Teaching Resources - Water
EPA links
Acid Rain Educational Resources
epa.gov/acidrain/education
Experiments and activities,
basic acid rain concepts, and things you can do about acid rain.
America's
Wetlands Grades
9-12
epa.gov/owow/wetlands/vital/toc.html
This site will give you a better understanding of the rich variety of wetlands,
their importance, how they are threatened, and what can be done to conserve
them for future generations.
Beach Kids
Whether you live near a beach or not, visit this site to learn neat things about beaches and play games.
Clean Water Act Grades
9-12, Teachers
www.epa.gov/regulations/laws/index.html#cwa
A historical overview of the Clean Water Act, the primary Federal law that
protects our nation's waters, including lakes, rivers, aquifers, and coastal
areas.
Cleaner Water through
Conservation Grades
9-12, Teachers
EPA Publication 841B95002, 70pp, 1995
An explanation about the relationship between the quantity of water and its
quality and discussion of how developing water-use efficiency programs can
help States and local communities achieve cleaner water through conserving
water.
Coral Reef Protection Grades
6-8, Grades
9-12
epa.gov/owow/oceans/coral/
This site explores why coral reefs are important and what is being done to
protect them.
Darby Duck
and the Aquatic Crusaders Grades
K-5
epa.gov/owow/NPS/kids/DARBY.HTM
Down the Drain Grades
K-5
www.ciese.org/curriculum/drainproj/
How much water do you use every day in your home? Introduces students to the
topic of water use, and to data gathering and analysis. From the Center for
Improved Engineering and Science Education (CIESE).
Effects of Acid Rain Grades
6-8,Grades
9-12
epa.gov/acidrain/effects
Fact sheets answering what is acid rain, what are its causes, and what are
its effects on our planet.
Estuaries Grades
9-12
epa.gov/owow/estuaries/about1.htm
What is an estuary? Why are estuaries important? Why protect estuaries? Find
out this and more at this site.
Exploring
Estuaries Grades
6-8,Grades
9-12
epa.gov/owow/estuaries/kids
What are estuaries? Why are they important? This site provides introductory
information for students of various ages and background information for teachers.
Includes links and a glossary.
Ground
Water Primer Grades
6-8, Grades
9-12
www.purdue.edu/dp/envirosoft/groundwater/src/ground.htm
This computer program presents the basic concepts of ground water, the contaminants
that can affect water quality along with the risks they pose, activities that
an individual or community can do to help protect and conserve ground water,
and programs that are now in place to help protect ground water.
Linking Girls to the
Land Grades
6-8, Grades
9-12
epa.gov/linkinggirls/
This partnership between the Girl Scouts of America, US EPA and other federal
agencies promotes outdoor education, volunteering and conservation education.
It provides opportunities for 2.8 million girls nationwide.
Locate Your
Watershed Grades
9-12, Teachers
cfpub.epa.gov/surf/locate/index.cfm
Locate your watershed by entering your ZIP code or the name of a stream, city,
tribe, lake, school, airport, and more.
Magnificent
Ground Water Connection K-12
epa.gov/region01/students/teacher/gndwater.html
This ground-water activity guide is applicable to a wide range of subject matter
and the topics include basic concepts on the water cycle, water distribution,
treatment, and stewardship. This page includes five sample lesson activity
plans.
Pollution
Prevention Toolbox Grades
6-8
epa.gov/reg5rcra/wptdiv/p2pages/toolbox.htm
Stream
Corridor Project
epa.gov/owow/watershed/wacademy/acad2000/stream
Provides an explanation of the structure of streams and their role in the environment.
Also discusses stream restoration.
Water on Tap:
What You Need to Know Grades
9-12
epa.gov/safewater/wot/
Where does your drinking water come from? How is it treated?
How do you protect it? This is the place to get the answers to
these and other drinking-water questions.
Water Sourcebooks K-12
epa.gov/safewater/kids/wsb/
The Water Sourcebooks explain the water management cycle showing how it affects
all aspects of the environment. 324 activities for grades K-12 are divided
into four sections: K-2, 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12.
