World River ProjectAssignment
Your job is to explore one of the great rivers of the world in three important dimensions:
Geophysical,
Cultural, and
Ecological.
As a group, you will use a variety of resources to create two things: a map poster and an on-line wiki. You will incorporate a variety of visual elements, such as maps, graphs, data tables, and photographs to enhance your written work.
Watershed Map Poster
Your poster must be a map of the watershed area that is drained by the river, cut to the shape of the watershed boundaries. Must be a minimum 48” long, scaled to actual watershed dimensions.
Poster should include: q Title, easily visible and very neatly lettered, and names of all participating group members q Show the scale (for example, 1 inch = 20 miles, 1 cm = 100 km). q Political boundaries: Countries, major cities, states, and so on, as needed q Mountain ranges, including labeling major mountain peaks and their heights q All major tributaries, lakes, and other water bodies, waterfalls, gorges, etc.. q Important protected natural areas, dams, and major pollution sources. q Indicate what part of the river, if any is navigable by ocean-going boats. q Must include, pasted on your poster, three written pieces, each 100-150 words, computer-generated, to summarize the geophysical, cultural, and ecological connections for your river. These should also be the summarizing paragraphs of each of the major sections of your written report.
Written Report (wiki)
Each member of your group must have a separate section or more of the report that is their responsibility, which they will research and write, with their name on it. Each section should be at least 2 1/2 pages long (700 words). The last paragraph of each subtopic should be the 150-200 word summary that is used on the poster. Your group is responsible for dividing the areas of responsibility among group members, and reporting that to your teacher.
Should include the following subtopics: q GEOPHYSICAL
o Location: source, length, mouth
o Cities and countries along its length
o geological setting: how has the river affected the landscape in various regions (use Google Earth or something like it to see the river along its length)
o natural setting, important habitats or biomes through which the river flows
o water features: lakes, wetlands, waterfalls, important patterns of flooding, and so on
q CULTURAL
o Where the river’s name comes from, who lived around the river before Europeans moved in, who explored it, what were the early cities and settlements, how has the river’s use evolved over time?
o Modern Uses: § Hydro power, irrigation, recreation, drinking water, transportation, industry, waste disposal, and so on
o Current Problems and Impacts § Dams, Flooding, Pollution, Sewage treatment, Dewatering, Habitat alteration for river species
o Solutions: Are people and/or groups and/or governments trying to solve any of these problems? What are they trying to do?
q ECOLOGICAL
o What are the various types of aquatic/natural/river communities and ecosystems along its length?
o Describe the headwater regions, major wetlands or other wildlife habitats along the river
o Describe the physical and ecological nature of the river’s estuary, delta region, and nearby ocean.
o Are there pollution problems, water shortages, or dams that affect the natural health of the river.
Your job is to explore one of the great rivers of the world in three important dimensions:
- Geophysical,
- Cultural, and
- Ecological.
As a group, you will use a variety of resources to create two things: a map poster and an on-line wiki. You will incorporate a variety of visual elements, such as maps, graphs, data tables, and photographs to enhance your written work.Watershed Map Poster
Your poster must be a map of the watershed area that is drained by the river, cut to the shape of the watershed boundaries. Must be a minimum 48” long, scaled to actual watershed dimensions.
Poster should include:
q Title, easily visible and very neatly lettered, and names of all participating group members
q Show the scale (for example, 1 inch = 20 miles, 1 cm = 100 km).
q Political boundaries: Countries, major cities, states, and so on, as needed
q Mountain ranges, including labeling major mountain peaks and their heights
q All major tributaries, lakes, and other water bodies, waterfalls, gorges, etc..
q Important protected natural areas, dams, and major pollution sources.
q Indicate what part of the river, if any is navigable by ocean-going boats.
q Must include, pasted on your poster, three written pieces, each 100-150 words, computer-generated, to summarize the geophysical, cultural, and ecological connections for your river. These should also be the summarizing paragraphs of each of the major sections of your written report.
Written Report (wiki)
Each member of your group must have a separate section or more of the report that is their responsibility, which they will research and write, with their name on it. Each section should be at least 2 1/2 pages long (700 words). The last paragraph of each subtopic should be the 150-200 word summary that is used on the poster. Your group is responsible for dividing the areas of responsibility among group members, and reporting that to your teacher.Should include the following subtopics:
q GEOPHYSICAL
o Location: source, length, mouth
o Cities and countries along its length
o geological setting: how has the river affected the landscape in various regions (use Google Earth or something like it to see the river along its length)
o natural setting, important habitats or biomes through which the river flows
o water features: lakes, wetlands, waterfalls, important patterns of flooding, and so on
q CULTURAL
o Where the river’s name comes from, who lived around the river before Europeans moved in, who explored it, what were the early cities and settlements, how has the river’s use evolved over time?
o Modern Uses:
§ Hydro power, irrigation, recreation, drinking water, transportation, industry, waste disposal, and so on
o Current Problems and Impacts
§ Dams, Flooding, Pollution, Sewage treatment, Dewatering, Habitat alteration for river species
o Solutions: Are people and/or groups and/or governments trying to solve any of these problems? What are they trying to do?
q ECOLOGICAL
o What are the various types of aquatic/natural/river communities and ecosystems along its length?
o Describe the headwater regions, major wetlands or other wildlife habitats along the river
o Describe the physical and ecological nature of the river’s estuary, delta region, and nearby ocean.
o Are there pollution problems, water shortages, or dams that affect the natural health of the river.