Lesson video

Hi there.

Thanks for joining me for today's lesson.

My name is Ms. Roberts, and I'm here for a geography lesson all about the River Thames.

Today, we are going to investigate why the River Thames is so important for people in London, and how the people in London use water.

This is going to be really interesting.

I'm very excited to get started, so let's begin.

By the end of the lesson today, you will be able to explain the importance of the River Thames, to the city of London.

There are some important words that we are going to use in this lesson, so let's make sure that we know what those words are first.

The first key word for today is "navigation." That's a long word.

Can you say navigation? Great job, well done.

Navigation is finding your way from one place to another, however you may get there.

Our next key word is "banks." Can you say banks? Good job.

Now, we are not talking about places where you keep money.

This time, banks, in our context, are the edges of the land beside a river or a waterway like a canal.

That's what we call banks in geography.

The next key word today is bridges.

Can you say bridges? Lovely, well done.

Bridges are structures so that people and vehicles can get across a river or a road.

Any space that they may need to cross, can be done so with a bridge.

Next, we have the word "sewer." Can you say sewer? Well done.

A sewer is an underground pipe, and not a little pipe, a huge underground pipe.

And, those pipes are what take the dirty water, such as water from our bath, or from the toilets, or from the kitchen sink, all the way through from our homes, to the sewage works where it will be cleaned.

The next key word we have for today is "flood." Can you say flood? Good job.

Now, a flood happens when there's too much water in a river or another waterway.

When that happens, the water will overflow onto the land that is normally dry around the river.

We'll be looking at floods later in today's lesson.

Don't worry if you still are a little unsure of any of those words, or how to use them, because when we use them in the lesson, I'll be highlighting them, and I will explain everything along the way.

This lesson has got two parts.

In the first part, we are going to investigate the question, "How does London use water?" Then later in the lesson, we will be looking in some more detail, at the mighty River Thames.

Are you ready to get started? Let's go and find out how London uses water.

The city of London grew around the River Thames.

Look at the photograph.

There is London, and there is the River Thames.

People settled there because the River Thames was used for navigation and trade.

Do you recall the word "navigation" from our keywords? Navigation means finding your way.

So, people would travel from one place to another, using the river.

London still uses the River Thames for trade, as well as for transport.

People are transported in water taxis, or on boat cruises, to see the sites of the city.

So many of those sites lie along the banks of the River Thames.

Look at the photograph.

Here you can see the Palace of Westminster, or the Houses of Parliament there, and on the river are some boat cruises, taking tourists to see the sites Along the river Thames, in the city of London, there are 35 bridges that connect both banks of the river.

People can walk, cycle, skate, or drive across the river using these bridges.

In the past, before we had bridges, people had to row up and down the river in small boats.

Were you listening closely? Let's see if you can recall a fact.

How many bridges go across the River Thames in London? Is it, A, 25, B, 35, or C, 45? Ready? Have you decided? The answer is B! There are 35 bridges at different points, crossing the River Thames in the city of London.

Let's look in some more detail at those bridges now.

This is London Bridge.

It's probably one of the most famous bridges in London.

It's a very well-known landmark.

It is found right opposite the Tower of London, which is how it gets its name Tower Bridge.

This bridge looks very different to Tower Bridge.

This bridge is called the Millennium Bridge, and that's because it was built just before the millennium, in the year 1999.

The Millennium Bridge is a foot bridge, and that means you can't drive across this bridge.

Even cyclists must get off their bikes, and push them across the Millennium Bridge.

Now, were you listening closely? Here's another multiple choice question to see if you can recall facts you've heard already today.

Which of these modes of transport, is a way that you can navigate the River Thames, A, rail, B, foot, C, boat, or D, horse? Have a think, and make your choice.

Have you picked one? Do we navigate the terms by rail? No, trains are rail travel.

We don't take trains on a river.

Do we navigate the Thames by foot? No, going by foot is walking.

We don't walk through a river.

Do we navigate the Thames by boat? Yes, we do, we navigate the Thames by boat.

Water taxis are an example of a boat, that transports people on the River Thames.

So, that means that Option D, horse, is also incorrect.

We don't ride horses through rivers.

There are around 9 million people who live in London using water every single day.

How many different ways do we use water every day? Pause the video now, and have a quick chat with a partner to share your ideas.

You've thought of some really good examples there.

Did you think of the same things that John thought of? He says that we use water for drinking, for cooking, for baths and showers, for toilets, for washing machines, for brushing our teeth, for our pets, and for our plants.

That's a lot of different things that use water.

Well done, John, and well done you.

The River Thames is the main water supply for the city of London.

A company called Thames Water, takes the water from the river, cleans it, and then sends it to homes and other buildings, through pipes.

The waste water, that's water that we have used, dirty water, it disappears down the plug hole when we empty the sink, or when we flush the toilet.

It then is taken outta the buildings through more pipes, called sewers, and that is also looked after by Thames Water.

Sewers are networks of pipes, deep below the streets of the city.

All of the wastewater from the buildings, and all of the rainwater in any one area, all flows into one main sewer system.

So, there's a lot of water flowing into the sewer.

Sewers are accessed by climbing down very long ladders that are hidden under metal grids at ground level.

This is a photograph of a grid where you can access a sewer.

Unfortunately, sometimes, some waste water is pumped back into the river without being processed first.

This happens in the River Thames.

This happens when there is too much water to be processed, at any one time.

So, in London, because there are so many people using water, it means there is such a large amount of wastewater, too, and that is a problem.

So, a new super sewer is being constructed in London, and that will contain more waste water, to stop the waste water from being pumped back into the Thames.

