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
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
> stormwater 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 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
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
Watershed Activity
With this hands on activity students will learn that all water that falls on a watershed drains into the same large waterway.
Subject(s):
Science
Type(s):
Lessons and Activities
Level(s):
Middle School
Keywords:
watershed, stormwater
Pennsylvania Land Choices - An Educational Guide
Pennsylvania Land Choices is a national recognized award winning educational program developed by the DCNR State Parks to provide professional development for teachers, conservation and community leaders to understand the role of the citizen and local communities in making decisions that benefit conservation and sustainable community character. The program connects social studies and science in the 6 – 12 grades through place-based service learning, conservation and local government. The activities provide inquiry-based opportunities and hand-on activities that encourage service learning for the benefit of students and their community. Lessons are aligned to the Pennsylvania state academic standards and feature SAS protocols.
Subject(s):
Science, Social Studies
Type(s):
Curriculum Guide, Lessons and Activities
Level(s):
Middle School, High School
Aligned with the following standard(s):
Pennsylvania
Keywords:
nitrogen and carbon cycle, pollution, non-point source, water cycle and movement, population growth, wetland, land use, watershed, agriculture, development, stormwater, air pollution and fossil fuels, water and energy conservation, erosion, green development, transportation, water quality, wildlife, economics, student action
Exploring Our Watershed System Lesson
In this lesson students develop an of how watershed systems are made up and explore a part of the Susquehanna watershed system and map out the system. Then they will learn how water enters a watershed system and explain the concept of stream order.
Subject(s):
Science
Type(s):
Lessons and Activities
Level(s):
High School
Aligned with the following standard(s):
Pennsylvania
Keywords:
pollution, non-point source, water cycle and movement, wetland, watershed, stormwater
All the Way to the Ocean Book
All the Way to the Ocean is a children's book about two friend's discovery of the harmful effects of ocean pollution. This story deals specifically with storm drain run-off that travels directly into our natural bodies of water. The story will educate readers and inspire them to fight pollution. The book is available for purchase, with companion resources available on this website.
Subject(s):
Language Arts, Science
Type(s):
Books and Publications
Level(s):
Early Learning, Elementary School
Keywords:
pollution, non-point source, water cycle and movement, stormwater, restoration
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
CBP Bay 101: Wastewater Treatment Plants video
This Chesapeake Bay Program produced video (1 min 21 sec) follows Alan Quimby from Queen Anne's County, Maryland as he explains why treatment plants all throughout the Bay watershed are being upgraded.
Subject(s):
Science, Technology
Type(s):
Multimedia
Level(s):
Elementary School, Middle School, High School
Keywords:
stormwater, water and energy conservation, water testing
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
Muddying the Waters Lesson
Students will examine the effect sedimentation has on water quality by conducting an experiment to observe the effects of sediment on water quality. Students will then generate ideas for reducing sediment in their community.
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:
stormwater, erosion, experiments and investigations, sediment, soil and rocks
Does it Soak Right In Lesson
Students will which types of land surfaces allow water to soak in, and which cause water to run off the ground. Students will predict the percolation properties of various land surfaces and test various land surfaces and measure and compare the percolation rates.
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:
water cycle and movement, watershed, development, stormwater
What's in your river?
By assembling a “river” from puzzle pieces, students will develop awareness of how people
and wildlife use and depend on rivers; how actions within a river system can affect the entire system;
and that people need to take action to maintain the vitality of river systems.
Subject(s):
Science, Social Studies
Type(s):
Lessons and Activities
Level(s):
Elementary School
Keywords:
pollution, non-point source, land use, watershed, development, stormwater, litter, trash and recycling, water quality
Investigating Watersheds using Fieldscope Lesson
Learn three different lessons you can teach using National Geographic's Fieldscope tool. Activities include investigating watersheds, water flow patterns and defining your watershed. Through these activities students will learn mapping skills and gain a greater understanding of the links between land and water in the Chesapeake region.
Subject(s):
Science, Social Studies, Technology
Type(s):
Lessons and Activities
Level(s):
Middle School, High School
Keywords:
water cycle and movement, land use, watershed, development, stormwater, experiments and investigations, forest
The Story of a River Lesson
This activity provides an excellent introduction to the issues relating to water quality and river management. It introduces the inter‑connections within a watershed and some of the causes of water pollution by observing the impact of pollution on a simulated catchment.
