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River Runner

Provided by: River Runner |Published on: January 21, 2022

Graphs/Tables

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Synopsis

This video game-like interactive map lets students place a "raindrop" anywhere on Earth to see where the water will end up.
Students will enjoy taking a ride with the raindrop through the waterways of the topographical map.

Subjects: Earth and Space Sciences

Authors: River Runner

Region: North America, Global, New Jersey

Languages: English

Positives

The total length of the raindrop's journey, the names of the waterways, and a map of the route add more information and interest to the raindrop's journey.
The speed of the animation can be controlled.

Prerequisites

This resource is still in beta testing, so while most of the North American waterways are labeled, quite a few of the river names in other parts of the world are still missing.

Differentiation & Implementation

Geography classes could use this resource to study the major waterways of a region. After students are familiar with the region, the teacher could ask students to predict the path of a raindrop and use the interactive map to see if their predictions are correct.
Elementary classes could use this tool as an introduction to the concepts of gravity and elevation.
Advanced classes could work in groups to identify the unnamed waterways in a specific region and submit the suggestion on the website.
Other resources on this topic include this activity from the National Environmental Education Foundation on protecting watersheds, this article about how climate change is affecting rivers in the United States, and this water cycle game.

Scientist Notes

Teaching Tips

Standards

Resource Type and Format

All resources can be used for your educational purposes with proper attribution to the content provider.