​Additional Educational Resources

• Bay Backpack – The Chesapeake Bay Program maintains this growing collection of books, multimedia, curriculum guides, individual lesson plans online data sources and other teaching resources, locations for field studies, training, funding and more.


• MSDE Environmental Education ToolKit: Maryland State Department of Education offers resources to assist with meeting state environmental literacy standards: the Environmental Literacy Standards, Curricular Infusion By Grade-bands, and a number of additional resources and guidance materials for grades Pre-K to 12.


• Investigating Streams and Rivers, William B. Stapp, et al (GREEN Network, 1996). An interdisciplinary Curriculum Guide for Use with Mitchell and Stapp’s Field Manual for Water Quality Monitoring – ISBN: 0-7872-2385-9 (available through online book and textbook vendors).


• Field Manual for Global Low-Cost Water Quality Monitoring, William B. Stapp and Mark K. Mitchell, Second Edition, 1995, 1997 – ISBN: 0-7872-3601-2 (available through online book and textbook vendors).


• National Estuarine Research Reserve System K-12 Educator Resources – Estuaries, where rivers met the sea, are fascinating ecosystems. Find out about what makes estuaries special, the threats to estuarine ecosystems and explore estuaries around the U.S.


• Storm Drain Stenciling is a service learning activity for your school, community association, 4-H, Scout, or other youth group. Raise awareness by painting reminders on those local drains that say “Don’t Dump! Chesapeake Bay Drainage.” Maryland Department of Natural Resources offers stenciling materials on loan to educators and groups. New App! Upload the location of the drain to our storm drain mapping site. Students can be part of a statewide initiative to map all our storm drains, whether stenciled or not. Students can then visit the updated map to see their data input, and use it to spark more action projects!


• The Stream Scene: Watersheds, Wildlife and People (from Oregon, but applicable to Maryland with adaptation) – Aquatic education program, 550-page online guide for learning about watershed systems (upland, riparian, and aquatic areas) and aquatic life, with lesson plans and full complement of teacher resources for classroom and field investigations. See table of contents here.


• Maryland Association for Environmental & Outdoor Education (MAEOE) provides links to teacher professional development opportunities and more resources for educators.


• The Bridge: Ocean Sciences Education Teacher Resource Center – This resource from the Virginia Institute of Marine Science provides teachers with a selection of the best online resources for marine science education.


• Inside-Out: Environmental Science in the Classroom and the Field, Grades 3-8, Robert Blake, J. Adam Frederick, Sarah Haines, and Stephanie Colby Lee, 2010 – ISBN-10: 1935155113, ISBN-13: 978-1935155119. Teachers seeking new ways to integrate Earth science, chemistry, physical geography, and life science into a study of the environment should just step outside! So say the authors, who provide thought-provoking, interesting activities to help teachers and students leave the classroom and learn outside (available through online book vendors).