Teaching Resources
Teaching environmental issues in your classroom is a critical component of providing your students a Meaningful Watershed Educational Experience. Discover a wealth Chesapeake Bay related books, multimedia, curriculum guides, individual lesson plans and online data sources.
Begin by choosing the criteria for your search. It is only necessary to include the criteria you wish to use to limit your search. The more specific your search the more focused and narrow the results.
If you know of a great teaching resource that is not included in the Bay Backpack please let us know by suggesting a resource.
Subject
All Subjects- Art
- Language Arts
- Mathematics
- Science
- Social Studies
- Technology
Level
- All Levels
- Early Learning
- Elementary School
- Middle School
- High School
Type
Alignment
Keywords
- All Keywords
- acid rain
- adaptation
- African American
- agriculture
- air pollution and fossil fuels
- aquatic grass SAV
- beaver
- biodiversity
- blue crab
- boats, canoes and kayaks
- climate change
- culture and watermen
- development
- dissolved oxygen
- Drinking Water
- economics
- ecosystem and biomes
- erosion
- experiments and investigations
- fish
- food web
- forest
- geocaching (GIS/GPS)
- Geography
- green development
- habitat and niche
- identification
- invasive species
- John Smith and colonial times
- land use
- litter, trash and recycling
- Native American
- nitrogen and carbon cycle
- non-point source
- orienteering
- Outdoor Activity
- oyster
- photosynthesis
- point source
- pollution
- population growth
- predator prey relationships
- renewable resource
- restoration
- salinity
- schoolyard habitat
- sediment, soil and rocks
- smart growth
- stormwater
- stream study
- student action
- Temperature
- transportation
- Underground Railroad
- water and energy conservation
- water cycle and movement
- water quality
- water testing
- watershed
- weather
- wetland
- wildlife
Watershed Works Teacher Guide
The Watershed Works Guide will present students with opportunities to learn how water sculpts the earth's surface to create watersheds and the landforms they see in their daily lives, how these processes support distinct but interdependent ecosystems and how they relate to modern environmental problems on our coasts.
Subject(s):
Science, Social Studies
Type(s):
Curriculum Guide
Level(s):
High School
Aligned with the following standard(s):
Maryland
Keywords:
watershed, development, erosion
Project Learning Tree Curriculum Guide
The Project Learning Tree Curriculum Guide is a collection of 96 hands-on interdisciplinary activities that bring the environment into your classroom. The guide is designed so you can use a single activity or many over the course of a quarter or school year. Each activity includes an overview, background content and a teachers' step-by-step guide. The guide's five main themes are diversity, interrelationships, systems, structure and scale, and patterns of change.
Subject(s):
Art, Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, Technology
Type(s):
Curriculum Guide
Level(s):
Early Learning, Elementary School, Middle School, High School
Aligned with the following standard(s):
Maryland,
Virginia,
New York,
West Virginia,
District of Columbia,
Delaware,
National Science Education,
Pennsylvania
Keywords:
pollution, land use, watershed, air pollution and fossil fuels, biodiversity, forest
Oystering on the Chesapeake - Explorations 6 - 10
The Oystering on the Chesapeake Curriculum is series of multi-disciplinary lesson plans designed to introduce students in grades 4, 5, and 6 to the economic, environmental, and cultural significance of the oystering industry of the Chesapeake Bay. This includes explorations Oyster Wars, In the Can, Mystery of the Disappearing Oyster, Oyster Times, and It's About Time.
Subject(s):
Science, Social Studies
Type(s):
Curriculum Guide, Lessons and Activities
Level(s):
Elementary School, Middle School
Aligned with the following standard(s):
Maryland
Keywords:
oyster, culture and watermen
Oystering on the Chesapeake - Explorations 1 - 5
The Oystering on the Chesapeake Curriculum is series of multi-disciplinary lesson plans designed to introduce students in grades 4, 5, and 6 to the economic, environmental, and cultural significance of the oystering industry of the Chesapeake Bay. These explorations include On board a Skipjack, Dead Reckoning, Payday!, From Bay to Table, and A Day in the Life of an Oyster Packinghouse.
Subject(s):
Science, Social Studies
Type(s):
Curriculum Guide, Lessons and Activities
Level(s):
Elementary School, Middle School
Aligned with the following standard(s):
Maryland
Keywords:
oyster, culture and watermen
Maryland Project WET Training and Curriculum Guide
After completion of a six hour training, educators are given a free Project WET curriculum and activity guide packed with 91 hands-on activities that cross many disciplines in the study of water and water resources - chemistry and physics, life science, earth systems, natural resource management, history and culture. During the workshop educators learn how to incorporate local issues into the lessons.
