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.
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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
The Water Sourcebook: Grade Level 9-12
This environmental education program from the US EPA explains the water management cycle using a balanced approach showing how it affects all aspects of the environment.All activities contain hands-on investigations, fact sheets, reference materials, and a glossary of terms. Activities are organized by objectives, materials needed, background information, advance preparation, procedures, and resources. This resource is divided into five chapters: Introduction to Water, Drinking Water and Wastewater Treatment, Surface Water Resources, Ground Water Resources, and Wetlands and Coastal Waters.
Subject(s):
Mathematics, Science, Social Studies
Type(s):
Curriculum Guide, Lessons and Activities
Level(s):
High School
Keywords:
water cycle and movement, acid rain, watershed, water and energy conservation, water quality, Drinking Water
The Water Sourcebook: Grade Level 6-8
This environmental education program from the US EPA explains the water management cycle using a balanced approach showing how it affects all aspects of the environment.All activities contain hands-on investigations, fact sheets, reference materials, and a glossary of terms. Activities are organized by objectives, materials needed, background information, advance preparation, procedures, and resources. This resource is divided into five chapters: Introduction to Water, Drinking Water and Wastewater Treatment, Surface Water Resources, Ground Water Resources, and Wetlands and Coastal Waters.
Subject(s):
Mathematics, Science, Social Studies
Type(s):
Curriculum Guide, Lessons and Activities
Level(s):
Middle School
Keywords:
pollution, water cycle and movement, acid rain, wetland, watershed, stormwater, water and energy conservation, water quality, Geography, Drinking Water
The Water Sourcebook: Grade Level 3-5
This environmental education program from the US EPA explains the water management cycle using a balanced approach showing how it affects all aspects of the environment.All activities contain hands-on investigations, fact sheets, reference materials, and a glossary of terms. Activities are organized by objectives, materials needed, background information, advance preparation, procedures, and resources. This resource is divided into five chapters: Introduction to Water, Drinking Water and Wastewater Treatment, Surface Water Resources, Ground Water Resources, and Wetlands and Coastal Waters.
Subject(s):
Mathematics, Science, Social Studies
Type(s):
Curriculum Guide, Lessons and Activities
Level(s):
Elementary School
Keywords:
pollution, water cycle and movement, acid rain, wetland, land use, watershed, water quality, Drinking Water
The Water Sourcebook: Grade Level K-2
This environmental education program from the US EPA explains the water management cycle using a balanced approach showing how it affects all aspects of the environment.All activities contain hands-on investigations, fact sheets, reference materials, and a glossary of terms. Activities are organized by objectives, materials needed, background information, advance preparation, procedures, and resources. This resource is divided into five chapters: Introduction to Water, Drinking Water and Wastewater Treatment, Surface Water Resources, Ground Water Resources, and Wetlands and Coastal Waters.
Subject(s):
Mathematics, Science, Social Studies
Type(s):
Curriculum Guide, Lessons and Activities
Level(s):
Early Learning, Elementary School
Keywords:
water cycle and movement, watershed, stormwater, water and energy conservation, water quality, salinity, Drinking Water
A Teachers Guide to Delaware State Parks: Field Trips and Outreach Opportunities
Delaware State Parks are great places for students and teachers to explore nature and history. With 16 parks, five historic sites and many natural areas, Delaware State Parks offer you a comprehensive view of our state’s natural and historical heritage. This resource contains an overview of Delaware State Park field trip and outreach programs, as a printable PDF.
Subject(s):
Science, Social Studies
Type(s):
Lessons and Activities
Level(s):
Early Learning, Elementary School, Middle School, High School
Aligned with the following standard(s):
Delaware
Keywords:
land use, watershed, wildlife, Outdoor Activity
Youth Action Guide for the Study and Stewardship of Community Riparian Areas
Holding onto the GREEN Zone is an Earth Science and life science curriculum with a focus on science inquiry and experiential learning. Using questioning, analysis,observation, and investigation,learners will enhance their knowledge of science, boost their critical thinking skills, learn the importance of preserving and restoring vital riparian ecosystems, and have fun. When young people become involved in investigating the GREEN
Zone, they are better prepared to take action
on local watershed issues now and in the future.
