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
- Nutrients and Eutorphication
- 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
- tides
- transportation
- Underground Railroad
- water and energy conservation
- water cycle and movement
- water quality
- water testing
- watershed
- weather
- wetland
- wildlife
Riverworks Discovery: Wheel House Log Book
The Hudson, Delaware, Susquehanna, Potomac, and James Rivers are some of the most important in the
Mid-Atlantic region. These historic rivers contribute to our nation’s economy, history, and culture. This information and activity packet provides content on watersheds, early exploration of the region, the history of water travel and trade, and more.
Subject(s):
Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies
Type(s):
Lessons and Activities
Level(s):
Elementary School
Keywords:
boats, canoes and kayaks, development, air pollution and fossil fuels, culture and watermen, John Smith and colonial times, litter, trash and recycling, Native American, restoration, transportation
We Have a Story to Tell Teaching Guide -- The Native Peoples of the Chesapeake Region
This teaching guide is intended for use with students in grades 9-12. The guide identifies Native American ways of life before, during and after contact with Europeans. It focuses especially on how Powhatan, Nanticoke, and Piscataway peoples responded to the upheavals that began with the colonial period and includes activities that focus on critical contemporary issues that affect Native communities in the region.
Subject(s):
Language Arts, Social Studies
Type(s):
Curriculum Guide
Level(s):
High School
Keywords:
John Smith and colonial times, Native American
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
Captain John Smith's Map
Download a pdf of Captain John Smith's map of the Chesapeake Bay.
Subject(s):
Science, Social Studies
Type(s):
Posters and Maps
Level(s):
High School
Keywords:
culture and watermen, John Smith and colonial times, Native American
Buildings: An Educational Module for Archaeology
Although the original structures at Jamestown are long gone, archaeologists examine many types of evidence to learn how they may have looked. Starting from a single post hole, can you recreate a building? You can apply for a grant to do some research, but your funds are limited! This online, interactive exercise is provided free to all students and educators.
Subject(s):
Social Studies
Type(s):
Multimedia
Level(s):
Elementary School, Middle School
Keywords:
John Smith and colonial times, Native American
Before the English Poster
This poster hows what Jamestowne was like before English settlement.
Subject(s):
Social Studies
Type(s):
Posters and Maps
Level(s):
Middle School, High School
Keywords:
John Smith and colonial times, Native American
Artifacts: An Educational Module for Archaeology
Start with a careful virtual excavation of a unit from the historic Jamestowne archaeological site and see what you find. Once you have collected the artifacts, research and record them in the archaeology lab!
Subject(s):
Social Studies
Type(s):
Multimedia
Level(s):
Elementary School, Middle School, High School
Keywords:
John Smith and colonial times, Native American
America in 1607: Jamestown and the Powhatan Interactive Website
Your students can explore the historic Jamestown fort and the Powhatan village of Werowocomoco through this interactive feature brought to you by National Geographic.
Subject(s):
Social Studies
Type(s):
Multimedia
Level(s):
Middle School, High School
Keywords:
John Smith and colonial times, Native American
Waterways
As a result of this lesson, students develop a map that identifies waterways that have been important in the transportation of goods and people in the United States. Students will use color to show how the use of waterways has changed over time, and will diagram the methods of water travel through history.
Subject(s):
Language Arts, Social Studies
Type(s):
Lessons and Activities
Level(s):
Elementary School
Keywords:
boats, canoes and kayaks, culture and watermen, John Smith and colonial times, Native American, transportation
Pocahontas: Ambassador to the New World
Pocahontas: Ambassador to the New World ventures beyond the common myth about Pocahontas and provides a revealing look into the tragic yet heroic life of one of the world’s most famous princesses. Students will be able to describe the impact Pocahontas had on English and Native American relations during her lifetime.
Subject(s):
Social Studies
Type(s):
Lessons and Activities
Level(s):
Middle School, High School
Aligned with the following standard(s):
National Science Education
Keywords:
John Smith and colonial times, Native American
How Do They Know That Lesson
Students explore the methods historians use to reconstruct the past by learning about forest succession and local history.
Subject(s):
Science, Social Studies
Type(s):
Lessons and Activities
Level(s):
High School
Aligned with the following standard(s):
Pennsylvania
Keywords:
culture and watermen, forest, Native American
Who Cares about the Forest Lesson
Examines the contemporary vs. Native American views of our natural environment. Students will become familiar with the many uses of wood as a natural resource and reflect on the spectrum of views on the natural environment.
Subject(s):
Science, Social Studies
Type(s):
Lessons and Activities
Level(s):
Middle School, High School
Aligned with the following standard(s):
Pennsylvania
Keywords:
water and energy conservation, forest, Native American, renewable resource
Chemistry of Iron and Charcoal Manuafacturing in Pennsylvania Lesson
In this lesson student identify the historical purpose of forests in Pennsylvania. They learn about the iron manufacturing process and write and explain the chemical formula of making charcoal.