Perfect for 4-H Youth Development, Scouts, and other youth organizations as well, the goal of Project WET is to facilitate and promote the awareness, appreciation, knowledge, and stewardship of water resources through the development and dissemination of classroom ready teaching aids.
Subject(s):
Art, Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, Technology
Type(s):
Curriculum Guide
Level(s):
Early Learning, Elementary School, Middle School, High School
Aligned with the following standard(s):
Maryland
Keywords:
pollution, watershed, biodiversity, culture and watermen, ecosystem and biomes, water quality, wildlife
Gateways to Conservation II Curriculum Guide (Grades 6-8)
Pickering Creek published this guide with the help of the National Park Service's Chesapeake Bay Gateways. Explore 134 pages full of hands-on learning activities and background information to help students and teachers explore the outdoors in conjunction with a nearby nature center, while gaining an understanding of their relationship with the Chesapeake Bay.
Subject(s):
Science, Social Studies
Type(s):
Curriculum Guide
Level(s):
Middle School
Aligned with the following standard(s):
Maryland
Keywords:
pollution, wetland, adaptation, watershed, biodiversity, ecosystem and biomes, erosion, experiments and investigations, habitat and niche, restoration, sediment, soil and rocks, water quality, water testing, wildlife
Gateways to Conservation Curriculum Guide (Grades 1-5)
Pickering Creek published this guide with the help of the National Park Service's Chesapeake Bay Gateways. Explore 183 pages full of hands-on learning activities and background information to help students and teachers explore the outdoors in conjunction with a nearby nature center, while gaining an understanding of their relationship with the Chesapeake Bay.
Subject(s):
Science
Type(s):
Curriculum Guide
Level(s):
Elementary School
Aligned with the following standard(s):
Maryland
Keywords:
pollution, water cycle and movement, wetland, land use, food web, watershed, agriculture, water and energy conservation, ecosystem and biomes, erosion, experiments and investigations, forest, habitat and niche, litter, trash and recycling, renewable resource, schoolyard habitat, stream study, water quality, water testing, wildlife, student action
Healthy Water, Healthy People
Healthy Water, Healthy People is an innovative water quality education program sponsored by Project WET and the Hach Scientific Foundation.
The goal of Healthy Water, Healthy People is to make complex concepts of water quality relevant and meaningful for you and those you teach.
The program offers hands-on activities, an Educator’s Guide, testing kits, training, and much more. The Healthy Water, Healthy People Educator’s Guide, geared at Grades 6-12, contains twenty-five hands-on activities that are ideal for teaching complete water quality units as well as a supplement to existing curriculum.
Subject(s):
Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies
Type(s):
Curriculum Guide, Lessons and Activities, Supplies
Level(s):
Middle School, High School
Aligned with the following standard(s):
Maryland
Keywords:
pollution, watershed, restoration, water quality, water testing
Where Do We Grow From Here
Where Do We Grow From Here, produced by the State of Maryland, is a teacher’s resource guide on growth and its impacts in Maryland. This package of resources and lesson plans was developed to support social studies and science teachers in integrating these topics within the regular curriculum. The guide includes a discussion of issues-based instruction; sample lesson plans; additional resource materials; and examples of action or service learning projects. It is accompanied by a website that contains the text of this guide, an electronic copy of Picture Maryland, as well as the data, maps, and other resources referenced in each lesson.
Subject(s):
Mathematics, Science, Social Studies
Type(s):
Curriculum Guide, Lessons and Activities
Level(s):
Middle School, High School
Aligned with the following standard(s):
Maryland
Keywords:
pollution, population growth, land use, air pollution and fossil fuels, water and energy conservation, renewable resource, smart growth, student action
"Be Part of Something Big!" Curriculum
This curriculum guide, produced by Maryland DNR, is designed for Grades 3-8 and provides educators and students the opportunity to gain hands-on experiences with water quality monitoring. This series of activities is designed to help your class or student group learn more about the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. Topics addressed defining and identifying watersheds, the Chesapeake Bay and its tributary streams and rivers, problems associated with excess nutrients, chemical and biological characteristics of stream, and how to assess the health of a local stream. The curriculum guide also includes action strategies students can take to improve water quality in their local streams, and ultimately, the Chesapeake Bay such as trash clean ups, stream buffer plantings, and personal conservation measures.
