Kids
love water, but can they learn about science as they splash around?
Karen Hartsock immerses
kids in hands-on science every year at Dungannon Intermediate
School. With the help of a grant from the Virginia
Environmental Endowment, she built a curriculum of
watershed games that capture students' interest while helping them
acquire essential knowledge to be tested on the Virginia's Standards of
Learning exams.
Her curriculums for elementary
school, intermediate
school, and high school are outlined below.
Project
1 – Incredible Journey
SOLs:4.5
Summary: With the role of a die, students simulate the movement of water within the water cycle.
Materials Needed: 9 large pieces of paper, copies of water cycle table, marking pens, 9 Styrofoam cubes
Source: Project Wet
Project 2 – Thicket Game
SOLs: K.6, 1.5, 3.4
Summary: Students become “predators” and “prey” in a version of “hide and seek”.
Materials Needed: blindfold
Source: Project Wild
Project 3 - Habitat Lap Sit
SOLs: K.6, 1.8, 2.5, 3.6, 4.5
Summary: Students physically form an interconnected circle to demonstrate components of habitat.
Materials Needed: none
Source: Project Wild
Project 4 – Oh! Deer
SOLs: K.6, 1.8, 2.5, 3.6, 4.5
Summary: Students become “deer’ and components of habitat in a highly-involving physical activity.
Materials Needed: marker, flipchart
Source: Project Wild
Project 5 – Deadly Links
SOLs: K.6, 1.8, 2.5, 3.6, 4.5
Summary: Students become “hawks”, “shrews”, and “grasshoppers” in a highly-involved physical activity depicting the movement of pesticides in a food chain.
Materials Needed: Construction paper, sandwich bags, labels
Source: Project Wild
Project 6 – Are You Me?
SOLs: K.6, 1.5, 2.5, 3.6, 4.5
Summary: Students will recognize various young stages of aquatic animals and match them with corresponding adult stages.
Materials Needed: Animal cards
Source: Project Wild Aquatic
Project
1 – Lost River Village
SOLs: 4.8, 5.8, 6.7, LS 12
Summary: Students will associate underground karst systems with human impact on water quality creating a map of land use activities.
Materials Needed: one set of copy pages, scissors, gluestick, pencil, crayons
Source: Project Underground
Project 2 – Incredible Journey
SOLs: 4.5, 6.3, LS 7
Summary: With the role of a die, students simulate the movement of water within the water cycle.
Materials Needed: 9 large pieces of paper, copies of water cycle table, marking pens, 9 Styrofoam cubes
Source: Project Wet
Project 3 – Thicket Game
SOLs: LS 10
Summary: Students become “predators” and “prey” in a version of “hide and seek”.
Materials Needed: blindfold
Source: Project Wild
Project 4 - Habitat Lap Sit
SOLs: 5.8, 6.7, LS 12
Summary: Students physically form an interconnected circle to demonstrate components of habitat.
Materials Needed: none
Source: Project Wild
Project 5 – Oh! Deer
SOLs: 6.7, LS 10
Summary: Students become “deer’ and components of habitat in a highly-involving physical activity.
Materials Needed: marker, flipchart
Source: Project Wild
Project 6 – Deadly Links
SOLs: 6.7, LS10
Summary: Students become “hawks”, “shrews”, and “grasshoppers” in a highly-involved physical activity depicting the movement of pesticides in a food chain.
Materials Needed: Construction paper, sandwich bags, labels
Source: Project Wild
Project 7 – Migration Headache
SOLs: 5.8, 6.9, LS 12
Summary: Students portray migrating water birds traveling between nesting habitats and wintering grounds. They encounter limiting factors and predict effects of limiting factors.
Materials Needed: paper plates, flipchart pad
Source: Project Wild Aquatic
Project 8 – Wetlands Soils in Living Color
SOLs: 5.5, 6.7, LS 12
Summary: Students learn about the properties of wetland soils and classify soil types using a simple color key.
Materials Needed: pencils, three soil samples, shovel, 64 Crayola crayons, scissors, gluestick, posterboard, yardstick
Source: Project Wet
Project 9 – Something’s Fishy
SOLs: 5.8, 6.5, LS 7
Summary: Students read and discuss a story, inventing their own endings that lead to environmental action in their community.
Materials Needed: copy of story, paper, pencils
Source: Project Wet
Project 10 – Macroinvertebrate Mayhem
SOLs: 5.5, 6.7, LS 12
Summary: Students play a game to simulate the effects of environmental stressors on macroinvertebrate populations. Students then observe the riverbed, capture, identify, and release macroinvertebrates.
Materials needed: identification cards, snorkels, ice trays, net seine, flipchart paper.
Source: Project Wet
Project 11 – Watershed
SOLs: 5.8, 6.5, LS 7
Summary: Students measure the area of a local watershed, calculate the amount of water it receives each year, and discuss the varied roles of the watershed plays in human and wildlife.
Materials needed: tent stakes, hammer, two 50 ft. measuring tapes, two 100ft. measuring tapes, paper, clipboards, local maps, and flipchart pad.
Project 1 – Lost River Village
SOLs: ES.9, Bio. 9
Summary: Students will associate underground karst systems with human impact on water quality creating a map of land use activities.
Materials Needed: one set of copy pages, scissors, gluestick, pencil, crayons
Source: Project Underground
Project 2 – Incredible Journey
SOLs: ES. 9
Summary: With the role of a die, students simulate the movement of water within the water cycle.
Materials Needed: 9 large pieces of paper, copies of water cycle table, marking pens, 9 Styrofoam cubes
Source: Project Wet
Project 3 - Habitat Lap Sit
SOLs: ES.9, Bio. 9
Summary: Students physically form an interconnected circle to demonstrate components of habitat.
Materials Needed: none
Source: Project Wild
Project 4 – Something’s Fishy
SOLs: ES. 9
Summary: Students read and discuss a story, inventing their own endings that lead to environmental action in their community.
Materials Needed: copy of story, paper, pencils
Source: Project Wet
Project 5– Macroinvertebrate Mayhem
SOLs: Es. 9, Bio. 9
Summary: Students play a game to simulate the effects of environmental stressors on macroinvertebrate populations. Students then observe the riverbed, capture, identify, and release macroinvertebrates.
Materials needed: identification cards, snorkels, ice trays, net seine, flipchart paper.
Source: Project Wet
Project 6 – Watershed
SOLs: Es. 9
Summary: Students measure the area of a local watershed, calculate the amount of water it receives each year, and discuss the varied roles of the watershed plays in human and wildlife.
Materials needed: tent stakes, hammer, two 50 ft. measuring tapes, two 100ft. measuring tapes, paper, clipboards, local maps, and flipchart pad.