Sources
The idea for this lesson came from the “Watershed in your hand” lesson from the Watershed Project’s Kids in Creeks curriculum and from the “Wetlands in a pan” lesson from Save the Bay’s Watershed curriculum. Save the Bay’s versions of these lessons are available below as pdf documents.
The following sites provide excellent scientific background information about wetlands and watersheds.
Although out of print, the USGS Water Resources Outreach Program has produced 9 fabulous posters with beautiful, colorful depictions of watersheds, wetlands, waste water treatment, water quality and more. Each poster has activities on the back with you can view online.
Standards
Grade 6
2. Topography is reshaped by the weathering of rock and soil and by the transportation and deposition of sediment. As a basis for understanding this concept:
a. Students know water running downhill is the dominant process in shaping the landscape, including California’s landscape.
b. Students know rivers and streams are dynamic systems that erode, transport sediment, change course, and flood their banks in natural and recurring patterns.
7. Scientific progress is made by asking meaningful questions and conducting careful investigations. As a basis for understanding this concept and addressing the content in the other three strands, students should develop their own questions and perform investigations. Students will:
a. Develop a hypothesis.
f. Read a topographic map and a geologic map for evidence provided on the maps and construct and interpret a simple scale map.
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
| Watershed_in_Your_Hands.pdf | 82.38 KB |
| Wetlands_in_a_Pan.pdf | 151.85 KB |