Water Lesson Plans (K-5)

Stream

Keywords: stream, wetland, acidity, alkaline, neutral, filter; Grade Levels: first and second grade; Time Required: 45 minutes; Setting: classroom

Water Conservation

Keywords: water Use, wasted water, water-wise ways; Lesson Plan Grade Level: second grade; Total Time Required for Lesson: 60 minutes (two days, 30 minutes each day); Setting: classroom

Watershed Tourist

Keywords: watershed, stream, river, ocean, flow; Grade Level: Elementary—grade 2 through 5; Total Time Required: 1 and a half hours (1-2 class periods); Setting: classroom

Getting to Know Some of PA's Fishes

Keywords: coldwater, cool water, warmwater, brook trout, brown trout, rainbow trout, golden rainbow trout, bluegill, black crappie, rock bass, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, yellow perch; Lesson Plan Grade Level: third grade and higher; Total Time Required for Lesson: one hour; Setting: classroom

Something's Fishy

Keywords: pelvic fin, caudal fin, anal fin, dorsal fin, lateral line, gill cover, pectoral fin, adipose fin; Lesson Plan Grade Level: third grade; Total Time Required for Lesson: 45 minutes as one continuous time block; Setting: classroom

Water Conservation

Keywords: water conservation, water use, data collection; Grade Level: third grade; Total Time for Lesson: 30 minutes each day on two separate days; Setting: classroom instruction with assignment to be done at home

What is Gyotaku

Keywords: gyotaku, fish printing, tempera paint, acrylic paint, permanent markers, dorsal fin, caudal fin, anal fin, lateral line, pectoral fin, pelvic fin, gill, eye, cheek, nostril, mandible; Lesson Plan Grade Level: third grade; Total Time Required for the Lesson: two one-hour class periods on different days; Setting: classroom

Your Own Freshwater Aquarium in the Classroom

Keywords: aquarium, tank, heater, floating thermometer, undergravel filter, plastic air tubing, air pump, gravel, plastic screen, plastic bucket, log book or chart, fish food, nitrate test kit, pH test kit, algae scraper, dissolved oxygen test kit, guppies, swordtails; Lesson Plan Grade Level: third grade and up; Total Time Required for the Lesson: three class periods over a month, plus daily feeding time, daily record keeping, and some time each week for maintenance; Setting: indoor classroom

Graphing Aquatic Insects

Keywords: biotic, abiotic, organisms, insects, graph, class, index; Grade Level of Lesson: 3-6 grade; Time Required: 2 hrs. (Can be done in two sessions); Setting: Local stream, classroom

Living in a Watershed

Keywords: ecosystem, watershed, basin, headwaters, source, tributary, mouth; Lesson Plan Grade Level: Grade 4; Total Time Required: Two classes of at least 40 minutes each; Setting: Indoor classroom

What's Dancing in the Water?

Keywords : watershed, wetland, water, lentic and lotic water, plants, insects, fish; Grade Levels : fourth grade; Total Time for Lesson: two sessions, about one hour each; Setting : session one in the classroom, sessions two at a pond or stream

Properties of Water with a Splash of Color

Keywords: dissolve, absorb, transparent, dense, polar, cohesive forces adhesion, watercolor, wash, medium, values; Lesson Plan Grade Level: fourth through sixth grade; Total Time Required for Lesson: 40 minutes as one continuous time block; Setting: art room classroom

To Protect Your Steams, Protect Your Mountains

Keywords: watershed, erosion, nonpoint, pollution; Grade Levels: fifth through seventh grade; Total Time: two hours plus field trip option; Setting: outdoors (w/ tables)

Water Quality

Key Words: Pollution, Water Quality, Visible, Invisible; Lesson Plan Level: Designed for Grades K-1; Time Required: 45 minutes; Setting: Inside the Classroom

Water Conservation

Keywords: Conservation, Consumption, Storm Water Management, Supply and Demand; Grade Level: Fifth Grade; Total Time Required: Three days, one thirty minute class session each day; Setting: Indoor

