We want this site to become part of your educational materials, a resource that you can utilize to make the students in your class realize that we are all residents of a watershed no matter where we live. We would like you to refer your students to this site for any watershed related projects with which they are involved. Some ideas on how to engage your students in using this web site.
By its very nature, the watershed approach will introduce students to ecology, biology, hydrology, geology, and geography. The questions asked can be used to gage reading comprehension and writing skills. There are many ways in which you as an educator can use the information available on this site. The following is a list of suggestions on how you can direct your students to use this site as a resource to access information and evaluate what they have learned and how effectively they present that information.
• Ask your students to locate their watershed address. This is an important component of watershed stewardship.
• Ask your students to write an essay on the major watershed they live in and how water running off their property will find its way through their home watershed and into the major watershed.
• Ask your students to follow a drop of rain, falling on their home or the school, as it makes its way to the Atlantic Ocean.
• Locate streams and rivers that form boundaries between Monroe County and other counties or states.
• Describe the hydrologic cycle and include a diagram.
• Find out what the most recent high flows (or low flows) were on area streams and how it compares to the mean flow for that particular stream.
• Interpret one week's worth of water temperature data from the stream gage on either the Pohopoco Creek in Kresgeville or the Tobyhanna Creek in Blakeslee.
• Ask them to describe point source pollution and give an example.
• Ask them to describe nonpoint source pollution and give an example.
• Ask them to describe the difference between a point source of pollution and a nonpoint source of pollution, and ask them which is easier for the government to regulate.
• Ask them how most nonpoint source pollution is carried to a stream, lake or river.
• Ask them to describe steps that individuals can take to help reduce the potential for nonpoint source pollution events in our streams and ground water.
• Ask them to describe base flow and where most of the water making up base flow comes from.
• Create a schematic map of a watershed, and ask the students to label the stream order for each, or selected, stream throughout.
• Ask them to describe their favorite link and what they learned about watersheds while visiting the site. Some sample questions for exams
Check out these sites:
The US Environmental Protection Agency website contains a series of four Water Sourcebooks for grades K-12. The books contain numerous lesson plans including hands-on experiments and activities.
The Penn State University School of Forest Resorces Water Lesson Plans webpage offers a variety of activities for grade school, middle school, and high school levels.
The Brodhead Creek Regional Authority's Dr. Waters webpages include a teacher's page (containing activity sheets which address the PA Academic Standards for Environment and Ecology) and a FUN! page for all ages. Be sure to click on the house in the FUN! page for an interactive page with videos and a corresponding test for the students.
EPA's Nonpoint Source Kids page includes fun activities and links which enforce some of the concepts previously addressed on this website.