How Are the Modules Designed?

One of the main goals of Bridging the Watershed (BTW) is to present activities and opportunities relevant to students’ lives, serving to bridge the divide between science in the classroom and science in a real-world setting. Many students have had little or no contact with the natural environment or with national parks. BTW aims to provide high school students with exposure to science in their watershed by applying science concepts taught in the classroom to water quality and other watershed issues.

The BTW curricula builds on the constructivist pedagogy and uses the 5 E’s of the teaching/learning cycle – Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, and Evaluate – as its format. All activities are student-directed, with the teacher acting as the guide/facilitator. All lessons are correlated to national, state, and local education standards.

The five general watershed units, Alien Invaders: Assessing Exotic Invasive Species, Don't Get Sedimental: Runoff and Sediment in the River; Talkin' Trash: Make a Litter Difference, Water Canaries: Assessing Benthic Macroinvertebrates, and Watershed Watchdogs: Assessing Water Quality are designed to be used in any watershed.  Additional watershed units, designed for use at specific parks in the D.C. Metro area, are available free of charge for anyone who might be visiting the designated parks.