What rivers to study?

[sbgrace]

I want to do some geography work on world rivers. I'm trying to decide which to cover. My kids are third grade and we're going to be studying ancient history for the first time.

 

I have a list of possible rivers to cover. Would you cover all these rivers or select just some? Any that you would add?

 

Asia: Ob, Yellow(Huang He), Yangtze(Chang Jiang), Ganges, Indus, Tigris, Euphrates

 

Africa: Nile, Niger, Congo

 

South America: Amazon, Parana, Orinoco

 

North America: Mississippi/major tributaries, Mackenzie, Yukon

 

Australia: Murray-Darling

 

Europe: Volga, Danube, Rhine

 

 

(x-post/thought it would be better here)

Edited November 10, 2012 by sbgrace

[Susie in MS]

Seine River in Paris

[mumto2]

Thames in England.

[Chris in VA]

Well, in Ancients you will be studying people who settled near rivers, so I'd just incorporate the rivers into history. For example, when you study Mesopotamia, do Tigris/Euphrates. When you get to Egypt, do the Nile. When you do Indus Valley, do the Indus.

 

I might also throw in some "famous" rivers that act as borders between countries, or that "everyone should know"--Seine, Po, Thames, etc.

[Laura Corin]

I'd go with the Rhine because you can take in the rising sea levels after the ice ages, cutting off the British Isles from the rest of Europe: the Thames used to be part of the Rhine system.

 

I'd do the Chiang Jiang for Asia: the estuary and its effect on the shape of China (producing the western bump on which Shanghai lies) is interesting geography. It's the longest in Asia, and you can do some good studies on the effects of the dams.

 

Laura