Watershed Awareness using Technology and Environmental Research for Sustainability (WATERS)

The WATERS project is developing and researching a student-centered, place-based, and accessible curriculum for teaching watershed concepts and water career awareness for students in the middle grades. This 10-lesson unit includes online, classroom, and field activities. Students use a professional-grade online GIS modeling resource, simulations, sensors, and other interactive resources to collect environmental data and analyze their local watershed issues. The WATERS project is paving a path to increased access to research-based, open access curricula that hold the potential to significantly increase awareness of and engagement with watershed concepts and career pathways in learners nationwide.

This material is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. The software is licensed under Simplified BSD, MIT or Apache 2.0 licenses. Please provide attribution to the Concord Consortium and the URL https://concord.org.

If the walls of two houses have different insulation values, you would expect the same heater to have a different effect. Suppose you placed thermometers near the wall of each house, one on the inside and one on the outside. What would you expect the thermometers to show as you heated the houses? Run this model and see if it matches your prediction.

In this Investigation, students will start by analyzing observations of matter in order to evaluate continuous and particle models of matter. Students will then use evidence from mixing water and ethanol to evaluate those models. Finally, students will apply their model to explain observations of gases. This Investigation builds toward NGSS PE HS-PS1-3.

In this investigation, students develop a model of electric fields to explain how charged objects interact. Students analyze how the charge on objects and the distance between them affects the strength of the interactions between those objects. This investigation builds toward NGSS PEs: HS-PS2-4 and HS-PS3-5.

This investigation follows the historical development of models of atomic structure and provides students with the opportunity to explore simulations of some of the experiments that led to these models. In addition, through hands-on activities involving representative objects, this investigation helps students gain insight into the size of atoms as compared with other small objects. This investigation helps build toward NGSS PEs: HS-PS1-1 and HS-PS1-3.

Explore the advantages and disadvantages of different energy sources for generating electricity. A particular focus is given to natural gas extracted from shale formations through the hydraulic fracturing process. At the end of the module, you will be able to compare the relative costs and benefits (abundance, ecological impacts, etc.) of different sources used for generating electricity.

In this investigation, students will explore phase changes of water and develop a model that explains how intramolecular and intermolecular interactions result in arrangements that lower potential energy. This investigation builds towards NGSS PEs HS-PS1-3 and HS-PS3-2.

Enter the virtual world of Geniverse where students explore heredity and genetics by breeding and studying virtual dragons. In this activity, control the process of meiosis and fertilization in dragons. Win challenges by examining the genes on dragon chromosomes, recombining alleles and selecting the right gametes.

Explore pressure at the atomic level. All matter is made up of atoms, which make up molecules. These atoms and molecules are always in motion. When atoms and molecules are contained, we can measure the amount of pressure they exert on the container. This applies to all sorts of pressure: air pressure, blood pressure and tire pressure.

In this investigation, students begin talking about the idea of energy. Students start by defining energy and investigating differences between potential and kinetic energy. They then explore energy transfer and energy conservation. Finally, they connect energy to charges and atomic structure of matter. This investigation builds toward NGSS PEs: MS-PS3-5, MS-PS1-4, and HS-PS3-2.

Earth's temperature has increased over the past 120 years. Explore the interactions between factors that affect Earth's climate. Explore temperature data from ice cores, sediments, and satellites and greenhouse gas data from atmospheric measurements. Run experiments with computer-based models to discern the interactions between Earth's atmosphere, surface, and ocean. You will not be able to answer the module's framing question at the end of the module, but you will be able to explain how scientists can be certain that Earth is warming while not being entirely certain about how much Earth will warm.

In this investigation, students make observations about how water behaves connecting those observations to known properties of water. They explore why water is so important for life, how it is different from other liquids, why the components of water (hydrogen and oxygen are important), and how electron distribution affects observations of water. This investigation builds towards NGSS PE: HS-PS1-3.

The purpose of insulation is to maintain a temperature difference between inside and outside with the least possible heat flow and thus a smaller heating requirement. If it's cold outside and the insulation value of a wall or window is low, the temperature near that surface will be lower, too. Move thermometers around the model building walls -- both inside and outside -- to locate where the insulation is good and where it's not so good.

In this investigation, students will construct a model of chemical reactions involving energy and electrostatic interactions. Students learn that a chemical reaction is a process that involves the atoms of substances rearranging to form new substances and that to start any chemical reaction, energy is needed to break bonds in the reactants. Students will compare reactions and changes in energy. Students develop several models to describe observations of reactions. This investigation builds toward NGSS PEs: HS-PS1-4, HS-PS1-5 and HS-PS3-2.

In this investigation, students define potential energy and factors that impact the amount of potential energy that exists in a system. Students start by defining potential energy as energy that is stored in a system of interacting objects. Students then explore the relationship between potential energy and fields in order to explain how objects interact without touching. Finally, students evaluate factors that affect the amount of potential energy stored in a system. This investigation builds toward NGSS PEs: MS-PS3-2 and HS-PS3-5.

This activity will help students to explore why hurricanes/typhoons spin counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere (and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere). They will explore how air moves in high and low pressure systems and how the flow of air is affected by the spinning of the Earth.

In this investigation, students will develop a conceptual model of electrostatic interactions by exploring how various charged objects (Scotch tape, balloons, rods of various materials, and a Van de Graaff generator) interact with each other and with uncharged objects (paper, water bottle, a hand). By the end of the investigation, the student model will include positive and negative charges as well as patterns that can be used to explain and predict how charged objects interact. This investigation builds toward NGSS PE: HS-PS2-4.

In this investigation, students will learn how temperature affects 3D structure and function of proteins and their ability to carry out biological functions. This investigation builds towards PEIn this investigation, PE HS-PS3-5 and PE HS-LS1-6.

Smog events have become less common in the United States since the Clean Air Acts went into effect. Yet there are still poor air quality events in some areas of the country. Other regions of the world have many more bad air days. What causes poor air quality? Explore the question, will the air be clean enough to breathe? You will be guided through the analysis of models and real-world data as you explore the interactions of factors that affect a region's air quality. You will not be able to answer the module's framing question at the end of the module, but you will be able to predict the effect of human development on a region's air quality.

Fresh water is necessary for life on land, but it is not evenly distributed around the world. Explore the distribution and uses of fresh water on Earth. Explore models of porosity and permeability to determine how water moves underground. Run experiments with computer-based models to determine how human actions affect the supply of fresh water. You will not be able to answer the module's framing question at the end of the module, but you will be able to explain how humans can preserve supplies of fresh water for the future.