What a good idea! The photograph shows part of this new super sewer, that is still under construction today.

Now, let's have a think about everything you've discovered, so far.

I'm going to read you a statement, and I would like you to decide if this is true, or if this is false.

There is a plan to stop waste water from polluting the River Thames in future.

Is that true or is that false? Decide now and make your choice.

Are you ready? Okay.

You can give thumbs up if you think this is true, and thumbs down if you think this is false.

Do you have thumbs up? Good, me too.

I have thumbs up, because I believe that this statement is true.

There is a plan to stop waste water polluting the River Thames in future.

Hmm, but as a geographer, whenever we make a statement like this, we need to provide some explanation, or some evidence, to show how we know that what we are saying is correct.

So, I'm going to show you two more statements now, and I want you to decide which of these two statements is the most helpful to explain in this situation.

Statement A says that a new super sewer is being built to help contain more waste water, instead of pumping it back into the river.

Statement B says that London is the biggest city in the United Kingdom, so it has more wastewater than other places.

Which of those two statements is most helpful to explain this situation? Have you chosen? Did you pick statement A? Good job, that's the best statement to use here.

A new super sewer is being built in London, and that will help to contain more of the waste water, instead of the excess waste water being pumped back into the River Thames.

So, that is the most helpful way to explain how we know that there is a plan to stop wastewater from polluting the river.

Statement B, there, is true.

London is the biggest city in the United Kingdom, and it does have more wastewater, but in this situation, it doesn't help to explain how we know that there is a plan to stop water being pumped into the Thames in future.

Let's put your new learning to use with another activity.

This is an activity about how we use water.

There are some actions here that we do most days.

I would like you to decide whether or not these everyday tasks use water or do not use water.

Pause the video now, while you complete the activity.

All done? Let's have a look at the answers together, then.

Brushing our teeth, does that use water? Yes, it's certainly does.

Walking the dog, does that use water? No, it doesn't.

You just need you, and your dog, and a lead.

Taking a photograph, does that use water? No, it doesn't.

It uses a camera.

Having a shower, does that job use water? Yes, it does.

Having a shower is getting washed with water.

How about reading a book, does that use water? No, it doesn't.

It just takes you and a book, or maybe an ebook.

Last one, washing the car, does that involve water? Yes, it certainly does.

Washing the car takes a lot of water, doesn't it? Well done.

Time now, to move into the second part of our lesson, and in this part of the lesson, we are going to discover more about the mighty River Thames.

Look at the picture, what has happened here? Chat to a partner about what you think has happened.

Great suggestions, well done.

A flood has happened here.

A flood happened when there is too much water in a river, and it bursts its banks.

Now, that doesn't mean it bursts out suddenly.

What that means is that when the water level rises higher than the banks, the water overflows onto the land that is usually dry.

That is a flood.

Homes and businesses like the shops in the photograph are at risk of damage from floods.

Look at this photograph.

What a strange looking site! I'm not sure what that is.

It looks almost like a spacecraft.

This is actually a special piece of engineering.

called the Thames Barrier.

This is what has been built to protect the city of London from flooding.

Here's an aerial photograph of the Thames Barrier.

You can see that it is spread across the river.

When the water level of the river is high, and the river is likely to flood.

The barrier gates close, and the excess water is contained behind the barrier.

The Thames Barrier is 520 metres long.

This picture shows the Thames Barrier with the gates closed.

So, were you listening to those facts about floods? Here's a multiple choice question with three answers that are pictures.

I'd like to know which of these weather conditions will most likely cause a river to flood, A, wind, B, sunshine, or C, rain? Have you chosen? Did you choose wind? No, wind doesn't cause flooding, because wind isn't wet.

What about sunshine, does that cause flooding? No, it does not.

Sunshine isn't wet either.

How about rain, did you choose that one? Yes, me too.

Rain is water that falls from the sky, and heavy rainfall can fill rivers with lots and lots of water, causing them to burst their banks, and flood.

Well done.

Time for an activity now, to see what you can remember about flooding, what happens in a flood.

I would like you to draw a picture to show each of the stages of a flood that is described in the grid.

The first stage is that there is a river flowing.

The second stage is that there is heavy rainfall.

The third stage is that the river bursts its banks, and the fourth stage is that the flood reaches people's homes or businesses.

Now, your pictures don't need to be works of art, a simple sketch is perfect.

Pause the video now, while you complete the activity.

Have you finished? I hope you enjoyed that activity.

Lucas is sharing with us what he drew for his pictures.

First, he drew a river flowing for the first stage, and then he drew a cloud with the rainfall, in stage number two.

For the river bursting its banks, Lucas drew a picture and labelled it to show where the water was, and where the land was.

And, finally, Lucas, for stage number four, drew a house with some water surrounding it where the river has burst its banks.

Well done, Lucas, and well done, you, as well.

That was such an interesting lesson learning about the River Thames.

We covered a lot of information, so let's just have a quick look back, over everything new we learned today.

We know that throughout history, the River Thames has been used for navigation and trade.

We know that in the past, people mostly navigated the Thames by boat, but today there are many bridges that connect both banks.

There are actually 35 bridges, aren't there? We know that the River Thames is also an important source of water.

London uses more water than anywhere else in the UK.

Some of our waste water still ends up in the river, so a new super sewer is being built in London.

The Thames Barrier is a piece of special engineering, that was constructed to help protect London from floods.

We learned so much today! I hope you found that interesting, as well.

I'll see you again for another geography lesson about life in the city of London.

Bye for now!.