Bibliography and Resources
Watersheds
U.S. Geological Survey site has explanations of each component of the water cycle and diagrams at various sizes that can be downloaded and printed out, including the diagram without text. The site also has the story of a drop of water and a printer-ready placemat of the water cycle for kids.
Environmental Protection Agency's definition of a watershed is “that area of land, a bounded hydrologic system, within which all living things are inextricably linked by their common water course and where, as humans settled, simple logic demanded that they become part of a community.” This site also has a watershed illustration.
To find information about your watershed, go to EPA’s Surf Your Watershed. You can locate your watershed by city name, zip code, or a point-and-click map tand then retrieve information about organizations who focus their efforts on education, monitoring, and/or protection of the health of the watershed and follow the links to information specifically about your watershed, including information about other websites specific to your watershed, and background on all aspects of watershed science and water pollution.
Compare watershed or water supply observations with another community or even another school via the Internet. The Global School Net Foundation hosts a Project Registry as a way to find project partners from afar.
Allow students to play the Watershed Game at Minnesota’s Bell Museum, to learn more about why watersheds are important and how they can be protected.
Water Cycle
Kidzone - The water cycle explained for kids plus downloadable worksheets or posters in color or black-and-white of the water cycle and each stage of the process.
Enchanted Learning is another source for water cycle diagrams (with and without text) and explanations.
Online stories:
Water drop story Follow a drop through the water cycle
EPA Water Cycle Informational Animation. Very good and simple explanation.
Water cycle bracelet. This activity provides students the opportunity to review the water cycle and use the related vocabulary as they create a bracelet with beads representing the parts of the water cycle.
Water cycle song. An easy song using water cycle vocabulary, sung to the tune of "Clementine."
USGS Water Science School This site has information about a variety of water related topics, including the water cycle, earth's water, and more.
Print resources:
Dream Journey, Alaska Wetlands and Wildlife, 2007, p. 105.
The Snowflake: A Water Cycle Story by Neil Waldman.
A Drop Around the World by Barbara McKinney.
Water Dance by Thomas Locker.
Water Treatment
Virtual tours of wastewater treatment plants in other locations:
Blue Plains Wastewater Treatment (District of Columbia)
Wastewater Treatment for Youngsters
Additional information related to wastewater and wastewater treatment:
Salmon
One of the best sources of information about all aspects of salmon in Alaska is a full-color book by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game: Alaska’s Wild Salmon. This book was distributed free of charge to all Alaska schools and should be in your school library. Chapter 2 is about Pacific Salmon biology and provides information about salmon life histories and food webs.
Cyber Salmon focuses on the salmon, habitat, and people in the Yukon River drainage. The fish section links to descriptions of the life cycle of each species of salmon and excellent color photos and illustrations of all life history stages. The text is suitable as teacher background but not for reference material for this grade level.
The Salmon Story. This site has easy-to-read information and photos about each stage of the salmon life cycle
Life Cycle of an Alaska Salmon. Great photos and information about each stage of the life cycle.
Alaska’s Salmon Habitats. This site shows the different areas of the watershed where salmon spend some part of their life.
StreamNet. This PDF has a nice life cycle image, salmonid fact sheets, and salmon life history profiles.
Salmon Life Cycle stages. This is similar to the one in Investigation 3, except the images are all the same size. It can be used to create cards, if desired.
Volume VI of the Alaska Sea Week Curriculum Series, Fish and Fisheries, is a great resource for background, activities, and graphics. The units are listed below:
Unit 1: Fish: Their Appearance, Behavior and Classification
Unit 2: Fish Species (includes salmon life cycle activities)
Unit 3: Fish in the Field (includes watershed activities)
Unit 5: Life on the Seas and Rivers
Unit 7: Fisheries and the Future
Print Resources
