Exploring Watersheds in North America Activity Source: Written by AGI for ESW 2024 Watersheds serve as natural drainage systems, collecting rainfall and channeling it towards a common outlet such as lakes, rivers, or oceans. The health of watersheds directly impacts the availability and cleanliness of water for drinking, agriculture, and ecosystems. Additionally, watersheds play a critical role in regulating water cycles, mitigating floods, and replenishing groundwater reserves. Understanding and managing watersheds is essential for sustainable water resource management and ecosystem conservation, ensuring the well-being of both human and natural communities. [Read More]

Exploring Your Community Activity Source: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Adapted with permission. Think about the weather and environment where you live. Have you ever been in a strong storm? Have you ever experienced flooding, a wildfire, or really hot days? These types of environmental hazards are happening more often because of climate change. Even though these events can be scary, there is so much you can do in your own community to make it better able to handle these challenges. [Read More]

Eye of the Storm Activity Source: Esri A tropical storm is brewing in the Atlantic Ocean. It’s causing rain and thunderstorms over the Caribbean, and it will soon be a tropical depression — the beginning of a hurricane. By the time Hurricane Mitch leaves the Central America, more than 11,000 people will be dead and as many as 18,000 more will be missing. (Activity adapted from Mapping Our World. Materials Computer with Internet connection. [Read More]

Find Your Park Activity Source: Adapted with permission by National Park Service. A park can be many different things to many different people. For many people, Canyonlands National Park is a favorite showcase of geology. In each of the park’s districts, you can see the remarkable effects of millions of years of erosion on a landscape of sedimentary rock. The Green River has carved a channel out of rock layers deposited nearly 300 million years ago creating an open book for earth science enthusiast of all ages. [Read More]

Finding Slope Activity Source: Soil Science Society of America. H.M. Galloway, A.L. Zachery, Agronomy Department, Purdue University, Revised by S.S. Fulk-Bringman. Adapted with permission. Earth scientists play an important, if largely invisible, role in many aspects of our daily lives, such as building homes or growing food. For example, geoscientists help determine which locations would be best for undertaking these vital activities. The slope of the soil is an important soil property to consider when building or planting. [Read More]

Flood! Activity Source: DiscoverySchool.com Credit: Susan Hurstcalderone, science and resource teacher, Blessed Sacrament School, Washington, D.C. Length of Lesson: Two class periods Objectives: Students will understand the following: Different types of soil have different capacities for retaining rainwater. If the soil in an area will not hold enough rainwater, flooding problems will ensue. Soil can be tested for its water-retaining capacity. Materials: The following materials should be distributed to each group: [Read More]

Food Source Activity Source: Association of American Geographers. Adapted with permission. How diverse are the food sources in your community and where are they located? How far do they travel to reach you? Do you think the food sources for your community are sustainable? This multi-day activity explores these questions. As of 2008, more than 50 percent of the world’s population lives in cities for the first time in the history of the planet. [Read More]

Fossil Formation Activity Source: Society of Petroleum Engineers. Adapted with permission. Have you ever seen a fossil? A fossil is any evidence of past life preserved in sediments or rocks. Do you think you could have dinosaur fossils in your family car’s gas tank? Did you ever hear that oil and natural gas are “fossil fuels”? Do you think oil and natural gas can be made from fossils? How long do you think it takes fossil fuel to form? [Read More]

Freddy the Fish Activity Source: Gammar, Debbie (1997) Environmental Teaching Guide Vol. 2. TNRCC. pg. 35-36. Procedures Exploration In a whole group have the students complete a brainstorm activity on all the information they can recall about river habitats and water pollution. Information Human activities can have a detrimental effect on animal habitats. People need to be more aware of their actions and the consequences of those actions. Materials one-gallon glass jar sponge cut in shape of a fish fishing line tied to a pencil at one end and Freddy at the other (Freddy should hang in the middle of the jar) small amounts of the following: soil, pancake syrup, salt, paper dots, brown sugar, soapy water, red and green food coloring Copy of Freddy the Fish on note cards. [Read More]

From Trash to Terrarium Activity Source: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Adapted with permission. Our ocean is filled with items that don’t belong there. Huge amounts of plastics, metals, rubber, paper, textiles, abandoned fishing gear, and much more enter the ocean every day, making marine debris one of the most widespread pollution problems facing the ocean and waterways. The problem of marine debris affects everyone, no matter where they live. Marine debris comes from human activity on land and at sea. [Read More]