They also gain the opportunity to exercise
their rights and responsibilities as citizens and
community members. Both a leader guide and a student action guide are provided. Correlations are provided to National Science Education Content Standards, NAAEE Excellence in Environmental Education—Guidelines for Learning, and 4-H Youth Development Guidelines.
Subject(s):
Mathematics, Science
Type(s):
Curriculum Guide, Lessons and Activities
Level(s):
Elementary School, Middle School, High School
Aligned with the following standard(s):
National Science Education
Keywords:
pollution, point source, non-point source, water cycle and movement, photosynthesis, wetland, land use, food web, adaptation, watershed, agriculture, development, stormwater, air pollution and fossil fuels, aquatic grass SAV, ecosystem and biomes, erosion, experiments and investigations, forest, habitat and niche, identification, sediment, soil and rocks, water quality, student action
Riverworks Discovery: Wildlife Logbook
RiverWorks invites your students to come and explore the intricate web of river life. Through these activities and this information packet, your students will play detective and use their senses to find clues of local wildlife. They will also write their thoughts about your river experience and learn what you can do to make a difference.
Subject(s):
Language Arts, Mathematics, Science
Type(s):
Lessons and Activities
Level(s):
Elementary School, Middle School
Keywords:
water cycle and movement, watershed, wildlife
Environmental Analysis of Watersheds: A Unit for Grades 9-12 Environmental Studies Classes
The Watershed Module is a unique opportunity for
high school students to learn science and mathematics in a context of real-life environmental issues. The lessons integrate mathematics, biology, chemistry, earth science, engineering, environmental science, computer science, and the social sciences in a series of exercises dealing with the environmental health of a watershed and its associated streams. The lessons are designed to provide an experience in
evaluating impacts of human use on a watershed and its streams. The lessons range from
work on the Internet using telemetry data downloaded from a satellite, to field exercises,
to an environmental hearing on construction of a new sewage treatment plant.
Subject(s):
Mathematics, Science, Social Studies
Type(s):
Curriculum Guide, Lessons and Activities
Level(s):
High School
Aligned with the following standard(s):
New York
Keywords:
pollution, watershed, water quality
Stream Cleaner
Use different BMP practices to reduce the amount of pollution coming from farms and urban areas into the local stream. (Just click visitor when the site opens). An associated lesson plan and West Virginia standards correlations are available here: http://www.cacaponinstitute.org/PDF/Pollution%20Curriculum%20Lesson%20Plan.pdf
Subject(s):
Mathematics, Science, Technology
Type(s):
Lessons and Activities, Multimedia
Level(s):
Middle School
Aligned with the following standard(s):
West Virginia
Keywords:
pollution, non-point source, watershed, agriculture, development, forest, water quality
NOAA Estuaries Physical Science Module Activity 2: Dissolved Oxygen in the Estuary
In this activity, students (grades 9-12) learn about dissolved oxygen(DO) and its effects on life, with a focus on the chemistry. First, they are introduced to, and analyze data gathered from, water quality sensors in Narragansett Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR), observing how DO and chlorophyll-a change from the surface to the bottom and considering the relationships between DO and temperature. Then, in the unique environment of Azevedo Pond in the Elkhorn Slough NERR, CA, they analyze DO data and speculate about how hydrodynamics, abiotic factors, and biological processes cause extreme fluctuations in DO in the pond.
Subject(s):
Science
Type(s):
Curriculum Guide, Lessons and Activities
Level(s):
High School
Aligned with the following standard(s):
National Science Education
Keywords:
watershed, aquatic grass SAV, water quality, water testing, dissolved oxygen
NOAA Estuaries Physical Science Module Activity 1: Chemistry in an Estuary
In this activity, students (grades 9-12)investigate water quality parameters to study the nature of, and the cyclical changes inherent in, the chemistry of estuarine water. Students study key water quality factors at several stations in a single reserve over time — current, daily, and yearly time scales. Students also compare water quality values over a yearly time scale in three different estuaries within NOAA’s National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERR) —South Slough NERR, Oregon; Delaware NERR; and Old Woman Creek NERR, Ohio. Then students take water quality measurements at a site near them and compare their data to the water in the three geographically diverse NERR estuarine environments.
