About the WE Progam

This is an innovative hands-on program that allows middle and high school students to connect with their natural world and the Anacostia River. It will enhance their understanding of the interdependence of ecological and human communities. The program consists of three classroom sessions, a field study on the tidal Anacostia and a service-learning restoration project.

Curriculum

The WE curriculum is designed to meet educational standards set by the National Science Foundation, DCPS (District of Columbia Public Schools), and the State of Maryland. AWS staff has observed that the schools in our geographical location often serve low-income and/or culturally diverse audiences with little or no understanding of environmental issues. In addition to meeting these needs, the WE program will also satisfy the requirements of the outreach and educational goals of the Chesapeake Bay 2000 agreement to “provide a meaningful Bay or stream outdoor experience for every student in the watershed before graduation from high school in the year 2005.”

The Watershed Explorers Program begins with three in-classroom lectures and discussions, chock-full of hands on experiments, including topics such as healthy watersheds, problems with the Anacostia Watershed, Anacostia history and solutions to problems facing the river. These students are introduced to hydrology, storm water runoff impacts, food chain relationships, the benefits of riparian buffers, and principles of geography using various maps. In general the aim is for students to develop an understanding - intellectual and emotional - of their relationship to the Anacostia River and the Chesapeake Bay.

Students participating in a WE classrrom session.

Program Themes

Theme 1—

This theme includes discussions on what a watershed is, water cycle basics, the role of vegetation in water quality and river habitat life, and early history of the river. Using maps, students will trace the flow of water from minor tributaries to the Anacostia River and then the Chesapeake Bay. They may be asked to describe ways that a drop of water that falls on the school grounds might travel through the water cycle or to explain water movement in plants or transpiration in plants.

Theme 2—

This theme addresses the problems with development and changes on the Anacostia River. Discussions and demonstrations will explore permeable vs. impermeable surface runoff, land to water volume ratios, sources of pollution and the effect pollution has on wildlife and water quality. This theme allows students to use materials to build filters demonstrating the ability of nature to naturally filter water if it’s allowed to infiltrate into the ground. AWS staff will also provide demonstrations exemplifying the transpiration cycle and the importance of living plants to water quality.

Theme 3—

This theme introduces students to ways their actions can make a difference and improve the health of the river and also affect communities in which they reside. One of the assignments is to write a persuasive letter indicating why it is important to preserve and protect natural areas in the watershed. We ask students to address these letters to public officials or the media or even a friend. This exercise increases their awareness of issues, introduces them to the democratic process leading to change of a situation and empowers them to believe that individual caring and action can be the necessary catalyst to create change. The exercise is also intended to get students thinking about the roles of public and private institutions, as well as individuals in the management of a river resource.

Field Study

The field study, via canoe or pontoon boat, allows students to see the river, sometimes for the first time. This experience reinforces what they have been studying in the classroom. Students are given basic paddling techniques and water safety instruction, and then have the opportunity to appreciate first hand the vast myriad of flora and fauna. Students are encouraged to make a connection with the Anacostia River, to enjoy it as the wonderful natural resource it is, and to appreciate the connection this river has to the Chesapeake Bay. The class stops at many locations along the river where AWS leaders interpret the natural, historical and social aspects of what there’re seeing. While students are on the river they will be conducting several water quality tests, including temperature, pH, turbidity, dissolved oxygen, phosphates and nitrogen. Data gathered is taken back to the classroom for additional discussions and scientific interpretation.

Restoration Project

The last part of this comprehensive program is a service-learning restoration project. This allows students to practice stewardship of their environment and serve their community through meaningful restoration efforts. Students will participate in: 1) propagating wetland plants, including wild rice, and re-introducing these plants to the marshes in the Anacostia River, 2) planting native trees along the river and its tributaries; 3) collecting trash and debris from the river, 4) stenciling storm drains or 5) removing invasive plants.

Student Reviews

Thank you for letting us canoe on the Anacostia River. I really enjoyed it. I really enjoyed the bald eagle... It was the first time I ever saw a bald eagle in the wild." - Keeyana

"I had a lot of fun. I learned that even the most polluted things can be beautiful." -Chris

"I learned new facts about the river. I saw a blue heron, kingfisher, and lots of other animals." - Jessica

 

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