Ox Bow Lake

River Life

The rivers' journey

Rivers

Acrostic Poem

Racing down the mountainside

It goes splash, swish

Very wide with lots of meanders

Every tributary as fast as the river

Ready for the waterfall it tips over the edge

Soon the river will approach the SEA!

Rivers

RiverorBigRiverorSmallRivergoupRiverorFastRiverorSlow

Running through the village, getting faster

In the village of Penkridge, silent and peaceful

Vicious it is not, but peaceful like the sun

Every meander, smooth as a rock

Riding the rocks, tributaries join the parade

 

Potholes in the making, getting faster

Every step is a million miles

Nearer to the mouth now

Kicking to the end whoopee! We’ve made it to the sea!

The River
Rivers of all kinds

Young River

Me and Meander
Rush faster

Move faster

I want to move faster

Falling down a waterfall

And bang

I hit the bottom

And I’m going

Around a meander

And me and

Meander going down

The Trent

By David, Penkridge Middle School

River acrostic

Racing down the mountain side

It goes faster and faster and gets noisier and noisier

Very bendy, lots of meanders

Every tributary as fast as the river

Ready for a waterfall, it tips over the edge

Steadier and slower as the river approaches the estuary then to the SEA!

By Katie, Penkridge Middle School

River Acrostic

The river pushing and splashing
Hushing and rushing

Either way the water is gushing

Rivers are bendy, the rivers splashes up the rocks

In or out it is without the rat

Very glaterry and battery

Either way the water is battering

Rivers open up at the mouth

The Journey of a river

The river 

            comes down 

                                the waterfall ...

    tributaries are coming 

                                                the river

                                                                            is 

                                                                                                getting 

                                                                        older ..

                                                       there are 

                            meanders 

                                        there are more near the end 

                            then 

                               the 

                                    river

                                    finally 

                                                    reaches

                                                                        the sea.

By Kymberleigh, Penkridge Middle School

Meander!!!

River Penk
River Penk is racing down the hillside

River Acrostic

Racing water down the river goes

In and out the river slides

Veering round the bends

Every splash makes me jump

Rhyming noises make me giggle

By Charlotte, Penkridge Middle School

My River Poem
Round and round the water cycle goes

I feel a splash on my toes

Vertically the rain falls down

Everyone has got a frown

Rain is falling heavier on the ground

By Stephanie, Penkridge Middle School

Young River

Young river is lively and fast

On it’s way the river flows

Upon the surface is white water

Noisy, bubbly, splashing along it’s way

Gargling and bashing on the rocks

Roaring on and flowing fast

I can’t help wishing I was the young river

Valleys I go through still going strong

Extra fast I go on my way

River is slowing down to turn to mature.

By Imogen, Penkridge Middle School

Flooding on the River Severn

The following poem was written by Craig a week after visiting a holiday bungalow just south of Stourport on Severn which had been flooded during the flood of 2000. It is built on the flood plain next to a weir. Over the last few years the river has flooded and the water has reached the top of the steps [the bungalow is built on stilts!]. However this year in October the water came right into the building. The water mark on the cupboard shows how high it reached. The last time the river flooded this high was in 1947. The winter was particularly severe with a lot of long lasting snow. This did not thaw until just before Easter. The river burst its banks and the water rose very rapidly to half way up the windows. This was probably a rise of about 6m.

Flooding on the River Severn

Our house under water

All possessions now lost.

I watched from the sidelines

Asking, "What would be the cost?"

Approaching the garden

Through a sea of mud.

Plants beneath the water,

Would they survive the flood?

Slip and slide across the silt,

Gingerly I opened the door.

Sofas and chairs barred the way,

Thick slimy mud covered the floor.

Cushions are sodden, beds are wet,

The cooker and fridge destroyed.

But the building is safe

No men need be employed.

Soap suds and water scoured the pans,

Hosepipe and brooms worked their hardest.

We struggled and toiled

To rid the river’s discharges.

Now it is shiny and spotless,

The river is back in its course.

Our thoughts are now dwelling

On the river in flood and it’s force.

Our house under water

All possessions now lost.

I watched from the sidelines

Again "What would be the cost?"

By Craig, Chase Terrace High School.

The River Nile
The river runs fast
As it meanders through Egypt
In and Out
Like a slithering snake
It may cause trouble
To the village people

With floods

That can cause devastation.

It can also be helpful.

Excellent source of water

And contains everything you need to know about nature.

The river runs slow

As the beautiful desert plants

Spurt out from beneath its banks

When day turns to night

And hot turns to cold,

The river looks dead

With no sign of life

But when morning comes

Everything chances,

The sun will shine.

And you will see the light of the river

Again.

Jamie

Gurgling over rocks

Flowing through a valley

Over some mills

By some hills, by some mills

Past village’s and people

This is the route the stream goes

Lonely and peaceful, swiftly moving

Through places no one knows

Cascading down a waterfall

A gentle swishing sound,

In its water swims some fishes

Quite, gently round

Past animals and the countryside

And no one really minds

Rushes on days and months and years

Never going wrong, never bad, on and on it goes

Before joining the river, and no more is lonely and sad.