Subject(s):
Science, Social Studies
Type(s):
Curriculum Guide, Lessons and Activities
Level(s):
Elementary School, Middle School
Aligned with the following standard(s):
Maryland
Keywords:
point source, non-point source, land use, watershed, water and energy conservation, habitat and niche, litter, trash and recycling, restoration, water quality, water testing, student action
Green Eggs and Sand
Green Eggs and Sand is a Tri-State Horseshoe Crab/Shorebird Education Program. The curriculum, designed for middle and high schools students, was developed by coastal managers and teachers from Maryland, New Jersey, and Delaware. Teacher workshops are held on the spawning of the horseshoe crab, the interrelationships with other species and how management decisions are made. The first three curricular modules were designed so you can introduce your students to the lives of horseshoe crabs, their extraordinary history, ecological niche, and interrelationships with other species. The fourth and culminating module integrates all this information to prepare students to confront the multi-faceted challenge of managing horseshoe crabs, a natural resource. Parts of this curriculum may be used independently. Optional extension activities are included to increase your flexibility. The curriculum interdisciplinary with lessons that integrate one or more of the following subjects: history, science, language arts, reading, and math.
Subject(s):
Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies
Type(s):
Curriculum Guide, Lessons and Activities
Level(s):
Middle School, High School
Aligned with the following standard(s):
Maryland,
National Science Education
Keywords:
food web, habitat and niche, predator prey relationships, restoration, wildlife
TEAM DNR
TEAM DNR is a volunteer program, organized by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, that is dedicated to educating elementary and middle school students about the Chesapeake Bay and other natural resource issues in Maryland. TEAM DNR currently offers schools four different classroom programs and one outdoor program. Each program has pre and post visit activities to enhance the experience of your students. These programs are available upon request of the classroom teacher or school administrator.
Subject(s):
Science, Social Studies
Type(s):
Lessons and Activities
Level(s):
Elementary School, Middle School
Aligned with the following standard(s):
Maryland
Keywords:
pollution, point source, non-point source, population growth, land use, watershed, oyster, culture and watermen, experiments and investigations, habitat and niche, predator prey relationships, restoration, stream study, water quality, water testing, wildlife, fish
Raising Horseshoe Crabs in the Classroom
The Raising Horseshoe Crabs in the Classroom program was developed and is implemented by MD DNR's Environmental Stewardship Division and Fisheries Service to educate students about horseshoe crabs and the management of this important species. This project provides equipment, Teachers' Guide and horseshoe crab eggs to schools for students to learn the ecological, medical and historical importance of the vanishing species.
Subject(s):
Science
Type(s):
Curriculum Guide, Lessons and Activities, Supplies
Level(s):
Early Learning, Elementary School, Middle School, High School
Aligned with the following standard(s):
Maryland
Keywords:
watershed, experiments and investigations, predator prey relationships, restoration, wildlife
Check Up Maryland Teacher's Guide
Check Up is a teacher's guide for grades 6-12 that provides teachers and students with information to enable them to identify and implement natural resources planning and management strategies that are both environmentally sensitive and economically sound. Students conduct natural resource assessments at their school and learn first hand how to better live in harmony with the natural environment by conserving energy and water, and reducing waste.
Subject(s):
Science, Social Studies
Type(s):
Curriculum Guide
Level(s):
Middle School, High School
Aligned with the following standard(s):
Maryland
Keywords:
water and energy conservation, litter, trash and recycling, renewable resource, restoration, schoolyard habitat
Captain John Smith's Map of the Chesapeake Bay Lesson
Students will learn how to interpret a primary sources, John Smith's map and excerpts from Smith's journal. They will then identify places on a map that show John Smith's routes and identify map elements. Keywords: John Smith, history, map
Subject(s):
Science, Social Studies
Type(s):
Lessons and Activities
Level(s):
Elementary School, Middle School
Aligned with the following standard(s):
Maryland
Keywords:
land use, John Smith and colonial times, Native American
Captain John Smith 400 Project: Curriculum Guide
In conjunction with the Maryland State Department of Education and the Maryland Geographic Alliance, the Sultana Project has developed a curriculum unit based around the history of John Smith's 1608 voyage and the world of the early 17th century Chesapeake. The Captain John Smith Curriculum Unit consists of eight separate lesson plans designed for 4th and 5th grade students. The unit is aligned with goals and outcomes from the Maryland State Department of Education's voluntary state curriculum.
Subject(s):
Language Arts, Science, Social Studies
Type(s):
Curriculum Guide
Level(s):
Elementary School, Middle School
Aligned with the following standard(s):
Maryland
Keywords:
population growth, land use, development, ecosystem and biomes, forest, John Smith and colonial times, Native American, renewable resource, water quality, wildlife
Native Americans of the Chesapeake Bay Lesson: Using Primary and Secondary Sources
This is a great resource. Students will interpret primary and secondary sources to gather information about the American Indian tribes present in the Chesapeake Bay region in the 16th and 17th centuries. They will then identify basic elements in American Indian culture at point of first contact in the Chesapeake region such as clothing, agricultural practices, architecture, cooking techniques and diet.
Subject(s):
Language Arts, Social Studies
Type(s):
Lessons and Activities
Level(s):
Elementary School, Middle School
Aligned with the following standard(s):
Maryland
Keywords:
John Smith and colonial times, Native American
H2Oh No!