Water Where You Live Grades
9-12
epa.gov/OW/states.html
Just click on your State you're interested in, and find all about the streams,
rivers, and lakes. You can even find out about the beaches.
Wetlands Education K-12
epa.gov/owow/wetlands/education/
Everything you need to help your student understand wetlands and how they fit
into the water cycle and the environment. A portal site of links to activities,
curriculum, education programs, resources and teaching tools to assist you
in wetlands and habitat education.
What's
Up with Our Nation's Waters Grades
9-12
epa.gov/owow/monitoring/nationswaters/
What's Wrong
with this Picture? Grades
K-5
epa.gov/owow/NPS/kids/whatwrng.htm
World
in Our Backyard Grades
9-12
epa.gov/region01/students/teacher/wetlands.html
This guide is a resource of information and activities about wetlands, including
ways to study wetland characteristics, why wetlands are important, and how
students and teachers can help protect a local wetland. Grades 6-8.
World
of Fresh Water Grades
K-5
epa.gov/ord/WebPubs/fresh/
Use these activities to help your students understand the effects of pollutants
on lakes, rivers, and streams. Grades 4-6.
Zip
Code Search Grades
9-12
epa.gov/epahome/comm.htm
Get specific environmental information about your neighborhood by entering
your zipcode on this site.
External links
Action Bioscience Grades
9-12
www.actionbioscience.org
Learn about current topics in bioscience through this wide range of articles
by scientists, science educators, and science students. Site also provides
original lessons and resources to enhance bioscience teaching.
- The State of Ecosystems
- Wetlands loss and impacts on Birds
- America's Oceans in Crisis
- Ecosystem Services
- Global Warming
- Bringing Coastal Deadzones
- Beach Closings
Agriculture and
Water Quality Flash Movies Grades
6-8
www.agr.gc.ca/pfra/flash
Seven different animated clips explaining water quality issues that affect
agriculture. Be sure to check out RoboCow,
the animated environmental advocate who uses her radar vision to detect on-farm
perils! You'll need the Flash plug-in to view the clips.
The Bridge: Ocean Sciences
Education Teacher Resource Center K-12
www.vims.edu/bridge/
This resource from the Virginia Institute of Marine Science provides teachers
with a selection of the best online resources for marine science education.
Center
for Global Environmental Education Watershed Action Plan K-12
cgee.hamline.edu/watershed/action/projects/
The Watershed Action Site offers one stop help in planning
and organizing service-learning projects to prevent water pollution
in your watershed. Within this site you can access everything from
scientific background information or curricula to local experts
or stencils for painting storm drain signs.
Chesapeake Academic Resources for Teachers Grades 9-12, Teachers
chart.chesapeakebay.net/
This
regional partnership directs and conducts the restoration of Chesapeake
Bay, the largest estuary in the United States. Helps educators provide meaningful watershed educational experiences to their students. ChART offers lesson plans and activities, field studies and professional development opportunities.
Chesapeake
Bay GameGrades K-5
kids.earth.nasa.gov/games/ches/
Dive and Discover Expedition to the Seafloor Grades 9-12
http://divediscover.whoi.edu
Immerse yourself in the excitement of discovery and exploration of the deep seafloor. Dive and Discover brings you right on board a series of research cruises around the globe, and gives you access to the latest oceanographic and deep submergence research as it happens!
Ducks
Unlimited for Educators Teachers
www.greenwing.org/dueducator/noncssdu_educator.html
Teacher guide and curriculum for teaching about wetlands. A wide variety of
activities geared to particular age groups.
Educating Young People
About Water Grades
6-8
www.uwex.edu/erc/eypaw/
Want to educate kids about water? These free materials from University of Wisconsin
Stevens Point, Environmental Resources Center can provide you with the information
you need to get started.
