ORValguita - Watersheds

"A watershed is an area that is drained by rivers and streams and includes geographical structures like mountains, valleys, and man-made structures like buildings, parking lots and highways, and it also includes a rich biodiversity that is supported by the ecosystems within." Watershed Wonders, AMRF

Watersheds connect us all to the ocean. A "watershed" defines the path that rain and other water takes across the land to the ocean. No matter where you live you are connected to the Ocean through your watershed.

Topic 1 WATERSHED CONNECTIONS

Build a Watershed Model (Watershed Wonders, Algalita Marine Research Foundation)

DESCRIPTION: "Students will compare the quality of water in a watershed before and after human development, by running water through a watershed model before and after the introduction of simulated pollution (red dye and cocoa powder.)"

http://algalita.org/pdf/WatershedWonders-curr.pdf

Printouts:

Watershed Wonders (7.1MB PDF) Print pages 15 & 16 of the PDF. (This is an 91 page PDF of the full Watershed Wonders Curricula designed for middle and high school classrooms.)

The Water Cycle Through Your School (Watershed Wonders, Algalita Marine Research Foundation)

DESCRIPTION: "Students will calculate the weight of rainfall that enters the watershed by calculating the volume of rain that falls on their school in a year." This activity is done by measuring the dimensions of the school grounds and using local averages of annual precipitation.

http://algalita.org/pdf/WatershedWonders-curr.pdf

Printouts:

Watershed Wonders ( 7.1 MB PDF) Print pages 17-20 of the PDF. (This is an 91 page PDF of the full Watershed Wonders Curricula designed for middle and high school classrooms.)