Documents on Ecosystems
Date: 23 Aug 2006
Project Watershed Info:
Background Information
| Why do we care? |
|
Designed for grades 4 and up
Standards in Environment and Ecology addressed:
- 4.1.7. Watershed and Wetlands
- 4.3.7. Environmental Health
- 4.3.7. B Describe how human action affect the health of the environment
- 4.6.7. Ecosystems and their Interactions
- 4.9.7. Environmental Laws and Regulations
- 4.9.7. A Explain the role of environmental law and regulations
General Teacher Resources:
- Environment and Ecology for Pennsylvania- Meeting the Standards; Globe Fearon, Pearson Learning Group, 2003
- Science and Civics: Sustaining Wildlife - Project Wildlife, Curriculum Guide for Grades 9- 12
Project WILD, 5555 Morningside Drive, Suite 212
Houston, TX 77005
e-mail: info@projectwild.org www.projectwild.org - Earth Force: Protecting Our Watersheds -A comprehensive action package for educators., Catalog # POW951, Price: $65.00
Earth Force: What Do YOU Think? The Debate on Water Quality Issues. Tackles difficult water quality issues from multiple sides. Catalog # WDYT001 Price: $10.00
Earth Force: Field Manual for Water Quality Monitoring - 12th Edition, The latest edition of the GREEN manual., Catalog # ISBN - 1-6801, Price: $25.95
Earth Force: Rivers Biology- This chapter of The Rivers Curriculum focuses on the biology of rivers, Catalog # River49369, Price: $29.95
Earth Force: Rivers Earth Science, This chapter of The Rivers Curriculum focuses on earth science., Catalog # River49370, Price: $29.95
Earth Force: Rivers Geography, This chapter of The Rivers Curriculum focuses on the geography of rivers., Catalog # River49368, Price: $29.95
Earth Force: Rivers Language Arts, This chapter of The Rivers Curriculum focuses on different to teach students basic language skills through learning about different rivers., Catalog # River49372, Price: $29.95
Earth Force: Rivers Mathematics, This chapter of The Rivers Curriculum focuses on the mathematics of rivers., Catalog # River49371, Price: $29.95
Earth Force: Water Studies for Younger Folks, This manual was adopted from Stapp and Mitchell: A Field Manual to Water Quality Monitoring (4th ed.) to provide an upper elementary-junior high level curriculum for students involved in water quality monitoring., Catalog # EF400, Price: $10.95
Earth Force: Wet Your Waders CD-ROM, This interactive CD-ROM takes students on a virtual tour through a watershed. Allows for chemical and biological testing to determine water quality. Catalog # 5929 Price: $39.00 - List of available Curriculum Re-alignment Materials offered through the Department of Education, Office of Environment and Ecology.
- Project WET, Curriculum & Activity Guide, 1995
201 Culbertson Hall
Montana State University
Bozeman, Montana 59717-0057 e.mail: rwwt@msu.oscs.montana.edu - PA Bureau of State Parks Watershed Education, Teacher Manual, 1998
Rachel Carson State Office Building
P.O. Box 8551
Harrisburg, PA 17105-8551
e-mail: enved.sp@al.dcnr.state.pa.us - project WILD, K-12 Activity Guide, 1995
5430 Grosvenor Lane
Bethesda, MD 20814
e-mail: natpwild@igc.apc.org - Pennsylvania - Amphibians & Reptiles, A Curriculum Guide, 2001
PA Fish and Boat Commission and Powdermill Nature Reserve, Carnegie Museum of Natural History - A Watershed Primer, A Collection of Essays on Watershed Issues, edited by Janette M. Novak and William H. Woodwell, Jr.
- Environmental Rediscoveries
This program is funded by a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). The Environmental Rediscoveries program was created in cooperation with DEP, Pennsylvania Sea Grant , and the Bayfront Center for Maritime Studies. - KARE- Keystone Aquatic Resource Education, An Earth Science/Biology Unit, 1988
PA Fish & Boat Commission
Bureau of Education & Information
P.O. 67000
Harrisburg, PA 17106-7000 - KARE-Keystone Aquatic Resource Education, Living in Water, An Aquatic Science Curriculum for Grades 4-6, 1987,
Pennsylvania Fish Commission
Documents on Watersheds:
Glossary
Definition of a Watershed
What is a Watershed?