The
Fragile Fringe (Coastal Wetlands Teaching Guide) Grades
K-5, Grades
6-8
www.nwrc.usgs.gov/fringe/ff_index.html
A guide for teaching about coastal wetlands.
Give Water a Hand Grades
9-12, Teachers
www.uwex.edu/erc/gwah/
A national watershed education program designed to involve young people in
local environmental service projects. Also available in Spanish.
The
Global Water Sampling Project Grades
9-12
www.k12science.org/curriculum/waterproj/
Collaborative project that allows the participant to compare water quality
of local water streams, lakes, etc. with other fresh water sources around the
world.
Interactive
Green Swamp Grades
9-12
www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/greenswamp/
Learn all about wetlands in this wonderful virtual tour of Florida's Green
Swamp!
Journey North Grades
6-8, Grades
9-12
www.learner.org/jnorth/
A global study of wildlife migration. Students in North America track the journeys
of a dozen migratory species and share their own field observations with classrooms
across the Hemisphere.
Land
and People: Finding a Balance Grades
6-8, Grades
9-12
interactive2.usgs.gov/learningweb/teachers/landpeople.htm
An environmental study for high school students on earth science resource issues
which focuses on the interaction between people and the environment in three
regions of the United States: Cape Cod, Los Angeles, and the Everglades.
Lessons on the Lake Grades 6-8 Grades 9-12
www3.selu.edu/turtlecove/lessonsonthelake
Lessons on the Lake is a free interactive tool to learn more about watersheds, in particular the Lake Ponchatrain Basin. The Lake Ponchatrain Basin, in Louisiana, is part of the much larger Mississippi River watershed which covers more than half of the United States.
Nab the Aquatic Invader Grades
6-8
www.sgnis.org/kids/
This interactive cartoon uses detective characharters to learn about invasive species -- different kinds, why they are harmful, how they affect economy and ecosystem.
National Environmental Education
Week K-12
www.eeweek.org/resources/curricula_library.htm
Whether you are a teacher in a public, private, or homeschool classroom, or an educator at a nature center, zoo, or aquarium, Environmental Education Week can help you to actively engage your students in environmental education. The Environmental Education Curricula Library provides environmentally-themed lessons and activities for K-12.
National Estuarine Research Reserve System K-12 Educator Resources Grades
9-12
Estuaries, where rivers met the sea, are facinating ecosystems. Find out about what makes estuaries special, the threats to estuarine ecosystems and explore estuaries around the U.S.
National
Ocean Service Students & Teachers site Teachers
response.restoration.noaa.gov/kids/kids.html
NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) designed this site to
teach you about oil spills and other hazardous chemical accidents. You will find
information about how oil spills can occur and how NOAA works to help clean them
up. You'll also find experiments you can do to demonstrate to others the hazards
of oil spills.
National Wetlands Research
Center Grades
9-12
www.nwrc.usgs.gov
This site from the U.S. Geolocic Survey explores the many factors that affect
wetland health, and provides resources for teachers on preserving our wetlands.
Nature Net Grades
6-8, Grades
9-12
www.nature.nps.gov/
Detailed materials about natural resources that the National Park Service maintains,
including biology, geology, air, and water. Check Links to Learning for environmental
education resources from different Parks.
NOAA Education: Oceans and Coasts Grades
K-5
www.education.noaa.gov/socean.html
Ocean and marine environment activity books you can print out and color or solve puzzles.
for kids
- Coastal North Carolina Activity Book (PDF) (26 pp, 847K)
- Salish Sea Activity Book (PDF) (25 pp, 1MB)
- Chesapeake Bay Activity Book (PDF) (26pp, 1.7 MB)
- Mobile Bay Activity Book (PDF) (26 pp, 875K)
- Why is Hawaii's Ocean Important? - A Keiki Activity Book (PDF) (28 pp, 2.8 MB)
- Arctic & Antarctic Activity Book (PDF) (28 pp, 2.2 MB)
- Coastal Louisiana Activity Book (PDF) (27 pp, 2.8 MB)
NOAA Fisheries
Office of Protected Resources Grades
6-8
www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/education/
Learn what this office of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
is doing to protect marine mammals and endangered species.
