How Rivers Flow

How water flows on top of the land

From the NCERT book Our Wondrous World (Class 5 The World Around Us), chapter 1: Water — The Essence of Life. Read the book free at ncert.nic.in

Practice questions

0 / 1 right

Q1. Rain on a mountain: up or down?

Ready? The Chapter 1 test gives gold coins.Take the test

Notes

In short

Remember: rivers often start in the mountains. Water flows, stops and curves with the shape of the land. And flowing water changes the land. Groundwater is under the ground. But rivers, ponds and lakes are on top of it. They are sources of fresh water too, called surface water. A river often begins its journey high in the mountains. Like the Ganga: it comes down from the Himalaya, through the hills of Rishikesh. Then it flows down across the land, and at last it reaches the sea. Let's make a river at home! Crumple a sheet of newspaper so it gets folds. Put another sheet over it and press gently, to make slopes. Now slowly pour mustard seeds onto the highest point. The seeds rolled downhill. Not in a straight line: they spread out in different directions. Many children think rivers always flow in a straight line. No! Look: a river bends and twists with the land, just like a snake.

Remember

Rivers start in mountains
Water follows the land
It changes the land

In this lesson

Intro
Last time & today
Fresh water is...
A river's journey
Seeds on paper hills
Water and land
Land and water
Straight like a ruler?
Quick check
Recap

Watch the lesson, then try to explain it in your own words.