Watershed Boundaries
Adopt Your Watershed
Success Stories I for Pennsylvania
Success Stories II for Pennsylvania
Kid's Page of Links to Watershed Activities and Info
30 Things You Can Do To Improve the Environment
Are We Running Dry?
Dumping Takes Lake Erie to the Brink
Open Letter to Great Lakes Leaders and the Great Lakes Community
Websites with Watershed information:
General Information
- Understanding Watersheds
http://www.green.org/files.cgi/204_I_Understanding_Watersheds.html - Learning to Use Topographical Maps
http://www.umkc.edu/sites/env-sci/module9/weblab9.htm#what topos show - Watershed.TV
http://www.greenworks.tv/watershedstv/archives.htm - Watershed Game Page for Kids - with two levels: Novice and Intermediate. The novice level is for third and fourth graders, or anyone who isn't sure what a watershed is.
http://www.bellmuseum.org/mnideals/watershed/watershed2.html - PA Department of Environmental Protection
http://www.dep.state.pa.us/info.htm?depNav=| - What's in my Watershed? Department of Environmental Protection
http://www.emappa.dep.state.pa.us/emappawebsite/emapWIMN/viewer.htm?depNav=| - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
http://www.epa.gov/ - Fifteen Things You can Do to Make a Difference in Your Watershed
http://www.epa.gov/owow/watershed/earthday/earthday.html - Pennsylvania Water Resources Directory - is a compilation of resources that can be used to enhance audience understanding about topics related to water quality and watersheds. The Directory is printed annually by the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts, Inc. (PACD). The online version of the Directory is also revised, ongoing.
http://www.pacd.org/resources/water/introduction.html - Watershed Directory
http://www.pacd.org/resources/water/Watersheds.html) and Contact List (http://www.pacd.org/resources/water/Contact.html - Great Lakes Directory
http://www.greatlakesdirectory.org/ - What's Up With Our Nation's Waters? A brochure for students with a good overview, a test and action suggestions
http://www.epa.gov/owow/monitoring/nationswaters/waterspdf.html
Water Quality
- Chemistry and Water Quality
http://www.mtsd.org/district/technology/Technology_Integration/wqual%26organisms.html - Urbanization and Water Quality
http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/urbanrun.html - Benthic Macroinvertebrates
http://www.epa.gov/bioindicators/html/benthosclean.html
Run-off
- Economic Benefits of Runoff Controls
http://www.epa.gov/OWOW/NPS/runoff.html)
Stormwater
- Stormwater Manager's Resource Center
http://www.stormwatercenter.net/ - Stormwater Strategies
http://www.nrdc.org/water/pollution/storm/stoinx.asp - Stormwater Pollution Prevention
http://www.epa.gov/reg3wapd/stormwater/
Nonpoint Source Pollustion
- See also Nonpoint Source Pollution Background Information
- Nonpoint Source Pointers - Factsheets
http://www.epa.gov/owow/nps/facts/
Water
- See also Water Project Background Information
- National Geographic Kids Page on Fresh Water
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/education/gaw/frwater/frwater_912_teacher.html - Issues in Ecology - Published by the
Ecological Society of America - Sustaining Healthy Freshwater Ecosystems
http://www.esa.org/sbi/sbi_issues/issues_pdfs/issue10.pdf - Geography lecture on Fluvial processes
http://www.umbc.edu/ereserves/pdfpermanent/geog110/geog110lecture/16/index.htm
Biodiversity Information:
Background Information
| Why do we need biodiversity? |
| The Earth's biodiversity supports our basic needs by providing us with food, fiber, fuel, medicine, clean air and water. |
| "Every time we lose a species, we lose an option for the future. We lose a potential cure for AIDS or a virus-resistant crop. So we must somehow stop losing species, not just for the sake of our planet but for our own selfish needs and uses." Sir Ghillean Prance, Kew Gardens. |
Designed for Grades 4 and up
Subject Area: Biological and Environmental Science
Standards in Environment and Ecology addressed:
- 4.7. Threatened, Endangered and Extinct Species
- 4.3.7. Environmental Health
- 4.3.7. A Identify environmental health issues
- 4.3.7. B Describe how human action affect the health of the environment
- 4.9.7. A Explain the role of environmental law and regulations
General Teacher Resources:
- Focus on Biodiversity (CD-ROM)
- Windows on the Wild magazine
- Windows on the Wild - Educator Guide
- Curriculum Re-alignment Materials - List of available materials offered through the Department of Education, Office of Environment and Ecology.