Ocean Science Education
Teacher Resource Center Grades
9-12
www.vims.edu/bridge/
This site links by topic to a large collection of environmental web sites which
contain lesson plans and class activities.
Science with NOAA Research: Teacher Information Grades
9-12
www.oar.noaa.gov/k12/html/teacherinfo.html
Online science lessons for students and teachers. Covers earth systems that have to do with the oceans and lakes: storms, El Nino, the atmosphere, fisheries.
Sewage
in your face Grades
K-5 Grades
6-8
www.sandiego.gov/mwwd/kids
Get to the bottom of sewage in an interactive and fun way.
Southwest
Florida Water Management District Education Resources
www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/education/
Great virtual, interactive field trips that will help you to teach
about wetlands and watersheds. Explore Florida's Green Swamp, Hillsborough
River and Springs Coast Watershed. Includes lots of other neat resources
too such as educational tabloids, teacher's guides, and comprehensive
educational kits.
Southwest
Florida Watershed Excursions
www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/education/watersheds/
Learn all about watersheds in this awesome on-line excursion through the Springs
Coast coastal watershed of southwest Florida.
Square
of Life: Studies in Local and Global Environments
www.k12science.org/curriculum/squareproj/
Elementary school curriculum that allows classes to compare their
inventory of a 1 meter outdoor square in their school yard with another
class across the country or the globe. Registration to participate
is twice a year in spring and fall. Site contains lesson plans, activity
instructions, reference materials, discussion area, standards comparison
and a help contact.
Take
a Dip Grades
6-8
www.k12science.org/curriculum/dipproj/
Once a year, students will team up around the globe to test
fresh water. Join this collaborative project, comparing the water quality of
your local river, stream, lake or pond with other fresh water sources around
the world.
TEACH: Environment K-12
www.great-lakes.net/teach/envt/
Why do water levels change in the Great Lakes? What fish do people catch there,
and what's threatening one of the world's largest freshwater fisheries? Learn
about the environment of the Great Lakes region and the environmental issues
there, including water quality, airborne toxics, invasive species and sustainable
development.
Virtual Watershed
Tour Grades
6-8, Grades
9-12
ohiowatersheds.osu.edu/cbwm/virtualwatershed/
Learn about watersheds on this informative virtual tour.
Water Science for
Schools Grades
6-8, Grades
9-12
water.usgs.gov/droplet
This site provides extensive background information on a wide variety of water
topics. It also includes on-line activities, data tables, maps, and a glossary
of terms.
Watershed
TV Grades
9-12
www.greenworks.tv/watershedstv/
Introduces you to an innovative program that brings the watershed
community right to your home.
What
on Earth? (water, soil, land quiz) Grades
6-8, Grades
9-12
gaia.hq.nasa.gov/quiz/quiz_start-template.cfm
What's Up
with the Environment Grades
9-12
www.thirteen.org/edonline/wue/
If you need a single lesson or a longer term project, visit this site for extensive
and multimedia background information and plans for projects about water, land,
air and energy. Students can explore environmental issues, formulate and find
answers to questions about the environment, and explore "Cool Careers" for
ideas about an environment-related job.
World Water
Monitoring Day Grades
9-12
www.worldwatermonitoringday.org
World Water Monitoring Day helps watershed leaders, educators and trained volunteers
to educate students and citizens how the actions of individuals in a watershed
can impact environmental quality and human health.
Wyland Ocean
Challenge Grades
K-5
www.wylandoceanchallenge.org
Learn all about marine ecosystems through free activities that support National
Science and Art Standards.
Year of the
Ocean Kids Page Grades
K-5
www.yoto98.noaa.gov/kids.htm
More goodies from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, learn
about endangered whales, seals, and sea lions; fascinating facts about fish;
how to Adopt a Buoy; and much more.