Watch What You Do to Your Storm Drain

Keywords: Nonpoint Source Pollution, Storm water, Storm Drain, Stream Quality; Grades: 4-5; Lesson/activity Time: Three 45 – 60 minute classes

Rain Gardens Part 1 - How Rain Gardens Preserve and Improve Our Water

Keywords: rain garden, storm water runoff, pollution, non-point source, conservation, paved areas, natural filter, absorption, downspout, ecosystem, native plants, pollinators; Grade Level: K-5 – activities and vocabulary can be adapted according to age level; Time Required: Two one-hour sessions; Setting: Outside the school and in the classroom

Rain Gardens Part 2 - Soil Comparisons in Preparation for Creating a Rain Garden

Keywords: rain garden, soil, clay, sand, silt, texture, absorption, drainage; Grade Level: K-5 – activities and vocabulary can be adapted according to age level; Time Required: Two one-hour sessions; Setting: Outside the school and in the classroom

The Importance of Maintaining Watersheds

Keywords: watershed, groundwater, runoff, water erosion; Grade Level: 3; Total Time Required: 45 minutes; Setting: classroom

Infiltrometer Investigation

Keywords: water absorption, infiltrometer; Grade Level: Second Grade; Total Time Required: One Hour; Setting: Three investigation sites: forest floor, lawn, and blacktop

How Clean is Our Water?

Keywords: aquatic, macroinvertebrates, streambed, clarity, and data; Grade Level: 2nd Grade (with the help of 5th Grade Science Buddies); Total Time Required: 4 days (approximately 1 hour each day); Setting: South Mountain Creek, classroom

Using Forests and Water for a Recreational Resource

Keywords: Recreation, Environment, Sustainabilty, Management; Grade Level: Fourth; Total Time Required: 43 minutes (1-2 classes); Setting: Classroom

What is the pH?

Keywords: acid, alkalinity, basic, predictor, acid rain; Lesson Grade Level: 3rd - 5th grade; Total Time Required: 2 - 45 minute periods; Setting: Classroom

Water Lesson Plans (6-8)

How Much Do I Know About Water?

Keywords: transparent, absorb, universal solvent, solvent, dense, polar, adhesion, cohesive forces; Lesson Plan Grade Level: sixth grade; Total Time Required for Lesson: 50 minutes; Setting: science classroom

Water: Read All About It!

Keywords: environment, current issues, newspapers, headlines; Lesson Plan Grade Level: sixth grade; Total Time Required for Lesson: five 45-minute class periods; Setting: classroom, outside, and library

Water: Naturally Cleaned

Keywords: water cycle, aquifer, buffer strips, ground water, infiltrate, watershed, pollution, erosion; Lesson Plan Grade Level: 5-6; Total Time Required: advance work to prepare stream tables, 2 class periods; Setting: regular classroom, activity may be done outside in good weather

Water, Water Everywhere

Keywords: water cycle, hydrology, precipitation, surface water, runoff, infiltrate, groundwater, aquifer, transpiration, evaporation, elevation, watershed; Lesson Plan Grade Level: sixth through eighth grade; Total Time Required for Lesson: two 40- to 45-minute class periods; Setting: classroom

Wetland in a Pan

Keywords: wetlands, water, water quality, wildlife; Grade Levels: sixth through eighth grade; Total Time for Lesson: 45 minutes; Setting: classroom

What is Wrong with my Pond?

Keywords: Water quality, water chemistry, pH, hardness; Lesson Plan Grade Level: 6-8; Total Time Require: 1 class period – 45 minutes; Setting: Classroom

Fish Fact Rummy

Keywords: habitat, spawning, aquatic, predators, carnivore, headwaters; Lesson Plan Grade Level: seventh grade science class; Total Time Required for Lesson: Playing game is 42 minutes. one class period for modified version, 3 class periods if research time to prepare rummy game is included; Setting: classroom and library (if research is included)

The Water Cycle

Keywords: water cycle, clouds, precipitation; Grade Level: seventh and eighth grade; Total Time for Lesson: two to three 40-minute class periods; Setting: classroom

