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
- 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
> Elementary School > non-point source 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
Virginia's Natural Resource Education Guide: Virginia's Soil Resources
The information provided in this packet helps students learn about what soil is, what soil horizons are, and some of the problems associated with soil (erosion, water clarity, etc). A lesson plan on how soil can filter water and another on how non-point source pollution can be prevented are included.
Subject(s):
Science
Type(s):
Lessons and Activities
Level(s):
Elementary School, Middle School
Aligned with the following standard(s):
Virginia
Keywords:
non-point source, land use, development, erosion, sediment, soil and rocks, water quality
Ways of a Watershed
What in the world are watersheds? This interactive online lesson defines what a watershed is, and follows a single raindrop on its journey from the sky to the ocean.
Subject(s):
Science
Type(s):
Lessons and Activities
Level(s):
Elementary School, Middle School
Keywords:
point source, non-point source, water cycle and movement, watershed
Cow In and Out Game
In this fun and informative activity, students learn the "ins" and "outs" of cattle. The "Cow In and Out Game" requires students to decide what goes into the cows, and what comes from them by sorting a variety of items. Recommended as a preparation activity for any of the agriculture courses offered at Hard Bargain Farm, especially for younger students.
Subject(s):
Science
Type(s):
Lessons and Activities
Level(s):
Elementary School
Keywords:
non-point source
"Be Part of Something Big!" Curriculum
This curriculum guide, produced by Maryland DNR, is designed for Grades 3-8 and provides educators and students the opportunity to gain hands-on experiences with water quality monitoring. This series of activities is designed to help your class or student group learn more about the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. Topics addressed defining and identifying watersheds, the Chesapeake Bay and its tributary streams and rivers, problems associated with excess nutrients, chemical and biological characteristics of stream, and how to assess the health of a local stream. The curriculum guide also includes action strategies students can take to improve water quality in their local streams, and ultimately, the Chesapeake Bay such as trash clean ups, stream buffer plantings, and personal conservation measures.
Subject(s):
Science, Social Studies
Type(s):
Curriculum Guide, Lessons and Activities
Level(s):
Elementary School, Middle School
Aligned with the following standard(s):
Maryland
Keywords:
point source, non-point source, land use, watershed, water and energy conservation, habitat and niche, litter, trash and recycling, restoration, water quality, water testing, student action
TEAM DNR
TEAM DNR is a volunteer program, organized by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, that is dedicated to educating elementary and middle school students about the Chesapeake Bay and other natural resource issues in Maryland. TEAM DNR currently offers schools four different classroom programs and one outdoor program. Each program has pre and post visit activities to enhance the experience of your students. These programs are available upon request of the classroom teacher or school administrator.
Subject(s):
Science, Social Studies
Type(s):
Lessons and Activities
Level(s):
Elementary School, Middle School
Aligned with the following standard(s):
Maryland
Keywords:
pollution, point source, non-point source, population growth, land use, watershed, oyster, culture and watermen, experiments and investigations, habitat and niche, predator prey relationships, restoration, stream study, water quality, water testing, wildlife, fish
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
Nonpoint Source Pollution Awareness: What's Wrong with This Picture?
The people in this picture are taking care of their home and car, but they are doing many things that can damage the environment, especially our water. Can your students identify all of the things they are doing incorrectly?
Subject(s):
Science
Type(s):
Posters and Maps
Level(s):
Early Learning, Elementary School, Middle School
Keywords:
non-point source, watershed, water quality
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
How To: Build a Watershed Model
This is a good project for talking with school children about water pollution and what they can do to prevent it. It’s also a great indoor conservation project and travels well to expos and county fairs.
Subject(s):
Science
Type(s):
Lessons and Activities
Level(s):
Elementary School, Middle School
Keywords:
pollution, point source, non-point source, watershed, water quality
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
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
The O Zone - Code Red Alert Lessons
Students are organized into groups to review and analyze fact sheets, maps, air quality data, and background material on air pollution in Maryland. Students then “jigsaw” into new groups, each with an “expert” from the original group to answer questions about what to do during summer “ozone alerts.” Finally, students will work on their own to make a decision about what each of them can do to improve air quality in Maryland.
Subject(s):
Science
Type(s):
Lessons and Activities
Level(s):
Elementary School, Middle School
Aligned with the following standard(s):
Maryland
Keywords:
pollution, point source, non-point source, air pollution and fossil fuels
