Lesson 7: Our Rivers and Streams

The St. Johns River is the longest river located entirely in Florida. It is also one of the rivers in the Northern Hemisphere which flows north. The St. Johns River begins as a broad marshy area south of Melbourne and slowly passes through a number of shallow lakes. The river widens and takes shape south of Sanford. It continues northward until it empties into the Atlantic Ocean at Mayport, near Jacksonville.

The St. Johns River supports commercial fishing and various water-related recreational activities and serves agricultural and transportational needs.

Other significant rivers in the St. Johns River Water Management District are the St. Marys, the Nassau, the Wekiva, the Matanzas, the Econlockhatchee, the Halifax, the Indian and the Ocklawaha.

1. Have students look at the map in part 1. Ask them to locate where on this map they live. Ask them to locate the St. Johns River.

2. Have students read parts 1, 2 and 3 to find out about the river that flows from south to north. Ask discussion questions:

(part 1)

• What is one of the unique characteristics of the St. Johns River?
• What does “headwaters” mean?
• Why does the St. Johns River flow north?

(part 2)

• What is a tributary? Name some of the tributaries that flow into the St. Johns River.
• Where is the mouth of the St. Johns River?

(part 3)

• Name ways the St. Johns River is useful.

4. Have students read and discuss “Imagine that!” in part 2. Have students look at the map in part 1; ask if “river of lakes” is an appropriate name for the St. Johns River.

5. Have students look at and discuss the illustration in part 2 which shows the mouth of the St. Johns River emptying into the Atlantic Ocean. Think about the reasons why a city, such as Jacksonville, might be located close to a major body of water.

6. Have students look at and discuss the illustration that shows recreational uses of water in part 3. What other activities have they done that are not shown?

7. Have students read parts 4, 5 and 6 to see what actions can harm waterways. Ask discussion questions:

(part 4)

• What are some ways that rivers can become polluted?
• Why do we need to keep our rivers clean?

(part 5)

• How can a river change the land?
• What things can change a river?

(part 6)

• What can happen if water is diverted from its natural course?
• Is it easy to restore the original course of a river once it has changed?

8. Have students read “Watch out!” in part 4 and discuss why these things are important. If students participate in any sort of shoreline cleanup during the school year, have them review and follow these guidelines. Remember, safety always comes first!

9. Have students look at the illustration in part 5 and explain what is happening in the drawing (fallen tree will change the shape of the shore, can lead to erosion, etc.).

10. Have students look at and discuss the illustration in part 6. Ask them how structures such as this can sometimes be “good” or “bad.” (Good: prevent flooding, restore marsh to original state. Bad: drain wetland habitat, channel freshwater to the sea.)

FCAT-style questions based on the content of Lesson 7 have been prepared to assist students in preparing for the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test.

• Lesson 7 FCAT-Style Questions
• FCAT Reading Rubric
• Sample Responses

1. Have students write a story about an imaginary trip along the St. Johns River by boat, beginning at the headwaters in Melbourne. Ask them to describe the things they would see as they travel north to Mayport, such as characterizing the physical appearance of the river as it changes from a marsh to a wide river, observing tributaries emptying into the St. Johns River, or describing specific plants, animals and people working or playing on or near the river. Students may use their WaterWays booklet, pages 1–46, to help them with their story. You may want to assign this as homework or give students several days to complete this in class. You may ask them to write their story in the form of a journal and include illustrations.

2. FCAT-Style Questions, Lesson 7 Online Quiz or Lesson 7 Quiz worksheets may be used.*

1. Have students navigate to the Lesson 7 Experiment, “Design an island.”

2. Have students work independently or divide the class into cooperative groups. Ask them to read “What you will learn,” “What you will need” and “Here is what you do.”

3. Have students do the activity “Design an island” and answer the questions.

4. Have students read and discuss “Make a difference!” If students live near a river or tributary that does not have an organization “protecting” that water body, they may want to organize their own group. Students could start a scrapbook and include newspaper stories and photographs about their river.

4. Have students do the extra activity “How do we use our waterways?” as a class assignment where one large collage is made, or have each student make their own smaller collage.

Answers for the FCAT-style questions and the online and offline quizzes can be downloaded at answers.html. The quiz answer keys are password-protected. You can obtain the password by registering via a short form.