watershed explorers

This innovative, hands-on environmental science program helps middle and high school students develop a closer connection with the natural world around them. Using the Anacostia River as living example and natural laboratory, WE learning modules highlight the many connections between ecological and human communities. Students receive a wide variety of enriching experiences by engaging in multiple classroom sessions, an outdoor field study on the Anacostia, and a practical environmental restoration service project.

Course Themes

WE course curriculum covers three major themes: Principles of Watershed Mechanics and Anacostia River History, Identification of Environmental Issues and Threats, and Cultivation of Environmental Stewardship Behavior. Once the have learned the basics of watershed science and a basic history of the Anacostia region, AWS instructors introduce students to the contemporary environmental challenges that impact the river’s overall health. These lessons quickly progress into hands-on activities providing participants with the tools they need to become good, lifelong stewards of the environment.

Course Schedule

Students meet with AWS instructors a minimum of five times in order to complete a standard course of study. Materials and activities presented during separate sessions inform each other and are each critical for student success. Please be prepared to commit your classroom or youth group to this minimum number of sessions. (AWS instructors will schedule sessions in consultation with teachers/leaders before beginning a program. Session do not necessarily need to be completed in the order given below.)

Curriculum Note

The Watershed Explorers program meets standards for science education set by the National Science Foundation, the District of Columbia Public School System, and the State of Maryland; as well as, requirements outlined in the Chesapeake Bay 2000 agreement mandating “meaningful Bay or stream experience” for all area students prior to high school graduation.