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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- Art
- Language Arts
Mathematics- Science
- Social Studies
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Level
- All Levels
- Early Learning
- Elementary School
- Middle School
- High School
Type
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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
> pollution 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
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
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
Are You a River Keeper?
Learners will utilize fundamental techniques to determine the health of a local river. They will collect, compile, display and interpret their data. The students will focus on how water speed affects rates of erosion and deposition. They will focus on the history of, reasons for, and possible solutions to excessive deposition in the southern branch of the Muskegon River or waterway in their community. Through the writing and performing of a short theatrical activity, learners will summarize articles they have read to increase environmental awareness. Learners will become aware of global issues of clean water scarcity. Learners will investigate the many causes of river water pollution and relate them to their sources. Students will then identify four sectors of society and how each can be an agent for change. They will locate and write letters to public service, nonprofit organizations in support of water clarity. After presenting their findings to peers, students will distribute a self-designed pledge, requesting households to commit to positive change.
Subject(s):
Art, Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, Technology
Type(s):
Curriculum Guide
Level(s):
Middle School
Keywords:
pollution, water and energy conservation, erosion, water quality, water testing, student action
Global Water Supply: High School Curriculum
Stand-alone lesson plans are part of larger units that cover a broad scope of subjects including English, science and technology, and social sciences like geography, civics and economics. Classroom activities cover everything from poetry seminars and vocabulary-building worksheets to science and math lessons about potable water availability. Activities are aligned to national standards.
Subject(s):
Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, Technology
Type(s):
Curriculum Guide
Level(s):
High School
Aligned with the following standard(s):
National Science Education
Keywords:
pollution, land use, water and energy conservation, renewable resource, water quality, economics, Drinking Water
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
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
Clarity and Turbidity Lesson
Following completion of this lesson, the students will be able to: 1)Identify possible environmental complications that can be attributed to clarity and turbidity 2) Measure the clarity of a body of water.
Subject(s):
Mathematics, Science
Type(s):
Lessons and Activities
Level(s):
Elementary School, Middle School, High School
Aligned with the following standard(s):
New York
Keywords:
pollution, water quality, water testing
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
EPA - Turning the Tide on Trash: Marine Debris Curriculum Guide
The three units in this learning guide are designed to increase students' awareness of the impacts of marine debris and teach them pollution prevention techniques. At the same time, the activities strive to inspire an appreciation of the ocean. This guide may be used as a stand-alone teaching tool or individual activities may be used to supplement work in other subject areas.
Subject(s):
Art, Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies
Type(s):
Curriculum Guide
Level(s):
Elementary School, Middle School
Keywords:
pollution, water and energy conservation, litter, trash and recycling
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
Research Acid Rain Levels in Your State
Acid rain is a major environmental challenge around the world. In this lesson, students will learn the definition of acid rain, research pH levels of rainwater for their state, collect data from their community, and investigate the causes of and solutions for acid rain.
Subject(s):
Mathematics, Science
Type(s):
Lessons and Activities
Level(s):
Middle School, High School
Keywords:
pollution, water cycle and movement, acid rain, water and energy conservation, water quality, water testing
Bay-Sic Ratios Lesson
In this activity, students will use a scale model to illustrate the shallowness and land to water ratio of the Chesapeake Bay, and will compare the Bay watershed to other watersheds around the world.
Subject(s):
Mathematics, Science
Type(s):
Lessons and Activities
Level(s):
Elementary School, Middle School
Keywords:
pollution, watershed
Estuaries 101 Curriculum - Nutrients in an Estuary
In this activity, students model estuaries, artificially
enriching both fresh and salt water samples with
different amounts of nutrients and observing the growth of algae over a several weeks. They relate their results to the phenomenon of algae blooms in estuaries. They then analyze data for different sites at the Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve(GTMNERR) in Florida to discover the relationships between nitrogen, chlorophyll, and dissolved oxygen. Finally, they study how nutrients cycle through an estuary and suggest recommendations for reducing nutrient inputs to estuary waters.
