Fluvial Landforms on Maps
Summary
This is an in-class exercise designed to A) give students more practice reading topographic maps, B) have students identify fluvial landforms on maps, and C) get students thinking about the processes that formed the features they see on maps. The exercise has three stations where students identify fluvial features and answer questions about chronology, climatic influences, etc. Then we move away from the "classic" maps to local topographic maps and students have to find several of the same fluvial features and describe them to the class.
Context
Audience
Undergraduate course in geomorphology
Skills and concepts that students must have mastered
Familiarity with river types and basic fluvial features.
Concept of rivers as dynamic through time.
Basic familiarity with topographic maps.
Concept of rivers as dynamic through time.
Basic familiarity with topographic maps.
How the activity is situated in the course
This is a stand-alone exercise, done in class. We use this early on in our discussion of fluvial processes and landforms to give students a chance to see what these features look like on topographic maps. We also use this as an opportunity to introduce some of the fluvial features in the region and discuss some of the glacial history of the region.
Goals
Content/concepts goals for this activity
interpreting topographic maps
learning names of fluvial landforms
learning which fluvial landforms can be found locally
learning names of fluvial landforms
learning which fluvial landforms can be found locally
Higher order thinking skills goals for this activity
analyzing topographic maps for chronology and process, not just landforms
transferring knowledge of process in one area to process in another area
transferring knowledge of process in one area to process in another area
Other skills goals for this activity
working in groups
presenting observations to group orally
presenting observations to group orally
Description of the activity/assignment
This is an in-class exercise on fluvial landforms and topographic map reading. Students work in groups on a series of "classic" geomorphic maps and answer a suite of questions. The questions are designed to cover basic identification up to queries on chronology, process, role of climate and substrate, etc. After going through the classic maps, we pull out local topographic maps and find many of the same features and discuss how they relate to the local geology and glacial history.
Designed for a geomorphology course
Has minimal/no quantitative component
Designed for a geomorphology course
Has minimal/no quantitative component
Determining whether students have met the goals
I pay attention while groups are discussing the maps to help nudge them in the right direction if they are wandering. At the end, when students can identify the same features in a much murkier setting (topogaphically), it shows that they understand the basic topographic signature of these features and what variations might mean. You could collect answers to the questions if you want.
More information about assessment tools and techniques.Teaching materials and tips
- Activity Description/Assignment (Microsoft Word 148kB Apr28 08)
- Instructors Notes (Microsoft Word 26kB Apr28 08)
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Other Materials
- Map of St. Louis River drainage basin (Acrobat (PDF) 473kB Apr28 08)