Students in grades K-2 should be learning about landforms and water systems, including rivers. In this lesson, students learn about the Blue Nile and compare it to a river in the United States.

Geography, geology, earth science

Standard 1: "How to use maps and other geographical representations, tools, and technologies to acquire, process, and report information from a spatial perspective"
Standard 3: "How to analyze the spatial organization of people, places, and environments on Earth's surface"
Standard 7: "The physical processes that shape the patterns of Earth's surface"

Two to three hours

• Computer with Internet access
• Atlas, wall map, or access to MapMachine

Students will

• discuss their experiences with rivers;
• discuss what they think it would be like to travel down a river that rapidly descends from the mountains to the plains;
• look at a map of Ethiopia and describe what they see in the area around the Blue Nile;
• see a demonstration of a river running over flat versus mountainous terrain;
• look at pictures of the Blue Nile and describe the terrain;
• look at a map and pictures of a river in the United States and compare it to the Blue Nile; and
• create brochures for people considering a journey down the Blue Nile and along a river in the United States.

Ask students if they have ever ridden a boat on a river or spent any time on the shores of a river. What was the river like? Was the water calm or choppy? What did the shore look like—did it have beaches, rocky cliffs, or other features?

What do students think it would be like to take a long journey down a river? What if the river had waterfalls and crocodiles? Tell the class that Nevada Wier, an award-winning photographer, and Virginia Morell, an acclaimed author, have recently hiked and rafted their way down the Ethiopian Blue Nile, a distance of about 500 miles (800 kilometers). Students will learn a little bit about what this journey was like.

Using a topographical map such as an atlas, a large wall map, or National Geographic's MapMachine, show students Ethiopia and the Blue Nile. Also point out the lower Nile in Egypt. What topographical features do they notice along the Blue Nile in Ethiopia? Make sure they notice the hills of the Ethiopian Plateau.

Tell students that as the Blue Nile runs from its source to the Sudan border, it descends one mile (1.6 kilometers) from the hills into the plains. Have them imagine that distance in their town—from the school to a major local landmark, for example. If they have trouble envisioning a descent of that degree, just tell them that the river travels downwards quite a bit in a short distance. Ask students to imagine what a river might look like as it descends this rapidly.

Set up a simple demonstration to simulate two rivers: one that flows gradually and one that flows more dramatically, as does the Blue Nile. One way to do this is to fold a large, sturdy piece of aluminum foil so that it has a "river" indented down the middle. Mix some food coloring into a pint (0.5 liter) of water, hold the foil at a very gentle angle, and slowly let the water trickle down the "river." Ask students to think of words to describe the water's flow. Then bend the foil to create a "mountain" at one end, and repeat the demonstration.

What words can students think of to describe the water now? What is the difference in the way the water flows now that it's coming from the mountains? Do they notice any waterfalls, rapids, or canyons? Tell them that the Blue Nile doesn't run straight down—it twists and turns and runs over flat land in many places—but that it has areas with waterfalls and rapids just like students have seen in this demonstration.

Have students look at a few pictures of the Blue Nile at these Web sites and/or in magazines or books:

National Geographic: Ethiopia''s Sacred Waters—The Blue Nile
[Note: For the full article, see the December 2000 print issue of National Geographic Magazine.]
Nile Basin Initiative
Photographs of Ethiopia

Ask students to describe what the landscape looks like in these photographs. Does it look the way they imagined it would?

Have students look at a topographical map of the United States and locate the Mississippi, Missouri, or Colorado River. Ask them what they think it would be like to go down one of these rivers. Would they encounter mountains? How would this trip compare with a trip down the Blue Nile? Have them look at pictures of one of these rivers, either on the Internet or in magazines or books, and compare this river with the Blue Nile.

Ask students to create brochures for people who are trying to decide whether they should take a trip down the Blue Nile or along a river in the United States, such as the Colorado. The brochures should inform these adventurers about what they can expect on each of these rivers. Students should draw pictures and, depending on their ability level, write sentences explaining what the visitors might expect to see. More advanced students should explain some of the similarities and differences between the two rivers.

• Have students research the wildlife they might encounter on a journey down the Blue Nile. They can start with the Nile crocodile (number 15 is the Nile crocodile), and think about what it eats.
  
  
• Have students use a map to figure out what river is closest to their home, and help them investigate whether there are any opportunities for boat trips on this river. What would they see on such a trip? How far upriver (or downriver) could they go? Have any of them taken trips on this river? What was it like?

National Geographic: Ethiopia's Sacred WatersThe Blue Nile
National Geographic: MapMachine
Photographs—Ethiopia