In an effort to clean up the Chesapeake Bay, Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) members use hands-on experiential learning opportunities to train teacher ambassadors throughout the bay's jurisdictions. Teacher ambassadors use the skills they learn to develop a Meaningful Watershed Educational Experience (MWEE) for their students to raise awareness of…

Although the existence of and access to clean water are essential for sustaining life on Earth, multiple studies have demonstrated students' nascent understanding of basic water principles. Students have misconceptions related to the water cycle (Ben-zvi-Assarf and Orion 2005), groundwater (Dickerson and Dawkins 2004; Covitt et al. 2009), and the…

Every year, high school students hunch over microscopes and peer at a plethora of tiny creatures. Swimming single-celled protists and whirling multicellular rotifers often steal the show, preventing students from noticing the static algae. However, these frequently overlooked, ordinary algae are inspiring research all over the world as scientists…

Presents activities from an interdisciplinary project studying local watersheds that incorporate a broad spectrum of disciplines including science, math, geography, English, computer science, and political science. Enables students to understand how precipitation changes chemically as it interacts with the soils and human-altered landscape as it…

An instructional unit incorporating some of the Global Learning and Observation to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) hydrology protocols provides an excellent way to connect academic learning, scientific inquiry, multiple subjects, and the values required for concerned citizenship in a democracy. This article describes the GLOBE hydrology protocols…

Describes a free online service that can enhance water quality studies by allowing students from across the United States to share data. This telecommunications service from the University of Louisville combines chemistry, biology, environmental science, mathematics, and computer technology into interdisciplinary water quality studies. (JRH)

Describes an activity integrating science and social studies using an inquiry-based approach. Focuses on the historical use of natural resources, mining, water, and conservation. (YDS)

Discusses the polluting effects of petroleum products. Introduces an activity for measuring the molecules of oleic acid that integrates mathematics and science. (YDS)

Active involvement in society-related issues can elevate junior high school students' interest not only in the problem being solved but also in related scientific concepts. Examples of how scientific concepts and society-related issues can be taught in the same class are presented, focusing on genetic engineering, water shortage, and others.…