procedures Sixth - Eighth Grade Online Curriculum : Watersheds

Materials

• Laminated physical maps of South Carolina (1 per student group)
• Map of South Carolina Watersheds (full-page version)
• Map of South Carolina regions (full-page version)
• Non-permanent markers
  

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Procedure

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.

1. 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).
2. 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 then 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.
3. 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.
4. 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).
5. 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.
6. 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.
   

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1. Which do you think would have a higher volume of water flowing, the Edisto River or the Santee River? Why?
2. Which do you think would be transporting more sediment, the Edisto River or the Santee River? Why?