This ready-to-teach PowerPoint explains the three key processes that shape rivers:

Erosion

Transportation

Deposition

Pupils explore how river power changes from the upper course to the lower course and how these processes create the landforms studied in previous lessons.

This lesson builds secure geographical knowledge and strengthens use of subject-specific vocabulary.
What’s Covered
Erosion
Definition of erosion
How rivers wear away land
Hydraulic action
Abrasion
Where erosion is strongest
Transportation
Definition of transportation
Movement of sediment
Types of transportation:
Traction
Saltation
Suspension
Solution
Deposition
When and why deposition happens
Where deposition occurs (lower course, inside meanders, deltas, floodplains)
How deposition creates new landforms
River Power
How river energy changes along its course
The link between speed, slope and volume
How river power affects erosion, transportation and deposition
River Banks & River Beds
Structure of a river channel
How banks and beds change over time
Links to erosion and deposition
Lesson Activities Included
✔ Clear explanation slides
✔ Diagrams and process breakdown
✔ Guided discussion prompts
✔ Independent classification task (Erosion / Transportation / Deposition)
✔ Recall questions
✔ Plenary whiteboard quiz