Subject(s):
Science
Type(s):
Curriculum Guide, Lessons and Activities, Data
Level(s):
High School
Aligned with the following standard(s):
National Science Education
Keywords:
watershed, water quality, water testing, salinity, dissolved oxygen
NOAA Estuaries Earth Science Module Activity 1: Observing Estuaries
In this activity, students (grades 9-12)investigate landforms and features associated with estuaries. They begin by taking a journey down a river to an estuary system where the river empties into the Gulf of Mexico near Weeks Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR) to investigate how landforms differ between uplands and riverine/estuarine environments. Student teams then use Google Earth and other resources to engage in a scavenger hunt to locate and identify landforms and features of estuaries.
Subject(s):
Science
Type(s):
Curriculum Guide, Lessons and Activities
Level(s):
High School
Aligned with the following standard(s):
National Science Education
Keywords:
water cycle and movement, watershed
Striped Bass are Turning Ugly
In this activity, 6-8th grade students will analyze data and maps to understand how increased population growth impacts the water quality of the Chesapeake Bay. Then they will explore how the health of the Bay affects its animals.
Subject(s):
Science
Type(s):
Lessons and Activities
Level(s):
Middle School
Keywords:
pollution, land use, watershed, water quality, wildlife
Chesapeake Bay FieldScope Activity: Investigating Nutrient and Sediment Pollution
Students investigate the sources of nutrient and sediment pollution in a sub-watershed of the Chesapeake Bay. Students will be able to identify the sources of nutrient and sediment pollution in a watershed, read pie charts and relate them to geographic areas on a map, and consider the effects of different land uses on the watershed and estuary ecosystem
Subject(s):
Science, Technology
Type(s):
Lessons and Activities, Multimedia, Data, Posters and Maps
Level(s):
Middle School, High School
Keywords:
nitrogen and carbon cycle, pollution, watershed, sediment, soil and rocks, water quality
Chesapeake Bay FieldScope Activity: Dissolved Oxygen in the Chesapeake Bay
Students analyze how dissolved oxygen conditions change in the Chesapeake Bay over the course of the year and learn about the danger of low dissolved oxygen conditions to underwater habitats. Students will be able to understand how dissolved oxygen levels change throughout the Chesapeake Bay over the course of a year and identify factors and inputs affecting dissolved oxygen levels in the Chesapeake Bay.
Subject(s):
Science, Technology
Type(s):
Lessons and Activities, Multimedia, Data
Level(s):
Middle School, High School
Keywords:
watershed, water quality, dissolved oxygen
Chesapeake Bay FieldScope Activity: Changing Turbidity
Students explore the effects of turbidity on Chesapeake Bay ecosystems and learn about the driving forces behind high turbidity levels in Chesapeake Bay estuary waters. Students will be able to understand how turbidity varies by location, understand how turbidity changes over time, analyze graphs to understand the conditions affecting turbidity levels recorded at buoy monitoring stations throughout the Chesapeake Bay, and analyze student-input data on turbidity and compare the data to buoy monitoring data from NOAA
Subject(s):
Science, Technology
Type(s):
Lessons and Activities, Multimedia, Data
Level(s):
Middle School, High School
Keywords:
watershed, sediment, soil and rocks, water quality
Chesapeake Bay FieldScope Activity: Salinity in the Estuary
Students explore the varying salinity of the Chesapeake Bay estuary by manipulating and analyzing real-time and student-input data in the Chesapeake Bay FieldScope tool. Students will be able to read and interpret graphs in order to understand how salinity levels change throughout an estuary and predict salinity levels in an estuary based on relative location to fresh or saline water input sources.