Subject(s):
Mathematics, Science
Type(s):
Lessons and Activities
Level(s):
High School
Aligned with the following standard(s):
National Science Education
Keywords:
nitrogen and carbon cycle, pollution, point source, non-point source, photosynthesis, development, stormwater, water quality, dissolved oxygen
EPA The Quest for Less: Activities and Resources for Teaching K-8
The Quest for Less is designed for teachers in grades K-8 to use as one of the many tools in the development of lesson plans. Activities and concepts in this resource can be incorporated into existing curricula, or teachers can create special week-long units on the environment and solid waste or use the activities to commemorate Earth Day. This guide provides hands-on lessons and activities, enrichment ideas, journal writing assignments, and other educational tools related to preventing and reducing waste. Its multidisciplinary focus includes math, science, art, social studies, language arts, and health. Lessons encourage students to utilize skills ranging from reading and writing to problem-solving and analytical thinking.
Subject(s):
Art, Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies
Type(s):
Curriculum Guide, Lessons and Activities
Level(s):
Elementary School, Middle School
Keywords:
pollution, litter, trash and recycling
Types of Pollution Lesson
Students will examine different types of water pollution and their effect on the estuarine ecosystem. Students will classify examples of pollution, using a Venn diagram, and graph the number of examples of each type. They will learn why there are rules and laws regulating the release of pollution into water and devise alternatives and solutions to pollution problems.
Subject(s):
Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies
Type(s):
Lessons and Activities
Level(s):
Elementary School, Middle School
Aligned with the following standard(s):
Virginia
Keywords:
pollution, point source, non-point source, litter, trash and recycling
Journey of a Raindrop to the Chesapeake Bay Lesson
Students will use political and topographic maps to learn path a raindrop takes when traveling from the schoolyard to the Chesapeake Bay. Students will observe schoolyard surfaces and direction of water flow and infer the polluting or non-polluting effects of those surfaces on rain runoff.
Subject(s):
Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies
Type(s):
Lessons and Activities
Level(s):
Elementary School, Middle School
Aligned with the following standard(s):
Virginia
Keywords:
pollution, non-point source, watershed
Bay-B-C's Guide
This booklet is a compilation of Bay related activities and lesson plans for K to 3rd grade students.
Subject(s):
Art, Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, Technology
Type(s):
Curriculum Guide, Lessons and Activities, Books and Publications
Level(s):
Early Learning, Elementary School
Keywords:
pollution, wetland, watershed, habitat and niche, restoration, water quality, wildlife
What Affects Dead Zones Activity
Students will explore scenarios in real datasets to investigate how physics and biology interact to produce Dead Zones of various sizes and durations. Further questioning will challenge students to apply their new knowledge of Dead Zones to real life questions.
Subject(s):
Mathematics, Science
Type(s):
Lessons and Activities
Level(s):
High School
Aligned with the following standard(s):
National Science Education
Keywords:
pollution, habitat and niche, water quality, dissolved oxygen
Dead Zone Model Activity
Students will understand the biological processes associated with dead zones, as well as how human activities impact the severity of dead zones. Students will also collect and plot data and use scientific equipment. Students add fertilizer to pond, river, or estuary water and compare to a control treatment to simulate how algal blooms and dead zones occur in bodies of water.
Subject(s):
Mathematics
Type(s):
Lessons and Activities
Level(s):
High School
Aligned with the following standard(s):
National Science Education
Keywords:
pollution, experiments and investigations, water quality, water testing, dissolved oxygen
Dead Zone Online Learning Module
Take a Center for Ocean Sciences Education Excellence Modules Tour to learn more about dead zones, global and local dead zone trends, and how scientists are studying dead zones.
Subject(s):
Mathematics
Type(s):
Multimedia
Level(s):
High School
Aligned with the following standard(s):
National Science Education
Keywords:
pollution, dissolved oxygen
Maryland Environmental Education ToolKit
This Environmental Education Toolkit provides grade-specific resources for PreK-8 teachers. The toolkit links you to lessons connected to Maryland State Standards. Topics cover a wide range of environmental subjects.
Subject(s):
Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies
Type(s):
Curriculum Guide
Level(s):
Early Learning, Elementary School, Middle School
Aligned with the following standard(s):
Maryland
Keywords:
pollution, water cycle and movement, climate change, population growth, wetland, land use, food web, watershed, agriculture, development, biodiversity, culture and watermen, ecosystem and biomes, experiments and investigations, habitat and niche, renewable resource, water quality, wildlife
Monitoring Estuarine Water Quality Module - Data in the Classroom
This Web site features five activities at different levels to help you learn about monitoring water quality using real data. Teachers download the curriculum guide to get started.
Subject(s):
Mathematics, Science
Type(s):
Curriculum Guide, Lessons and Activities, Data
Level(s):
Middle School
Keywords:
pollution, water quality, water testing
