Discover how to bring meaningful environmental education to life in your classroom focused on the Chesapeake Bay watershed in Pennsylvania. Explore erosion, landscape formation, and watershed dynamics through hands-on learning, while gaining the tools to engage your students in outdoor field experiences right in your school’s backyard. Implement a Meaningful Watershed Educational Experience (MWEE) with practical resources to inspire curiosity and stewardship among students about their local environment.
Overview: In this lesson, students will be introduce to this MWEE unit with site visit #1, which will take place inside the classroom. Students will learn that different types of plants (shrub, tree, grass, flowering/non-flowering) impact how the land is formed due to runoff. Students will participate in two parts of this lesson. In the first part of the lesson, students will participate in a whole group observation and discussion centered around a rootkit viewer. Students will compare the difference between three different plants based on their roots. The second part of the lesson includes students dissecting and observing plant features, mainly focusing on its root system. Students will observe by illustrating and taking notes. In the end, they will participate in small group discussions to demonstrate understanding of the key role roots have in protecting the land.
Overview: In this lesson, students will further their understanding of the important role plants can play in regard to preventing erosion. The teacher will introduce key vocabulary terms and definitions to explain the natural occurrence of water absorption with soil/plants. The teacher will lead and facilitate a whole-group activity with the soil erosion simulation kit, (See material list). Students will reference to Site # 1, ‘Look Below at My Roots,’ where they had previously learned the importance of a plant’s root system. Students will deepen their knowledge by observing and making notes/illustrations of multiple scenarios that will be facilitated by the teacher using the Nasco Erosion Simulation kit. This activity demonstrates different scenarios of land covered in grass compared to bare land. Students will observe four different scenarios of “rain” being simulated with a water bucket over grassy land and bare dirt land. Students will discover that grassy land that is full of packed roots will have less runoff than bare land. Students will use observation notes and small group discussion to draw up these conclusions.
Overview: In this lesson, students will explore how water moves across the land and observe how different surfaces impact water absorption vs. runoff. This lesson is an extension from site visit #1 and site visit #2. Students will go outside to take notes, draw illustrations, and capture photos of key contributors, such as plants (trees, shrubs, grass), soil, and slopes. They will compare areas with and without vegetation and examine the effects of flat versus sloped land on water movement. After the outdoor investigation, students will reflect on their findings through guided questions, discussing how water changes the land, the role of plants in absorption, and ways to prevent excess runoff. This lesson encourages students to think of ways to control runoff and its environmental impact.
Overview: In this lesson, students will first learn about the Pennsylvania Chesapeake Bay Area. Then, they will make observations and reveal patterns of relationships based on the demonstrations carried out in the Stream Table. Students will observe different forms of erosion and land formation when waterways interact with natural objects such as large rocks, pebbles, trees, and/or shrubs near water pathways. The teacher will facilitate the Stream Table demonstration as well as use guided questions to help navigate the classroom discussion around main vocabulary terms and state standards, mentioned below. With the help of a facilitator (teacher), students will complete three different scenarios with the Stream Table. To conclude the lesson, students will learn about the Grand Canyon as an example of a physical region that formed by slow erosion over time.
Overview: In this lesson, students will first learn about the “de-icing” treatment for roads, commonly known as rock salt. Students will then explore their outside environment and school premises to observe erosion around waterways, roads, and/or parking lots. Using a saltwater kit, students will collect data and work together to provide evidence and write scientific observations on the affected areas. Using related content from site #1, these observations will focus on either natural formations (shrubs and trees) or human impacts (including man-made buildings, paved roads/parking lots, and the use of rock salt). Please note: this lesson is based around the winter season. This lesson should be conducted in two days. Please refer to the procedure section for clarification.
Overview: In this lesson, students will learn how models and simulations are great resources for research scientists to predict overall outcomes. Students will learn about the use of scientific simulations and will be active in using an online watershed model simulator to predict outcomes. Students will explore the model and input data similar to that of their local area. Students will then develop a model that is like their local area (school, home, city, etc.). Students will use the aligned worksheet to write narratives for each run simulation. They will also have to predict run simulations based on prior knowledge from site lesson #1 and 2.
