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
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
"On the Air" Curriculum Units 1-7
The On the Air curriculum facilitates the understanding of air pollution by studying: Criteria Air Pollutants, the Air Quality Index, Ozone, Particulate Matter, the Health Effects of Air Pollution, Community Sources and Solutions of Air Pollution and Climate Change. Each unit consists of the following: activity description, curricular ties, time needed, learning objectives, materials needed (kit), teacher preparation, teacher background reading, teacher demonstration procedures, activity procedures, technology connections, student handout, student packets and student worksheets.
Subject(s):
Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, Technology
Type(s):
Curriculum Guide, Lessons and Activities
Level(s):
Middle School
Aligned with the following standard(s):
Maryland,
Virginia,
District of Columbia
Keywords:
climate change, acid rain, air pollution and fossil fuels
NOAA Estuaries 101 Middle School Curriculum - Activity 4: Estuary Food Pyramid
In this activity, students will construct an example of a food pyramid for estuary organisms and
examine this flow of energy.
Students will understand that: (1) there are three major categories of living organisms in an ecosystem (producers, consumers, decomposers) and each has a special role; (2) the food energy produced by producers is cycled through the ecosystem through food chains and complex food webs by way of a series of energy levels called trophic levels; (3) energy is lost as it flows through the ecosystem. A food pyramid reflects fewer and fewer organisms at each level, supported by larger numbers of organisms at the trophic level just below; and (4) climate change has the potential for far reaching affects within marine food webs
Subject(s):
Mathematics, Science
Type(s):
Curriculum Guide, Lessons and Activities
Level(s):
Middle School
Keywords:
climate change, food web, wildlife
NOAA Estuaries 101 Middle School Curriculum - Activity 3: Water Going Up, Water Going Down
In this activity, students will examine the effects of tides on estuaries, and look at real data to understand the effect on dissolved oxygen levels before and after a mouth closure. They will learn that both lunar tides and wind-driven seiches affect water levels in estuaries, that the movement of sediment at the mouth of an estuary will either open or close the
estuary’s access to its lake or ocean, and that tides vary throughout the day from location to location. Students will also understand that lack of tidal flushing can cause water conditions in a lagoon to deteriorate and potentially harm aquatic life inside the estuary, that if an estuary mouth is unable to open naturally it is sometimes necessary to open the mouth artificially by dredging, that there is a distinction between global sea level trends and local sea level trends, and that sea levels provide an important key to understanding the impact of climate change on estuaries.
Subject(s):
Mathematics, Science
Type(s):
Curriculum Guide, Lessons and Activities, Data
Level(s):
Middle School
Aligned with the following standard(s):
National Science Education
Keywords:
climate change, tides
NOAA Estuaries 101 Middle School Curriculum - Activity 2: Seasonal Swings
There is tremendous variability in the physical conditions between and within estuaries. Factors such as air and water temperature, water salinity, and dissolved oxygen can also vary seasonally at the same location.
Students will learn about the NERRS System using an online map that has a brief description about each of the 28 Reserves. By comparing and contrasting specific data from two of those
Reserves, students will come to understand that extreme air and water temperature differences found in the Reserve estuaries are related to their geographic location, particularly their latitudes relative to each other.
Subject(s):
Mathematics, Science
Type(s):
Curriculum Guide, Lessons and Activities, Posters and Maps
Level(s):
Middle School
Aligned with the following standard(s):
National Science Education
Keywords:
dissolved oxygen, Geography, Temperature
NOAA Estuaries 101 Middle School Curriculum - Activity 1: Where Rivers Meet the Sea
This activity contains 3 exercises, in which students are introduced to the Estuaries 101 Middle School program and website, take a short online quiz to check their initial estuary knowledge examine Mobile Bay as an example of an estuary, and practice identifying four different types of estuaries. In the second exercise, students study a world map to examine the global distribution of estuaries and examine global sea surface temperature map to learn about the effects of location on ocean water temperature and of ocean water temperature on water temperature within the connected estuaries. Finally, students will look at the entire NERR System by visiting Reserves using an online interactive map. Students will adopt and research a NERR site and present their findings to the
class in the form of a travel brochure.