Water Quality

Keywords: water quality, water testing, data collection; Grade Level: seventh and eighth grade; Total Time for Lesson: 45 minutes for in-class lab work and 3-4 hours for field activities; Setting: science lab and field

Ground Surfaces and Infiltration

Keywords: infiltration, water, permeability; Lesson Plan Grade Level: seventh through ninth grade; Total Time Required: two 45-minute periods, not necessarily one time block; Setting: outdoors around school, classroom

Leaf Pack Study

Keywords: macroinvertebrates, biotic index, water quality, habitats, stream community; Lesson Plan Grade Level: seventh through ninth grade; Total Time Required for Lesson: 90-minute continuous block and another 90-minute block after a 1-2 week interval; Setting: classroom and local stream

Simulating the Effects of Biodegradable Wastes on Dissolved Oxygen

Keywords: biodegradable wastes, dissolved oxygen, microbes; Lesson Plan Grade Level: seventh through ninth grade; Total Time Required for Lesson: 90-minute continuous blocks; Setting: classroom laboratory

Earth Water Distribution and Water Consumption

Keywords: freshwater, saltwater, groundwater, glacier water consumption, direct water consumption; Lesson Plan Grade Level: seventh through twelfth grade; Total Time Required for Lesson: 40 minutes; Setting: classroom Laboratory

Life in a Forest Stream

Keywords: invertebrate, vertebrate, seine net, electroshock, microscopic, metamorphosis, larva, nymph; Lesson Plan Grade Level: eighth grade; Setting: Reed's Gap State Park (Honey Creek)

Speed of a Forest Stream

Keywords: slope, velocity, aeration, erosion, sedimentation; Lesson Plan Grade Level: eighth grade; Setting: Reeds Gap State Park (Honey Creek)

Pennsylvania Watersheds

Keywords: watersheds, Pennsylvania watersheds, forest benefits; Grade Level: eighth and ninth grade; Total Time for Lesson: Two 48 minute-class periods; Setting: classroom

Treatment Ponds and Lagoons

keywords:Aerobic ponds, Anaerobic ponds, Facultative pond, Series ponds, Parallel ponds, Microbiological factors, Bacteria, Algae, Protozoa, Rotifers, Crustaceans; Lesson Plan Grade Level: Middle School; Total Time Required: Four periods; Setting: The introduction of the terms and general overview of how a lagoon works will be presented in the regular classroom setting. The following day the class will go to the computer lab to find examples of lagoons on the net and learn more about the microbiological factors that break down waste so that the water from the system can be safe to discharge into a stream or river without adversely affecting the environment. The lesson will conclude with a visit to a local lagoon system to observe how it operates and go over the tests performed on the discharge to ensure it will not negatively impact the environment.

Mapping Watersheds in a Small Community

keywords: Compass, Geology, GIS, GPS, Lagoon, MAPS, Plainimetric, Query, Scale, Spatial, Topographic, Watershed, Wetlands; Grade Level: Middle School, Grades 5 – 8; Total Time Required: Five Meetings; Setting: The lesson will require one meeting in the classroom, two days working on site at the small community and two meetings using the computer laboratory.

Water Lesson Plans (9-12)

Groundwater as Part of the Water Cycle

Keywords: groundwater, water cycle, aquifer; Grade Level: ninth grade; Total Time for Lesson: two 55-minute periods; Setting: classroom

Identifying Pennsylvania Watersheds

Keywords: watershed, ground water, surface water, buffer strip; Lesson Plan Grade Level: ninth grade; Total Time Required for Lesson: one class period; Setting: introductory lesson

What's in My Water, and How Did it Get There?

Keywords: water cycle, water pollution, sources of water pollution; Lesson Plan Grade Level: ninth through eleventh grade; Total Time Required: two 45-minute periods, not necessarily continuous; Setting: classroom, library/computer lab

Acid Rain: Where Have All the Rainbows Gone?

Keywords: chemical principles, acid precipitation, social and economic issues; Settings: classroom and school grounds; Total Time for Lesson: four standard (40- to 45-minute) class periods; Grade Levels: ninth through twelfth grade

How Much Do I Know About Water?