Overview: In this lesson, students will be introduce to this MWEE unit with site visit #1, which will take place inside the classroom. Students will learn that different types of plants (shrub, tree, grass, flowering/non-flowering) impact how the land is formed due to runoff. Students will participate in two parts of this lesson. In the first part of the lesson, students will participate in a whole group observation and discussion centered around a rootkit viewer. Students will compare the difference between three different plants based on their roots. The second part of the lesson includes students dissecting and observing plant features, mainly focusing on its root system. Students will observe by illustrating and taking notes. In the end, they will participate in small group discussions to demonstrate understanding of the key role roots have in protecting the land.
Overview: In this lesson, students will further their understanding of the important role plants can play in regard to preventing erosion. The teacher will introduce key vocabulary terms and definitions to explain the natural occurrence of water absorption with soil/plants. The teacher will lead and facilitate a whole-group activity with the soil erosion simulation kit, (See material list). Students will reference to Site # 1, ‘Look Below at My Roots,’ where they had previously learned the importance of a plant’s root system. Students will deepen their knowledge by observing and making notes/illustrations of multiple scenarios that will be facilitated by the teacher using the Nasco Erosion Simulation kit. This activity demonstrates different scenarios of land covered in grass compared to bare land. Students will observe four different scenarios of “rain” being simulated with a water bucket over grassy land and bare dirt land. Students will discover that grassy land that is full of packed roots will have less runoff than bare land. Students will use observation notes and small group discussion to draw up these conclusions.
Overview: In this lesson, students will explore how water moves across the land and observe how different surfaces impact water absorption vs. runoff. This lesson is an extension from site visit #1 and site visit #2. Students will go outside to take notes, draw illustrations, and capture photos of key contributors, such as plants (trees, shrubs, grass), soil, and slopes. They will compare areas with and without vegetation and examine the effects of flat versus sloped land on water movement. After the outdoor investigation, students will reflect on their findings through guided questions, discussing how water changes the land, the role of plants in absorption, and ways to prevent excess runoff. This lesson encourages students to think of ways to control runoff and its environmental impact.
Overview: In this lesson, students will first learn about the Pennsylvania Chesapeake Bay Area. Then, they will make observations and reveal patterns of relationships based on the demonstrations carried out in the Stream Table. Students will observe different forms of erosion and land formation when waterways interact with natural objects such as large rocks, pebbles, trees, and/or shrubs near water pathways. The teacher will facilitate the Stream Table demonstration as well as use guided questions to help navigate the classroom discussion around main vocabulary terms and state standards, mentioned below. With the help of a facilitator (teacher), students will complete three different scenarios with the Stream Table. To conclude the lesson, students will learn about the Grand Canyon as an example of a physical region that formed by slow erosion over time.
Overview: In this lesson, students will first learn about the “de-icing” treatment for roads, commonly known as rock salt. Students will then explore their outside environment and school premises to observe erosion around waterways, roads, and/or parking lots. Using a saltwater kit, students will collect data and work together to provide evidence and write scientific observations on the affected areas. Using related content from site #1, these observations will focus on either natural formations (shrubs and trees) or human impacts (including man-made buildings, paved roads/parking lots, and the use of rock salt). Please note: this lesson is based around the winter season. This lesson should be conducted in two days. Please refer to the procedure section for clarification.
Overview: In this lesson, students will learn how models and simulations are great resources for research scientists to predict overall outcomes. Students will learn about the use of scientific simulations and will be active in using an online watershed model simulator to predict outcomes. Students will explore the model and input data similar to that of their local area. Students will then develop a model that is like their local area (school, home, city, etc.). Students will use the aligned worksheet to write narratives for each run simulation. They will also have to predict run simulations based on prior knowledge from site lesson #1 and 2.