Subject(s):
Science, Social Studies
Type(s):
Lessons and Activities
Level(s):
Middle School, High School
Keywords:
pollution, point source, non-point source, land use, watershed, agriculture, stormwater, air pollution and fossil fuels, experiments and investigations, stream study, water quality, water testing
Who Polluted the Potomac?
Through an interactive story lesson, students learn how our rivers have been affected by our growing population.
Subject(s):
Science
Type(s):
Lessons and Activities
Level(s):
Elementary School, Middle School
Keywords:
pollution, point source, non-point source, land use, agriculture, development, stormwater, litter, trash and recycling, stream study, water quality
Wetland in a Pan Lesson
Students learn the relationships among precipitation, runoff, and wetlands and then relate the importance of wetland functions to their own needs and daily lives.
Subject(s):
Science
Type(s):
Lessons and Activities
Level(s):
Middle School
Aligned with the following standard(s):
Pennsylvania
Keywords:
water cycle and movement, wetland, stormwater, experiments and investigations
Storm Drain Stenciling Information
This information will help start a storm drain stenciling program at your school.
Subject(s):
Art, Science
Type(s):
Lessons and Activities
Level(s):
Elementary School, Middle School, High School
Keywords:
pollution, land use, watershed, stormwater, green development
Storm Drain Stenciling GPS Activity
Help to increase community watershed awareness by stenciling the message "Don't Dump, Chesapeake Bay Drainage" onto storm drains in your neighborhood. Students can use the data sheet below to observe and record the storm drain coordinates while assessing the quality of the storm drain and its surroundings.
Subject(s):
Art, Science, Technology
Type(s):
Lessons and Activities
Level(s):
Elementary School, Middle School, High School
Keywords:
stormwater, water and energy conservation, geocaching (GIS/GPS), schoolyard habitat
Surface Water Sourcebook
Offers 16 activities on surface water from showing students how to construct a dam diagram to a rain water run-off experiment.
Subject(s):
Art, Language Arts, Science
Type(s):
Curriculum Guide
Level(s):
Elementary School, Middle School, High School
Keywords:
pollution, stormwater, green development
Rain Storms, Landuse, and Lake Turbidity Lesson
Students will begin to understand the relationships between rainfall, landuse, and turbidity (suspended particulate material) in lakes. Students will identify factors that increase turbidity in lakes and describe and quantify the impacts of major rainfall events on turbidity values in a lake.
Subject(s):
Mathematics, Science, Technology
Type(s):
Lessons and Activities
Level(s):
High School
Keywords:
land use, weather, watershed, stormwater, sediment, soil and rocks, water quality
Rain Barrels: A Letter to Businesses Activity
A rainbarrel is only as good as the building that uses it! This activity will guide students through the process of writing a business letter to a local business explaining the advantages of using rainbarrels on their property and providing information on where they can acquire one.
Subject(s):
Language Arts, Science, Technology
Type(s):
Lessons and Activities
Level(s):
High School
Keywords:
development, stormwater, green development
Rain Barrel Math Activity
This activity will help students become more familiar with measuring and defining the dimensions of circles and cylinders. Using a rainbarrel as a sample circle will allow students to calculate the circumference, area, and volume mathematically, and then compare these figures to the actual measurements made on the barrel.
Subject(s):
Mathematics, Science, Technology
Type(s):
Lessons and Activities
Level(s):
Middle School, High School
Keywords:
development, stormwater, green development
Non-Point Source Pollution Activity
This activity is designed to demonstrate to students what an average storm drain collects during a rainfall event and how the water from storm drains can impact the water quality and aquatic environments of local streams, rivers, and bays.
Subject(s):
Science
Type(s):
Lessons and Activities
Level(s):
Elementary School, Middle School
Keywords:
pollution, point source, stormwater, experiments and investigations
Get to the Point! Nonpoint Source Pollution Lesson
Students will learn the sources of nonpoint pollution runoff, identify contaminants found in urban runoff, learn methods used to measure toxicity, and describe actions to reduce nonpoint sources of pollution.
Subject(s):
Science
Type(s):
Lessons and Activities
Level(s):
High School
Keywords:
pollution, non-point source, stormwater, water quality
