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Rivers and Lakes of the United States

An interactive map showing the major water features across America - rivers and lakes that shaped the nation.

Run Full Screen MicroSim

About This MicroSim

Explore America's water features:

Rivers: Mississippi, Missouri, Colorado, Columbia, Ohio Lakes: The five Great Lakes plus Great Salt Lake

How to Use

  1. Toggle Rivers or Lakes buttons to show/hide features
  2. Click on any river or lake to see information
  3. Quiz Me! to test your water features knowledge

Key Concepts Demonstrated

  • Rivers flow from mountains to oceans or larger rivers
  • The Great Lakes hold 21% of Earth's fresh surface water
  • Water features were crucial for transportation and settlement

Lesson Plan

Learning Objective: Students will identify major US rivers and lakes and describe their locations.

Bloom's Taxonomy Level: Remember/Understand (L1/L2)

Activities:

  1. Explore Rivers (5 min): Click each river and trace its path
  2. Find the Lakes (5 min): Use the HOMES acronym to find all five Great Lakes
  3. Quiz (8 min): Answer 6 questions about US water features

Technical Notes

  • Built with Leaflet.js
  • Toggle buttons for layer visibility
  • Combined view of rivers and lakes
  • Rivers
  • Lakes
  • Water Features
  • Physical Maps