Virginia SOL 6.8.a

Science6th GradeEarth Resources

The Standard

a watershed is composed of the land that drains into a body of water

Virginia Standards of Learning for Science

Teacher's field guide

What Students Need to Do: Students trace where rainwater will flow across a landscape. They use high points and ridgelines to outline the area feeding a chosen stream, lake, or river.
What Mastery Looks Like: Given a map or model, a student can locate the outlet and mark the drainage boundary. The student can explain why water on opposite sides of a ridge flows to different places.
Common Misconceptions: Students may think a watershed is only the river or lake itself. They may draw boundaries along waterways or county lines instead of following surrounding high ground.
How to Assess It: Give students a simple contour map with one stream outlet marked. Ask them to draw the watershed boundary and add arrows showing runoff direction.

Lesson moves

Crumple paper into hills, mark ridges and valleys, spray it with colored water, and trace which areas drain to one outlet.
Ask students to explain in writing why two nearby raindrops might reach different rivers.
Give pairs contour map cards and dry erase markers, then award points for correctly outlining each watershed and locating its outlet.
Open a local stream map and have students identify where rain falling near the school would likely travel.

Free download

A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to 6.8.a, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.

PDF, US Letter, prints cleanly in black and white.

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