Subject(s):
Science
Type(s):
Lessons and Activities, Multimedia, Data
Level(s):
Middle School, High School
Keywords:
watershed, stream study, water quality, water testing, salinity
Chesapeake Bay FieldScope Activity: Changing Temperatures in the Estuary
Students consider how water temperature changes with different parameters by examining factors such as time, depth, and location in the estuary. Students compare their data to data from professional monitoring systems.
Subject(s):
Science, Technology
Type(s):
Lessons and Activities, Multimedia, Data, Posters and Maps
Level(s):
Middle School, High School
Keywords:
watershed, stream study, water quality, water testing, Temperature
Chesapeake Bay FieldScope Activity: Pollution in the Watershed
In this activity, students are introduced to the role of wetlands in the Chesapeake Bay as natural filters for sediment and nutrients that can negatively affect our waterways. Students use what they learn about land cover and human actions to predict where pollution might occur. Students will use National Geographic FieldScope mapping tools to explore the spatial distribution of wetland habitats throughout the watershed and predict areas where pollution will occur based on the surrounding land cover.
Subject(s):
Science, Technology
Type(s):
Lessons and Activities, Multimedia, Posters and Maps
Level(s):
Middle School, High School
Keywords:
pollution, wetland, watershed, water quality, Geography
Chesapeake Bay FieldScope Activity: Take a Trip Down Your Tributary
In this activity, students work with National Geographic FieldScope to begin to build their identity as citizens of a vast and ecologically important watershed. Students will trace the tributary network path that connects their
location to the Chesapeake Bay, adding key information to a watershed profile along the way.
Subject(s):
Science, Technology
Type(s):
Lessons and Activities, Multimedia, Posters and Maps
Level(s):
Middle School, High School
Keywords:
watershed, Geography
Chesapeake Bay FieldScope Activity: The Human Footprint in the Watershed
Students explore how humans have shaped the landscape in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Students work with map layers in the National Geographic's FieldScope tool to consider land development patterns and development trends over time, in order to investigate why people settled where they did.
Subject(s):
Science, Social Studies, Technology
Type(s):
Lessons and Activities, Multimedia, Supplies
Level(s):
Middle School, High School
Keywords:
land use, watershed, development, Geography
Chesapeake Bay FieldScope Activity: Define Your Watershed
Students work with National Geographic's FieldScope map layers and tools to delineate watersheds. Students will consider the scalability of watersheds and begin to think about watershed management.
Subject(s):
Science, Technology
Type(s):
Lessons and Activities, Multimedia, Posters and Maps
Level(s):
Middle School, High School
Keywords:
watershed, Geography
Chesapeake Bay FieldScope Activity: Investigating Water Flow Patterns
Students explore diverse landscapes and water flow paths by zooming in on specific areas of the watershed using National Geographic FieldScope. Students will be able to understand how the physical geography of a region affects water flow patterns and compare water flow patterns in diverse landscapes across the Chesapeake Bay watershed
Subject(s):
Science, Technology
Type(s):
Lessons and Activities, Multimedia
Level(s):
Middle School, High School
Keywords:
water cycle and movement, watershed, Geography
Earth's Freshwater: A Guide for Teaching Freshwater in Grades 3-8
This guide was developed to support teachers in teaching topics with real-world context, and provide them with the background to feel competent and comfortable when teaching about fresh water. It provides a solid introduction to fresh water in an accessible and reader-friendly manner. In addition to general information about fresh water, the guide includes numerous education features, such as teaching tips and student thinking, that help to connect the content to classroom practice.
Subject(s):
Science
Type(s):
Books and Publications
Level(s):
Elementary School, Middle School
Keywords:
water cycle and movement, watershed, biodiversity, water quality, wildlife
Mapping Watersheds
How does topography shape a watershed? In this activity, students label major rivers and outline watersheds on a world map. They compare the shapes of various watersheds and discuss how topography influences their shapes.
Subject(s):
Science, Social Studies
Type(s):
Lessons and Activities, Posters and Maps
Level(s):
Elementary School, Middle School
Keywords:
watershed, Geography
