Looking at Watersheds
Judy D. Dollard
Eisenhower Middle School
Kansas City, Kansas 66109


National Geography Standards, Grades 5-8:
#3 The geographically informed person knows and understands how to analyze the spatial organization of people, places, and environments on Earth's surface. 
#4 The geographically informed person knows and understands how the physical and human characteristics of places.
#14 The geographically informed person knows and understands how human actions modify the physical environment.
#18 The geographically informed person knows and understands how to apply geography and interpret the present and plan for the future.


Outcome:
The student will know and understand what a watershed is and what activities impact on watersheds.

Performance Objectives:
  1. The student will identify on maps the watershed in which he/she lives.
  2. The student will identify ways in which he/she can be a good watershed citizen.

Vocabulary (see Glossary):
watershed citizen
ultimate base level tributary
contour farming field windbreak
grasses and legumes rotation conservation tillage
river basin terracing

Procedures:

LESSON ONE: A DOZEN DRAINS
Part One:
Divide students into cooperative groups of two or three.

  1. Each group will label a "Rivers and Reservoirs" map identifying the following:
    Arkansas River
    Cimmaron River
    Kansas River
    Missouri River
    Neosho River
    Osage River    		 Republican River
    Saline River
    Smoky Hill
    Solomon River
    Verdigris River
    Walnut Creek
  2. Each group will locate their community on the map.
  3. Label the major cities of Kansas on the Kansas Rivers and Reservoirs map and discuss their relative location to the rivers of Kansas. Is it just as important today for a city to be located near a river? How has the role of the river changed historic to modem times?
  4. Each group will design and complete a "Watershed Citizen" poster.

Materials:
  • 1 piece of poster board for each group
  • blue food coloring
  • markers
  • eye dropper
  • 1 outline map for each student
  • masking tape
  • 1 small plastic sheet
 

Assessment:
  1. Check accuracy of student maps labeling Kansas watersheds and answering related questions
  2. Check completion of poster.

Resources:
Isern, Thomas and Wilson, Raymond; Kansas Land. (1988). Gibbs-Smith Publisher: Salt Lake City.
U.S. Geological Survey
Box 25286
Denver Federal Center
Denver, CO 80255
(303) 236-7477		 United States Department of Agriculture
Soil Conservation Service
Washington, D.C. 20250

Extensions:
 a. Label all rivers, streams, and reservoirs on the Kansas Rivers and Reservoirs map.
 b. All lakes in Kansas are reservoirs. Do Research on the history and development of one or more reservoirs in Kansas. Where was it built and why? What are the uses of a reservoir?

Part Two: READING

What is a watershed? It's the land that water flows across or under on its way to a stream, river, or lake.

How do watersheds work? The landscape is made up of many interconnected basins, or watersheds. Within each watershed, all water runs to the lowest point a stream, river, or lake. On its way, water travels over the surface and across farm fields, forest land, suburban lawns, and city streets, or it seeps into the soil and travels as ground water. Large watersheds like the ones for the Mississippi River, Columbia River, and Chesapeake Bay are made up of many smaller watersheds across several states.

Are all watersheds the same? Not at all. Watersheds come in many different shapes and sizes and have many different features. Watersheds can have hills or mountains or be nearly flat. They can have farmland, rangeland, small towns, and big cities. Parts of your watershed can be so rough, rocky, or marshy that they're suited only for certain trees, plants and wild life.

Your watershed community. Everyone lives in a watershed. You and everyone in your watershed are part of the watershed community. The animals, birds, and fish are, too. You influence what happens in your watershed, good or bad, by how you treat the natural resources: the soil, water; air, plants, and animals. What happens in your small watershed also affects the larger watershed downstream.

There are many things you and your watershed community can do to keep your watershed healthy and productive. To learn what you can do to take care of your watershed, call I -800-THE SOIL, or your local Soil Conservation Service office. It's listed in the telephone book under U.S. Government, Department of Agriculture.

 
Part Three:
Create a watershed. Wrinkle a plastic sheet. Place on an overhead projector. Mix a few drops of blue food color in water or rubbing alcohol. Using an eye dropper identify watersheds by the flow of the colored liquid. You can create an edge on your plastic sheet with masking tape to control runoff.

LESSON TWO: I'M A GOOD WATERSHED CITIZEN

What are your responsibilities as a good watershed citizen? On the farm? At home? Or in your community?

 

Divide the class into cooperative groups. Each group will research a topic on how he/she can protect the water quality of our watershed. Each group will create a poster showing good practices to protect our water quality.

 

 

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irc staff 11/19/97 (updated kn 06/17/99)
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