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
> water quality 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
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
Macroinbertebrate Identification
An interactive lesson that helps students identify benthic macroinvertebrates using key characteristics. It also emphasizes the special adaptations each has to its aquatic habitat and demonstrates how macroinvertebrates can be indicators of the health of the stream.
Subject(s):
Science
Type(s):
Lessons and Activities, Multimedia
Level(s):
Elementary School, Middle School
Keywords:
adaptation, identification, 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 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 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
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: Sharing Data in FieldScope
After participating in field study, students will return to the classroom and assess the collected data to produce the highest quality dataset. The class will then use the National Geographic FieldScope tool to upload the data in order to share their findings with the citizen science community.
Subject(s):
Science, Social Studies, Technology
Type(s):
Lessons and Activities, Multimedia, Data, Posters and Maps
Level(s):
Middle School, High School
Keywords:
stream study, water quality, water testing, student action
Chesapeake Bay FieldScope Activity: Collecting Data in the Field
Students measure water quality and document local conditions in the field in order to focus on parameters that can illustrate something about the health or degradation of a waterway. Students will be able to record water quality data for later analysis, take notes and other observational data on conditions in the ecosystem and reflect on local and regional environmental factors and how they might be affecting water quality and the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem
Subject(s):
Science, Social Studies, Technology
Type(s):
Lessons and Activities, Data
Level(s):
Middle School, High School
Keywords:
stream study, water quality, water testing, student action
Chesapeake Bay FieldScope Activity: Preparing for Field Investigation
Students consider what it means to be citizen scientists, learn how notes and photographs can enhance a field investigation, and review techniques for choosing and recording sampling locations.
Subject(s):
Science, Social Studies, Technology
Type(s):
Lessons and Activities, Multimedia, Data
Level(s):
Middle School, High School
Keywords:
stream study, water quality, water testing, student action
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
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
