Plant the seed and listen for a potential student-driven investigations of a local environmental issue that can lead to an action project at the end of all the Units. Learning is aligned with the Pennsylvania Environmental Literacy and Sustainability Standards (3.4) of STEELS and are local, authentic, hands-on and inquiry-based.
Water in Our World
WHAT’S THE BIG DEAL ABOUT WATER? Explore water in our world, the natural water cycle (the hydrologic cycle) and how it interacts with the land to define a watershed. Cultivate a basic level of appreciation for water before exploring the next topic, how Philadelphia sources, manages and treats our freshwater to provide clean and reliable tap water.
Learning Experiences 1-5 (5 class periods)
Drinking Water and You
WHAT DOES IT TAKE FOR US TO DRINK A GLASS OF FRESH, CLEAN, DELICIOUS WATER? Students will develop a basic understanding of safe and reliable urban water systems, infrastructure and management of drinking water (supply). For over 200 years, Philadelphia has committed to access to a clean drinking water supply as a civic responsibility for the public good.
Learning Experiences 6-14 (9 class periods)
Down the Drain
WHAT BECAME OF PHILADELPHIA’S NATURAL STREAMS AND VALLEYS?
Just as cities developed a collective drinking water supply system to ensure the public health of its citizens, they also developed ways to collect and dispose of its waste or “used” water. Students will discover that it was no small task to engineer an effective system of drains and pipes to carry human and industrial waste away from where people lived.
Learning Experiences 15-19 (5 class periods)
Land and Water: Finding the Balance
CAN WE CREATE A HEALTHY, BEAUTIFUL AND SUSTAINABLE PHILADELPHIA?
The greatest threat to our water resources in the 21st century is created by stormwater runoff. As students have learned by now, past solutions and innovations for the collective good have moved the story forward. Next they will explore how individuals and communities can play a key role in shaping the future environmental health and well-being of their city. Words like “sustainability”, “greening” and “stewardship” will take on greater meaning – a vocabulary that becomes an integral part of our story.
Learning Experiences 20-24 (5 class periods)
(Original) Middle Grades Units 1-6
This series of 6 extensive units was part of the original development of the curriculum, designed, tested and implemented with classroom teachers to explore the development of the city’s drinking water, wastewater and stormwater systems as well as ways to act