Subject(s):
Science, Social Studies
Type(s):
Lessons and Activities
Level(s):
Middle School, High School
Keywords:
forest, John Smith and colonial times, Native American, renewable resource
Renewable Resources: Ancient Civilizations Lesson
Students will explore how ancient civilizations managed their resources.
Subject(s):
Science, Social Studies
Type(s):
Lessons and Activities
Level(s):
Middle School
Keywords:
culture and watermen, forest, Native American, renewable resource
The History of Maple Syrup Lesson
Students will explore how maple sugaring began and experience the ways the pioneers and Indians produced sugar.
Subject(s):
Science, Social Studies
Type(s):
Lessons and Activities
Level(s):
Elementary School
Aligned with the following standard(s):
Pennsylvania
Keywords:
forest, John Smith and colonial times, Native American
Virginia Indian Heritage Guide
A Guide to Virginia Indian Heritage Sites created in partnership with the VA Council on Indians.
Subject(s):
Social Studies
Type(s):
Books and Publications
Level(s):
Early Learning, Elementary School, Middle School, High School
Aligned with the following standard(s):
Virginia
Keywords:
Native American
Sea of Change: Sultana, the Tea Taxes and the Dawn of the American Revolution
The unit examines the world of pre-revolutionary America through the lens of the 1768 British Royal Navy tax collecting schooner Sultana. The unit can function as a stand alone curriculum as well as a pre-trip primer for students sailing on Sultana.
Subject(s):
Social Studies
Type(s):
Curriculum Guide
Level(s):
Elementary School, Middle School
Keywords:
John Smith and colonial times, Native American
Art or Artifact Lesson
John White was one of the original colonists to settle on Roanoke Island in 1585. His watercolors and sketches of the native people of Virginia were the first of their kind to reach European audiences. This exercise encourages students to look at White's artwork with a critical eye and decide what, if anything, could have influenced his hand.
Subject(s):
Art, Social Studies
Type(s):
Lessons and Activities
Level(s):
High School
Aligned with the following standard(s):
Virginia
Keywords:
John Smith and colonial times, Native American
Henry Spelman: The Powhatan Indians' English Boy
Henry Spelman was an English teenager who was among the first settlers at Jamestown. He lived with the local Indians for several years and gives us a unique perspective in this auto-biographical excerpt. This exercise will test students' reading comprehension and writing skills.
Subject(s):
Language Arts
Type(s):
Lessons and Activities
Level(s):
Middle School
Aligned with the following standard(s):
Virginia
Keywords:
John Smith and colonial times, Native American
Reading Trees Lesson
Scientists can tell a lot about the conditions of a certain place and time by examining the rings in trees. Studies of trees used by the settlers at Jamestown have shown that the early settlers and their Indian neighbors suffered through a horrible drought. This exercise will let students experience the types of things that scientists look for and learn through the study of tree rings.
Subject(s):
Mathematics, Science, Social Studies
Type(s):
Lessons and Activities
Level(s):
Middle School
Aligned with the following standard(s):
Virginia
Keywords:
weather, forest, John Smith and colonial times, Native American
Powhatan Living Lesson
Using colonist William Strachey's account of a Powhatan settlement, students will interpret how the Powhatan people built their homes and produced food throughout the year.
Subject(s):
Language Arts, Social Studies
Type(s):
Lessons and Activities
Level(s):
Elementary School, Middle School
Aligned with the following standard(s):
Virginia
Keywords:
Native American
Bay, Plain and Piedmont - A Landscape History of the Chesapeake Heartland
This book explores the cultural and natural heritages of the Chesapeake Bay heartland, a region that extends through parts of south-central Pennsylvania, eastern Maryland and Virginia, and all of the District of Columbia. The book moves from the earliest geological evidence of life in the
Chesapeake Bay heartland–evidence that is at least 1.3 billion years old–to 2000.
Subject(s):
Science, Social Studies
Type(s):
Books and Publications
Level(s):
Middle School, High School
Keywords:
land use, ecosystem and biomes, forest, habitat and niche, John Smith and colonial times, Native American, sediment, soil and rocks, wildlife
Solving History’s Mysteries: The History Discovery Lab Teacher Guide
Solving History’s Mysteries: the History Discovery Lab opens the way to using archaeological sites and historic places to illustrate the processes of discovering the tangible evidence of our past. The exercises in this guide relate the importance
of historic resources to your students’ understanding of history and the past to their everyday lives.
Subject(s):
Social Studies
Type(s):
Curriculum Guide
Level(s):
Middle School
Keywords:
experiments and investigations, John Smith and colonial times, Native American, sediment, soil and rocks