Eleanor, Liverpool College

Winding, turning,

Narrow, wide,

Always turning from side to side.

Never as straight as the Roman roads,

But still the need for safety codes.

The water can be as clear as a light,

But can also be as dark as the dead of night.

Flowing through a lea,

Gently towards the great blue sea.

Starting from the great tall mountains,

Running down the tributary,

Going through some big lakes,

Finishing in the sea.

Craig, Liverpool College

Down

The River

It starts at a source as a little trickle

Then flows down the mountain,

Following a steep and narrow path.

As it rushes down it is joined by many other tributaries,

Changing it from a small, shallow stream

To a big, deep river

The water is clear and unpolluted,

Icy blue and sparkling

But always icy cold too.

It crashes as it flows,

Forming bubbling foam

That fills the air with cold white spray.

As the current pushes it on, it erodes away the rocks,

Leaving small, smooth banks

For it to easily pass by.

It deepens and widens as it runs down the mountain,

Soon entering a valley

With the sea in view.

It finally comes to its end,

An estuary leading into the sea

Ending its long journey from the mountain.

But it will start its journey again

When the sun evaporates it from the sea

And drops it down as rain.

Catherine, Liverpool College

Down

The following pieces of creative writing come from students from the Chinese High School in Singapore who are in the Gifted Education Programme. They were given the following task: Imagine you are a boulder just dislodged from the bank of a river in the upper course. Write about your experience travelling down the river’s course.

I had been perched on that spot near the edge of the waterfall for ages, until one day during the spring period, when the ice melted, I was pulled into the vice like grip of the river, by an especially strong gush of water. It was due to the change of gradient that the waterfall or vertical flow of the river downward was formed. Then there was also a gorge before the river continued on its way. "help..." my futile cry for help in the journey down the fall was unheard over the loud splashing noises of the water hitting the plunge pool below. After another series of rapids, and a small waterfall, I meet another plunge pool, a lake formed by the waterfall when it comes down with great erosive force and causes a depression in the process. Then came the interlocking spurs. Though the river’s course was quite straight it was still quite a bumpy ride as I kept knocking into banks on the side of the river. As I proceeded in to the middle course, the river wasn't straight any more, and started to meander. The gradient of the slope also began to be less steep, and the river's size started to grow with the increasing number of tributaries.

I noticed the many rocks, which had past me long ago trapped in the many slip-off slopes, which were gentle slopes consisting of sediment built up by river deposition. There were also many river cliffs formed from the lateral erosion of the river on the conclave bank. The journey remained like that through out the whole of the middle course. Soon the river became extremely meandering, and had a very flat gradient. The volume of water was at its largest now because of its many tributaries, flood plains, plains that were gently sloping or level built up of successive layers of alluvium and levees past us constantly. I also took note of quite a number of ox bow lakes, which I think should be the most interesting scene of all. A lake created by a cut off which was formed when the narrow neck separating the two end of a meander is broken through active erosion. Eventually the deposition on the banks completely seals of the ends of the cut off forming an ox bow lake. We had also passed some braided streams, which are caused by the decrease in volume in the river. The river cannot deposit the coarse alluvium, this obstructs the flow of the river and forces it to break the pattern of drainage. Then as we were crossing a delta, I suddenly ground to a stop. I was stuck!!! Once again I waited the long and lengthy hours for another strong gush of water to aid me in continuing my search

Tay

I felt a sharp, piercing wave of pain spiral through my body. The other boulders grip on me was loosening, I was falling into the river. My body tightened up and I was paralyzed with intense fear. With a gigantic splash I landed in the river.

Where I landed was the upper course of the river. The water was moving downwards in rapid motion. I quickly checked for any broken bones and injuries before carefully surveying my surroundings. I had been lucky to escape any really nasty injuries and I only had a few scratches and cuts. My thoughts were interrupted when a sharp twist in the river sent me tumbling. The upper course of the river was relatively straight and the river had a steep gradient. There was also a rather small volume of water and the channel sides exerted a great amount of friction against the moving water. The speed of the water was fast and furious and the main part of the river’s energy was used in overcoming friction and for vertical erosion. I passed by many tributaries, which are smaller streams, which join larger streams or rivers. There was also little deposition too. Some of the landforms produced were the deep V-shaped valley, waterfalls, rapids, gorges, potholes and interlocking spurs.

Soon after that, I reached the middle course of the river. The route was a little bumpier, with some deposition and a meandering course developed. The river had a moderate gradient at this time and its volume was great but it still was not fully laden. The channel sides exerted less friction against the moving water and there was much lateral erosion which is that the river began to erode sideways. Here the river’s energy was used for widening the valley(lateral erosion) and transporting the river’s load. The speed of the water was not as fast as it was during the upper course of the river but it was still relatively fast.

