Rivers Unit Part 3: Flooding, Levees, Dams, Salmon, and more

Dams, Flood Prevention, and Salmon: A Hands-On Water Resource Unit

This engaging Earth Science unit explores flood prevention, hydroelectric dams, and salmon ecology through interactive lessons, real-world case studies, and hands-on activities. Students will learn about the benefits and challenges of water management, culminating in a town hall Dam Debate where they take on fictional roles to argue for or against a proposed dam project.

Key Lessons and Activities

Flood Prevention & Levees

• Understanding Floods: Students begin by learning about flood dangers, key flooding factors, and types of floods (flash floods, ice jams, urban floods, and tsunamis).

• Levees & Flood Control: Natural and artificial levees are introduced, along with their historical significance and how they impact downstream areas.

• Engineering Challenge: Students design and propose levee placements using stream tables and a model town, recording flood-prone areas and presenting their flood mitigation plans to a review committee.

Hydroelectric Dams & Water Management

• Dams & Their Importance: The role of hydroelectric dams in flood control, power generation, agriculture, and recreation is explained with examples like The Three Gorges Dam (China) and The Aswan Dam (Egypt).

• How Dams Work: Students examine dam structures, reservoirs, spillways, and locks and watch an animation to describe how a lock system functions.

• Pros & Cons of Dams: A video study from Modern Marvels (optional) allows students to analyze both positive and negative effects of dams, such as habitat disruption, displacement of communities, and changes to natural river systems.

Dam Debate: Persuasive Speaking & Role-Playing

• Town Hall Meeting Simulation: Students randomly select from 28 fictional characters (14 for and 14 against the dam) and research their assigned perspective.

• Persuasive Speech Writing: Based on their role, students draft a persuasive speech supporting or opposing dam construction.

• Presentation & Debate: On speech day, students dress in character and present their arguments in a lively town hall-style debate, strengthening their public speaking and critical thinking skills.

Salmon & River Ecosystems

• Salmon & Waterways: The final lesson covers salmon migration, their importance to ecosystems, and human impact on their populations.

• Salmon Conservation & Dams: Students explore how dams affect fish migration and engineered solutions such as fish ladders and bypass systems.

Why This Unit?

This highly interactive unit immerses students in real-world water management issues, teaching them about flood prevention, hydroelectric power, and river ecosystems through hands-on projects, role-playing, and engineering challenges.

• Cross-Curricular Learning: Combines science, social studies, engineering, and public speaking.

• Real-World Applications: Encourages critical thinking about environmental issues and water conservation.

• Flexible & Editable: Comes with PowerPoint slides, work bundles, answer keys, assessments, and Google Classroom-compatible resources.

Perfect for Earth Science, Environmental Science, or Water Resource units, this engaging, inquiry-based approach will get students excited about rivers, lakes, and water management!