Understanding Estuaries

During this game, kids become migratory shorebirds and fly among wintering, nesting, and stopover habitats. If they do not arrive at a suitable habitat on time, they do not survive. Catastrophic events are periodically introduced that...

Global warming isn't just an issue on land; deep ocean waters are also showing troubling signs. Young scientists learn more about deep water corals and the many recent discoveries researchers have made. Then they examine data related to...

Middle schoolers analyze water quality data from real data. In this environmental science lesson plan, students examine how salinity and dissolved oxygen affect the living organisms in the estuary. They interpret graphs to support or...

Assess the risk of introducing a non-native species of snail to four different estuaries. Lab groups conduct research as habitat evaluation and present their conclusions to the class. The resource has a comprehensive booklet containing...

Students participate in a webquest about the plants and animals that inhabit an estuary. They role play as environmentalists researching this habitat and present the results of their research in a creative way.

Pupils build a model of an estuary. In this wetland lesson, students build a model estuary with a paint tray and modeling clay. They use the model to illustrate the impact of non-point pollution on the watershed.

If your kids already know something about the water cycle, life cycle of salmon, and climate change, then they're ready to participate in an activity that explores Chinook salmon of the Pacific Northwest. They read an article and a case...

Middle schoolers research species native to Louisiana's fresh marshes. They create freshwater food chains using researched species for presentation to the class. A class food web is created using individual food chains.

Students study waste and how to eliminate the use of fertilizers.  In this estuary lesson students play a pictionary game that helps them to develop a better understanding of an estuary and its issues.

Use online tools and resources to examine data concerning key indicators of the health of the Chesapeake Bay watershed and the factors that affect it. Your class will examine efforts to preserve and restore the bay's health.