Then I finally reached the lower course of the river. The course was extremely meandering with many twists and turns and I had a much harder time trying to get round the snake-like meanders. The river also had a gentle gradient, which was very flat, and the volume of the river was huge. I was engulfed in a sea of water. That was due to the large number of tributaries. The channel bed exerted the greatest amount of friction against the moving water. The river’s energy was mainly used in the transportation of the load, which was the greatest here. The river’s main work is deposition, which is the greatest here. There was very little lateral erosion though. The landforms produced are wide or open valleys, pronounced meanders, flood-plains and levees, cut-offs and ox-bow lakes, braided streams, deferred streams and deferred junctions and deltas and distributaries.

The river flowed into the open seas. I was stranded there, drifting around aimlessly, waiting for something to happen to me and change my life for the better.

Mark

Up

Journal of a boulder

I fell from the slopes of the mountain springs, down to the sea. I sank to the bottom because of my weight. Landing at the bottom, I was turned to face upwards, and saw I was at the bottom of a V-shaped channel. I was one of the few boulders at the bottom, so there was no one to talk to. Then I was dragged along, and was pushed down the river. Finally, I was moving. I ran merrily down, and seeing the amount of light that flooded in grow, as the river grew wider. More and more boulders joined me in the river as I flowed along, and we had a lively conversation. And still the river flowed on, straight and narrow, but growing wider and shallower.

I reached the lower part of the river, and saw an immense number of boulders, flowing, and chattering away. The noise was deafening! Some of the newly-found friends were separated as the river deposited them, embedded into some convex bank. As the journey watered on, the river grew yet wider and shallower. Finally, I reached a point where the river was meandering so seriously that I wondered if I was heading to the sea at all. Suddenly, I passed a place that was completely straight. It turned out that I had reached a cutoff. This sidestream had broken through the bank of a extremely curved meander, and I saw some oxbow lakes as I passed on, meanders locked out of the rivers by deposited sand, gravel and boulders.

I was enjoying myself when I flowed sideways! The river was flooding. I though that would mean the end of my journey, and I saw many levees, caused by deposition from past floods, and I knew that I would never return to the river. But I was wrong. I was caught in another stream which ran parallel to the levee, a deferred stream, and I knew there was hope. Sure enough, I met with the river again, through a hole in the levee, a deferred junction, and I flowed on in happiness. I passed through a thousand branches of the river, and I knew I was nearing the final stages of the journey-I was in the delta. True, I tumbled into the sea at last.

BY JONATHAN

Up

Down

Rivers are very great.

There is no doubt about it.

Let me write a tribute

To honour its great service.

How are rivers formed?

This seemingly simple question,

Has actually a long, long answer.

Let us go step by step.

In the upper course

Is, of course, the source.

Full of energy and vitality.

The river bubbles past like a bumblebee.

Small in size but large in strength,

It wears down straight into the rock,

While overcoming large friction

Exerted by the rocks themselves.

Just like a selfish bully,

It erodes, but does not deposit.

However, being only a child,

This cruel act is forgivable.

Being young, it likes to jump about.

Forming waterfalls and rapids.

It also likes to drill potholes,

Vandalising its comfortable bed.

The middle course is, as you hear,

The adolescence of the river.

It is of a healthier size now,

Due to food from tributaries.

It now knows what the future is like,

So it chooses to walk and not run like the past.

To waste even more precious time,

It meanders about in gigantic swings.

Unlike its unhealthy youth,

It now has put on weight.

It has learnt to give and take,

And will now deposit some rock.

It knows what are biases.

Now it favours the slip-off slopes

Eroding from the river cliffs

To give to all the slip-off slopes.

Now, now, the lower course,

Is exactly like adulthood,

When the river is about to go to work.

Let us all observe what it does.

It slows down dramatically,

Meandering even more than before.

But sometimes it cuts through

Speeding it up yet again

It has grown even more than before,

Due to generous contributions

From numerous friendly tributaries.

This was where it learnt to be generous.

How generous could it be?

Well, it still erodes, but minimally.

But when it gives, it gives a lot.

Giving even its life savings.

Sometimes it is so generous

That it even creates a flood.

This allows it to spread its load

Out far and wide on the land.

At the mouth of the river,

When it is about to join its colleagues,

It tries to block its own way,

By depositing all of its load.

However, inertia forces it forward,

Through the deposits into the sea.

This ends its life journey as a lonely river,

And starts its life as part of the ocean.

We know how a river is formed now.

Now we have to know its uses.

Its life story is not touching enough

For people to say that it is great.

Now then, a river can help farmers

By making its floodplains fertile

With layers and layers of alluvium.

So that their crops can grow well.

The river benefits farmers again,

By allowing them to irrigate their crops

Without the hassle of building

Extensive infrastructure.

The river provides water

To those who live near its banks.

They use the water for all sorts of things

From bathing to cooking their food.

With their enormous strength,

Rivers can provide transport

For both commercial and industrial use.

So as to save on building roads.

Rivers produce energy.

We just have to harness it

By building a dam across the river

To generate electricity.

Rivers can carve out beautiful sceneries.

Take for example the Three Gorges

Located on the Chang Jiang.

It is indeed beautiful.

Aren’t rivers just so great?

We must take good care of them
So as to enable them to last us
A lifetime of benefit!

by SHENG one of our friends in Singapore

Up

Rivers            Waterfalls       The Sea