Subject(s):
Mathematics, Science
Type(s):
Curriculum Guide, Lessons and Activities
Level(s):
Middle School
Aligned with the following standard(s):
National Science Education
Keywords:
watershed, Geography, Temperature
NOAA Estuaries 101 Curriculum - Earth Science Module 3: Estuary & the Watershed
In this activity, students investigate the nature of watersheds and their relationship to the dynamic changes that occur in estuaries due to drainage and runoff. Students begin by examining the San Francisco Bay Estuarine Research Reserve and tracing the extent of the watershed using Google Earth. Then they identify possible sources of pollution and contamination along the major rivers that feed into the bay. Students also examine water quality data in the San Pablo region of the estuary and identify changes that occur due to a storm event.
This activity has 4 parts: (1) Exploring the San Francisco Watershed; (2) What’s Upstream Comes Downstream; (3) Water Quality at the Mouth of a Watershed; and (4) Optional Extension: Mapping Your Local Watershed
Subject(s):
Science, Technology
Type(s):
Lessons and Activities, Data, Posters and Maps
Level(s):
High School
Keywords:
pollution, watershed, stormwater, water quality
NOAA Estuaries 101 Curriculum - Physical Science Module 3: Human Impacts on Estuaries
In this activity, students make a model of a pollution spill that occurred at Bangs Lake, a tidal lake within the Grand Bay NERR in Mississippi, in April 2005, and measure water quality parameters in their model. Students then study the actual spill, analyzing various forms of data to determine the date of the spill and
identify how the spill changed water quality parameters in the estuary during and after the spill. They speculate on how various life forms in the estuary were affected. Finally, students produce a timeline of the spill event with recommendations to the state Department of
Environmental Quality about how to prevent large-scale pollution spills like this in the future.
Subject(s):
Language Arts, Science
Type(s):
Lessons and Activities
Level(s):
High School
Aligned with the following standard(s):
National Science Education
Keywords:
pollution, water quality, student action
NOAA Estuaries 101 Curriculum - Physical Science Module 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 101 Curriculum - Physical Science Module 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 101 Curriculum - Earth Science Module 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
NOAA Estuaries 101 Curriculum - Earth Science Module 2: Salinity and Tides in York River
In this activity, students learn about tides and salinity in estuaries. They observe time-lapse models of tides and salinity distribution in the York River, part of the Chesapeake Bay, VA NERR. Learn how salinity changes with an incoming and outgoing tide, observing the dynamics of the salt wedge at various sites along the river. Students also make predictions about the salinity changes at each site based upon their observations of the animation. They then use salinity data from
monitoring stations along the river to see changes during a typical day. And, then describe the patterns of each salinity graph and compare the graphs.
Subject(s):
Science
Type(s):
Lessons and Activities
Level(s):
High School
Aligned with the following standard(s):
National Science Education
Keywords:
water cycle and movement, salinity, tides
NOAA Estuaries 101 Curriculum - Earth Science Module 4: Extreme Weather and Estuaries
Students investigate how hurricanes can affect NERRS
estuaries. Students begin by studying the North Carolina National Estuarine Research Reserve (NCNERR) in the Cape Fear area with Google Earth and predict which areas of the reserve might be more vulnerable to the onslaught of high winds, heavy rain and storm surge than others. Then students monitor and interpret the changes in water quality factors day by day as a severe storm approaches, strikes the estuary, and then dissipates.
Subject(s):
Science
Type(s):
Lessons and Activities
Level(s):
High School
Aligned with the following standard(s):
National Science Education
Keywords:
weather, watershed, water quality
NOAA Estuaries 101 Curriculum - Life Science Module 2: 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, Nutrients and Eutorphication
NOAA Estuaries 101 Curriculum - Life Science Module 1: Survival in an Estuary
In this activity, students investigate the range of
conditions that selected animal and plant species need tosurvive in an estuary. They examine data for abiotic factors that affect life in estuaries—salinity, dissolved oxygen, temperature, and pH. Students use archived data (trend analysis graphs) and real-time conditions at the Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR) to predict whether a particular animal or plant species could survive in an estuary.