Keywords: transparent, absorb, universal solvent, solvent, dense, polar, adhesion, cohesive forces; Lesson Plan Grade Level: sixth grade; Total Time Required for Lesson: 50 minutes; Setting: science classroom

Identifying Wetlands

Keywords: water plants, wetlands, hydrology; Grade Level: ninth through twelfth grade; Time Required: 85-minute period (not including follow-up activities)

Management of Commercial Fisheries, Part 1

Keywords: fishery, habitat, biota; Lesson Plan Grade Level: tenth through twelfth grade, ecology/natural resource management class; Total Time Required for Lesson: 70-minute block (can be modified to fit different times); Setting: classroom with a whiteboard/chalkboard and/or an overhead projector

Management of Commercial Fisheries, Part 2

Keywords: fishery, habitat, biota, sustainability, values; Lesson Plan Grade Level: tenth through twelfth grade, ecology/natural resource management class; Total Time Required for Lesson: 70-minute block (can be modified to fit different times); Setting: classroom with a whiteboard/chalkboard and/or an overhead projector

Management of Commercial Fisheries, Part 3

Keywords: fishery, habitat, biota, sustainability, values, research; Lesson Plan Grade Level: 10-12 Ecology/Natural Resource Management Class; Total Time Required for Lesson: 70-minute block (can be modified to fit different times); Setting: computer lab with Internet access and a library

Our Keystone FFA Spring

Keywords: Watershed, Groundwater, Water Table, Topographical Map; Lesson Plan Grade Level: ninth through twelfth grade; Total Time Required: 1 hour in classroom and 45 minutes to 1 hour outside; Setting: introduction and project in classroom, walking over our watershed (outside)

PA Watersheds, Many Ways to the Sea

Keywords: watersheds, Pennsylvania watersheds, groundwater, map reading, physical properties of water, water cycle, surface water; Grade Level: ninth through twelfth grade; Total Time for Lesson: four standard class periods; Setting: classroom and computer lab

Water Quality Survey

Keywords: water quality, alkalinity, nitrate, pH, and biotic index; Lesson Plan Grade Level: ninth through twelfth; Total Time Required: one half-day at streams and two class periods; Setting: classroom and a local stream that passes through possible pollution areas such as cow pastures and other agricultural areas (along fields), or sewage treatment plant or urban area

Falling Hydrogen Ions

Keywords: pH, acid rain; Setting: classroom; Grade Level: tenth grade; Total Time for Lesson: 48 minutes

Watershed Delineation

Keywords: watershed, topographic map; Lesson Plan Grade Level: tenth through twelfth grade, ecology/natural resource management class; Total Time Required for Lesson: part of a 70-minute block (can be modified to fit different times); Setting: classroom

Conducting a Watershed Snapshot of Blockhouse Creek

Keywords: watershed, stream order, pH, D.O., nitrate, sulfates, phosphorus, iron, alkalinity, gradient, aquatic, riparian; Lesson Plan Grade Level: tenth through twelfth grade; Total Time Required for Lesson: visual surveys should take about 20-30 minutes per site including the collection of water samples. samples will take about 60 minutes per site to test, but groups can divide this work up; Setting: six sampling sites on Blockhouse Creek

Wet 'n Wild Watersheds

Keywords: watershed, water cycle, riparian zone, pollution; Lesson Plan Grade Level: tenth through twelfth grade, ecology/natural resource management class; Total Time Required for Lesson: 70-minute block (can be modified to fit different times); Setting: classroom

Water Quality Assessment

Keywords: water quality, field research, human impact; Total Time Required: two classes in the field/three classes in the classroom; Grade Level: eleventh and twelfth grades

Origins of Water on Earth

Keywords: Science Inquiry, Theory, Natural Resources; Grade Level: 9-12; Total Time Required: 1-2 Instructional Periods; Setting: Classroom

A River Can't Defend Itself in Court: the Role of the Riverkeeper

Keywords: Management, Advocacy, Ecosystems; Grade Level: 9-12; Total Time Required: 1-2 instructional periods; Setting: indoor classroom