Introduction—Mapping Your Watershed Summary: This laboratory activity is designed to help students use remote sensing imagery to explore and classify natural and human derived land uses in watershed ecosystems. Concepts to teach: Interconnectedness, cycles, various coastal habitats Goals: Students will look critically at their local landscape using remote sensing imagery and ground truth to identify […]
Introduction—Watershed Modeling Summary: Students will create and explore small scale models of watersheds made from either paper or in a large group using a shower curtain. Students work to identify various living and nonliving features within their model and look at how they function within a watershed. Run-off, erosion, and sources of pollution are explored […]
Introduction—Watershed Walk Summary: This topic guide focuses on introducing students to watersheds by experiencing the one right outside their door. Students begin by using mapping programs and brief activities to learn about the water cycle and how water moves through the watershed. Students will then engage in a guided watershed walk on local school grounds […]
Planning—Plant for the Planet Summary: Despite their youth, elementary students can and do engage in projects that help address the problem of excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. In this topic guide, students learn about local trees in the schoolyard and how individual trees impact global systems. They then propose a restoration project that involves […]
Planning—Protecting Wetlands Summary: Plants living in the ocean have a tremendous role to play in carbon storage, and salt marshes are particularly good at storing carbon because the plants decompose so slowly. This topic guide focuses on the role marine wetlands play in carbon sequestration. Students visit a local wetland to better understand what ecological […]
Impacts—Too Much Carbon Summary: What happens when humans burn fossil fuels? The excess carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere causes the many climate change impacts explored in other areas of this module. In this topic guide, learn how CO2 is measured, interpret data charts to describe how CO2 levels have changed over time, and […]
Science Concepts—Carbon Capture Summary: This topic guide focuses on photosynthesis to help students to understand the role that plants play in carbon storage. Through photosynthesis, plants absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen. Animals, in contrast, breathe in oxygen, and breathe out carbon dioxide. Since the Industrial Revolution, humans have been adding more carbon into the […]
Science Concepts—Carbon on the Move Summary: Carbon is an important element that comprises part of all living organisms and is found in many nonliving parts of our planet and atmosphere. In this topic guide, students explore the carbon cycle to discover how carbon moves between atmosphere, biosphere and lithosphere. With a clear understanding of the […]
Impacts—Dealing with Drought Summary: Global climate models predict that Oregon will experience a reduction of water availability, increased drought, and increased chances for wildfire in coming years. Students will brainstorm steps they, their families and their schools can take to plan for these conditions. Concepts to teach: Crosscutting Concepts Cause and Effect Disciplinary Core Ideas […]
Impacts—Phenology Summary: Phenology is the study of periodic, seasonal biological phenomena that are often correlated with climatic conditions. Examples include the timing of plant flowering or bird migration. Changes in climate can result in phenophase shifts that can in turn affect the way ecosystems function. In this topic guide, students observe the timing of a […]