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Provided by: West Michigan Environmental Action Council |Published on: September 10, 2025
Lesson Plans
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Synopsis
In this program from the West Michigan Environmental Action Council, students will see a model of nonpoint source pollution and explore their watersheds, taking measurements to determine their health.
Grand Rapids Public Schools educators can request that a WMEAC staff member provide a demonstration and lead students on a two-hour field trip of their watershed, taking physical and chemical measurements and recording the macroinvertebrates that are present.
The resource also includes printable resources, like coloring sheets, a dichotomous key, and vocabulary activities.
By exploring their own watershed, students will have relevant, hands-on learning experiences to connect what they learn to their community.
The videos provide verbal and written definitions of new content-specific terms to help with vocabulary acquisition.
Prerequisites
To have a WMEAC staff member implement these activities, teachers in Grand Rapids Public Schools can fill out this form.
Students should know how to measure accurately with a tape measure, find the average of measurements, use a stopwatch, and use an equation to determine speed.
Teachers can make connections to climate change by discussing the impacts climate change has on watersheds. This lesson can help teachers connect these concepts.
In preparation for this program, students can watch through the videos in the field trip portion and record new vocabulary as it arises.
Teachers can connect this program to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, using it as an opportunity to introduce Goal 6, Clean Water and Sanitation, and Goal 14, Life Below Water. To find more SDG resources to use in the classroom, teachers can use this curriculum guide.
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All resources can be used for your educational purposes with proper attribution to the content provider.