In this interactive, students investigate the controversy surrounding the development of a huge mall on the banks of the Dwight River in the fictional town of Bayville. Through their investigation, they learn about the water cycle, the effects that urbanization can have on the environment (especially the waterways), and the complexities of balancing economic need and environmental protection.
Subject(s):
Science
Type(s):
Lessons and Activities
Level(s):
Elementary School, Middle School
Aligned with the following standard(s):
Maryland
Keywords:
water cycle and movement, development, air pollution and fossil fuels, water and energy conservation
Meal Deal Teachers Guide
In this interactive, students play a card game that simulates food chains that exist within the Chesapeake Bay ecosystems. In doing so, they learn about the interconnectedness of the various creatures living in the Bay. Finally, they extrapolate their knowledge to answer the questions: Are all creatures in the Bay equally important? What difference does it make if one organism disappears from the ecosystem? And what difference does it make if an invasive species enters the food chain?
Subject(s):
Science
Type(s):
Lessons and Activities
Level(s):
Elementary School, Middle School
Aligned with the following standard(s):
Maryland
Keywords:
oyster, blue crab, predator prey relationships, fish
Here There Be Monsters
Is there really a sea monster prowling through the Chesapeake Bay? Are people mistaking another animal such as a manatee or sturgeon for a sea monster? Or, is the mysterious and elusive Chessie the sea monster, just a product of some wild imaginations? Using the Here There Be Monster's Bayville interactive, students will explore the facts and fiction of the legend of Chessie, using their own powers of investigation and deductive reasoning to make an informed judgment about whether or not Chessie is real. In the process, they’ll also learn about what kinds of animals can really survive in the Chesapeake Bay’s habitat.
The completion of the interactive, worksheets, and final assessment will take two class periods.
Subject(s):
Language Arts, Science
Type(s):
Lessons and Activities
Level(s):
Middle School
Aligned with the following standard(s):
Maryland
Keywords:
fish
Mega Mall Debate: Environment v. Economic Development
What impact can a proposed mega mall have on a suburban town's local river? Why are residents in the town engaging in a hot debate about this new mall? Using the Bayville interactive, H20hNo! students investigate both sides of a controversial debate over a new mega mall planned for the town of Bayville, and then report how the proposed mall will impact the town river.
Subject(s):
Science, Social Studies
Type(s):
Lessons and Activities
Level(s):
Middle School
Aligned with the following standard(s):
Maryland
Keywords:
water cycle and movement, development, water quality, economics
What's the Deal? What Eats What in the Bay, and Why is This Important?
In this activity, students are responsible for determining the importance of organisms within the Chesapeake Bay’s ecosystem, focusing on what would happen to the Bay if certain plants or animals suddenly appeared or disappeared.
Subject(s):
Science
Type(s):
Lessons and Activities
Level(s):
Middle School
Aligned with the following standard(s):
Maryland
Keywords:
invasive species, food web, adaptation, blue crab, aquatic grass SAV, ecosystem and biomes, habitat and niche, predator prey relationships, fish
BayLab Part 2: Let's Experiment!
Using the 3-part Bayville interactive, BayLab, in this activity students will apply the scientific method to investigate and test hypotheses in a virtual laboratory, in order to determine what’s killing the SAV in the Chesapeake Bay. This activity utilizes the third and final part of the BayLab interactive so it is highly recommended that students first complete BayLab1: What’s Killing the SAV?
Subject(s):
Science
Type(s):
Lessons and Activities
Level(s):
Middle School
Aligned with the following standard(s):
Maryland
Keywords:
pollution, aquatic grass SAV
Nutrients and the Bay
In this activity, students will be introduced to the Bay's watershed and related vocabulary, and then watch a series of five videos that show how these nutrients end up in the Bay and what people are proactively doing to reduce the amount of pollutants entering the Bay's water system.
Subject(s):
Language Arts, Science
Type(s):
Lessons and Activities
Level(s):
Middle School
Aligned with the following standard(s):
Maryland
Keywords:
pollution, point source, non-point source, wetland, land use, agriculture, stormwater, erosion, litter, trash and recycling, restoration, stream study, water quality, student action
BayLab Part 1: What's Killing the SAV?
In this 3-part interactive, students will explore an ongoing situation in the Chesapeake Bay: the disappearance of large meadows of underwater grasses, collectively known as SAV, or submerged aquatic vegetation. They will read background and general information about the SAV, review current data about the population of the grasses, and learn why SAV are important to the Bay.
Subject(s):
Science
Type(s):
Lessons and Activities
Level(s):
Middle School
Aligned with the following standard(s):
Maryland,
Virginia
Keywords:
pollution, aquatic grass SAV
