The River Tees is a popular example of a river and its valley, which is studied by geography students at KS3 and GCSE. This resource uses a story map to provide information about the River Tees, starting with an overview and then exploring the upper, middle and lower courses in turn. Teachers could project the material on the board, or students could work through it using their own devices. They could note key features of each part from source to mouth and compare the processes and features in the different sections – what changes can they see?  

This book explores the length of a major UK river, focusing on the River Severn. The book has over 200 photographs that reflect the changes in the river as Bradford travels from its estuary at the Severn Bridge to its source in the Plynlimon Hills in Wales. The Severn is the longest river in Britain and is a popular choice for GCSE students. Making the journey from estuary to source gives a different perspective, starting with the lower course of the river, where significant flooding frequently takes place, and ending with a tiny stream trickling from a bog. Stories from history are combined with observations from the present to create an engaging and beautifully illustrated book.

A virtual trip can never replace real fieldwork but can beautifully complement the curriculum. This resource brings together text, images, video and an opportunity to use a geographical information system to discover how the River Eden changes from source to mouth. Students could use this resource independently or focus on particular elements. The idea of a story map is to tell the geographical story of a place or issue. This resource combines spatially referenced information and images to make the story of the River Eden clear, helping them understand the sequence of processes and resulting landforms found along the course of the river.

This book tells of a journey through Colombia, following the Magdalena river from its mouth to its source in the Andes. Columbia has been a very troubled part of the world, so the story Jacobs tells is of conflict, environmental destruction, and his own journey. This book is ideal for teachers and A-level students to make connections between the physical and human geography of the river, moving beyond the context of the UK. The book also considers how memories fade over time, leading to its title. Students could benefit from conducting their own research to discover how the areas Jacobs writes about have changed in the last decade – many are now peaceful.

An exploration of the river Amazon, from its glacier origin to its contribution to wildlife.