Curriculum Re-alignment Materials - Earthday.net - A teacher's guide that provides information, tools and activities to create an understanding of earth's biodiversity.
http://www.earthday.net/pdf/howto/schools/biodiversity.pdf - Strife in the Wetlands - An activity that simulates the effects that an invasive plant has on biodiversity.
http://www.cas.psu.edu/docs/CASDEPT/IPM/pdf/lessons/strife.pdf
Documents on Biodiversity:
Glossary
Websites with Biodiversity information:
General Information
- Biodiversity Glossary of Terms - A set of terms assembled by World Resources Institute that relate to biodiversity. Some of these are not included in our glossary.
http://www.wri.org/wri/biodiv/gbs-glos.html - Endangered Species Page
http://eelink.net/EndSpp/students-kidssitesandprojects.html - Investigate Biodiversity - What you can do at home, at work, in community, etc.
http://investigate.conservation.org/xp/IB/savingbiodiversity/whatyoucando.xml) - The Secret Forest Experience - emphasizes cutting-edge topics and field studies with hands-on activities. We hope it helps you deepen your students' understanding of forest ecosystems and connects them with others involved in this exciting field of study. You find the secret forest on the FSEEE web page. Click on the left column "Kids: Secret Forest." Lesson #1 deals with biodiversity.
http://www.fseee.org/index.html - The HIPPO Dilemma
http://dnr.metrokc.gov/swd/naturalconnections/hippo.htm - News and Information Services
- The Biodiversity and Biological Collections Web Server - devoted to information of interest to systematists and other biologists of the organismic kind.
http://biodiversity.uno.edu - World Resource Institute - a global perspective
http://www.wri.org - National Geographic - use their search engine for specifics.
http://www.nationalgoegraphic.com - Why preserve Biodiversity?
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/lessons/08/g68/preserve.html - National Geographic Xpedition Biodiversity Activities
http://www.marcopolosearch.org/MPSearch/Basic_Search.asp?orgn_id=4
- The Biodiversity and Biological Collections Web Server - devoted to information of interest to systematists and other biologists of the organismic kind.
- Biodiversity in Crisis?
http://research.amnh.org/biodiversity/crisis/index.html - Biodiversity and your Food
http://research.amnh.org/biodiversity/center/living/Food/YourFood.html - Biodiversity and Your Water Supply
http://research.amnh.org/biodiversity/center/living/Water/YourWaterSupply.html - Biodiversity and Your Energy Use
http://research.amnh.org/biodiversity/center/living/Energy/YourEnergyUse.html - Biodiversity and What You Buy
http://research.amnh.org/biodiversity/center/living/Buy/WhatYouBuy.html
Habitat Loss
- Habitat Destruction and Degradation - Part of a larger online lesson on Biodiversity at Oregon State university discussing effects of habitat loss and destruction.
http://oregonstate.edu/instruct/fw251/notebook/habitat.html - DCNR Bureau of Forestry - Information on habitat loss and consrvation in Pennsylvania
http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/wlhabitat/forward/gap.htm
Introduced Species
- DCNR Bureau of Forestry - Invasive Plants in PennsylvaniaMany species are listed here under Moderate and Serious threats. There is also general information given on how to avoid problems with invasives.
http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/forestry/wildplant/invasive.htm - Invasive Exotic Organisms In Pennsylvania: A Resource Guide - (sponsored by DEP) Here is a fieldguide with images of common invasive species. Also curriculum suggestions and powerpoint presentations are available.
http://projects.juniata.edu/ess300/Invasives/index.html - National Biological Information Infrastructure: Invasive Species Information Node - (sponsored by USGS) Included here is lists of many of the common invasive species with links to detailed information including range and and control methods.
http://invasivespecies.nbii.gov/ - Researchers hope an itty-bitty beetle will help control purple loosestrife - By Joanne Nesbit (http://www.umich.edu/~urecord/0001/Oct02_00/22.htm)
Pollution
Popullation Growth & Over Consumption
- The New Scientist - Current topics in population issues published.
http://www.newscientist.com/hottopics/population/population.jsp - Population Action International - A website dedicated to issues involving the increasing population of the planet.
http://www.populationaction.org/issues/environment/index.htm - Overexploration Threatening Living Species - A chapter from an online textbook on biodiverstiy of the world that focuses on the exploitation of animals.
http://darwin.bio.uci.edu/~sustain/bio65/lec05/b65lec05.htm#CITES%201997