Maryland Department of Natural Resources

Stream Health

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Stream Health

Teacher Resources: Lessons, Programs, Professional Development

Lesson, tools for classroom and field study – streams

  • Explore and Restore Maryland Streams
  • Montgomery County Public Schools Stream / Pond Study: Students investigate the local watershed and work in groups to assess the health of a nearby stream or pond.
  • Bridging the Watershed is a program of the Alice Ferguson Foundation (AFF) in partnership with the National Park Service (NPS) and area schools, designed to promote student academic achievement and environmental stewardship through hands-on curriculum-based outdoor studies in national parks and public lands. Lesson modules with background information are available online as well as park-specific curriculum units, to prepare students for their field studies and provide guidance for data analysis after a field study. AFF provides lesson plans, in-school visits, guided field experiences, and teacher professional development opportunities. Curriculum modules; Stream macroinvertebrate identification.
  • Fieldscope provides a web-based mapping, analysis, and collaboration tool designed to support geographic investigations and to engage students as citizen scientists investigating real-world issues – both in the classroom and in outdoor educational settings. They have both a regional and a Maryland specific site.
  • Save Our Streams (SOS), Izaak Walton League of America is a national clean-water education and outreach program, with a program in Maryland. Educators and citizen scientists can find information here about Biological Stream Monitoring, Water Quality Monitoring, Monitoring Equipment, and Stream Enhancement and Restoration. Tap into Creek Freaks, where groups of middle school kids perform stream monitoring in their communities.
  • Storm Drain Stenciling is a service learning activity for your school, community association, 4-H, Scout, or other youth group. 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.


Lesson plans – water, watershed, Chesapeake Bay

  • Project WET (Water Education for Teachers): Worldwide Water Education – grades K-12. A trained network of teachers, resource professionals, and citizens organize and teach Project WET workshops throughout Maryland. Maryland DNR offers trainings and has aligned these materials to Maryland State Curriculum requirements.
  • EPA Lesson Plans: The Environmental Protection Agency offers several lesson plans and external resources on water.
  • NAAEE Lesson Plans: The North American Association for Environmental Education offers a clearinghouse listing of educational materials and lesson plans for all grades PreK-12, on a wide variety of topics, including water, watersheds, oil spills, climate change, and more.


Additional educational resources