Subject(s):
Mathematics, Science
Type(s):
Lessons and Activities
Level(s):
High School
Aligned with the following standard(s):
National Science Education
Keywords:
ecosystem and biomes, water quality, salinity, dissolved oxygen
NOAA Estuaries 101 Curriculum - Life Science Module 3: Biodiversity in an Estuary
In this activity, students investigate the incredible biodiversity that exists in estuarine environments. They begin by exploring the Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR) using Google Earth. Students then produce an estuary biodiversity concept map and individual organism profile that becomes part of an estuary wildlife exhibit.
Subject(s):
Science
Type(s):
Lessons and Activities
Level(s):
High School
Aligned with the following standard(s):
National Science Education
Keywords:
food web, biodiversity, ecosystem and biomes
Chesapeake Exploration
NOAA’s Chesapeake Exploration is a new and innovative collection of online activities for middle and high school students that brings the science of the Chesapeake Bay to life. Chesapeake Exploration gives teachers and their students unprecedented access to lessons designed around real-time observational data from the Chesapeake Bay Interpretive Buoy System. Inside a virtual classroom, Chesapeake Exploration guides students through an engaging investigative process that explores natural and human systems and cycles and the ways in which they interact throughout the Bay and its watershed. Teachers can create a unique online environment for their classrooms, including locking parameters such as date/time so all students use the same data sets and storing student answers online for easy grading. Using Chesapeake Exploration, students can (1) Query observational platforms throughout the Bay from their classroom or home; (2)Use National Geographic's Fieldscope to investigate the natural and human systems in the Bay's watershed and answer geospatial questions; and (3) Populate "dynamic worksheets" that ask them to think through scientific principles related to water quality and weather phenomena using current observation data.
Subject(s):
Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, Technology
Type(s):
Lessons and Activities, Data, Posters and Maps
Level(s):
Middle School, High School
Keywords:
weather, watershed, stormwater, habitat and niche, water quality, water testing, salinity, fish, Geography, Temperature
Algae Boom and Bust Lesson
Climate change and increasing water temperatures, along with added nutrients from human activities, impact both aquatic ecosystems and the people who depend on them. In this experiment-based lesson, students examine one outcome — algae blooms. Key concepts students will learn include (1) Human activities often have unintended consequences.
(2) Algae are simple, green aquatic plants that are the basis of many food chains. (3) An increase in water temperature and nutrients can cause algae populations to proliferate rapidly in “blooms,” which threaten the health of ecosystems.
(4) The changing global climate is affecting the frequency and location of algae blooms.
Subject(s):
Science
Type(s):
Lessons and Activities
Level(s):
Middle School, High School
Keywords:
experiments and investigations, water quality, Temperature, Nutrients and Eutorphication
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
Groundwater Sourcebook
This source book contains 10 activities covering ground water issues.
Subject(s):
Art, Language Arts, Science
Type(s):
Curriculum Guide
Level(s):
Early Learning, Elementary School, Middle School, High School
Keywords:
water cycle and movement, water quality
Global Water Supply: Elementary 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):
Elementary School
Aligned with the following standard(s):
National Science Education
Keywords:
water cycle and movement, water and energy conservation, water quality, Drinking Water
Schoolyard Habitat Project Guide, Second Edition
This “how-to” guide provides the basic steps needed to restore or create wildlife habitat on school grounds. It will take you and your students through each step of the process: planning, installing and sustaining a project. This is not a book about why schoolyard projects are important; this is a guide about how to make the best one for your site. It is also designed to engage students the completion of several tasks that will lead to establishing a schoolyard woodland, meadow or wetland.
Subject(s):
Science, Technology
Type(s):
Curriculum Guide
Level(s):
Early Learning, Elementary School, Middle School, High School
Keywords:
biodiversity, habitat and niche, restoration, schoolyard habitat, water quality, wildlife, student action
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
