KC Water can provide age appropriate water quality education for students based on educational standards. Below are descriptions of lessons available with key components and standards alignment. Lessons can be modified and used at various ages and all target grade-level standards. Lessons generally take 45-60 minutes and all lessons are provided free of charge. Schedule a lesson for your class or group at water.education@kcmo.org.
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Here are links to educational, hands-on, simple water quality lessons and activities that can be used by teachers and parents alike. Many of these lessons and activities meet Missouri State Science standards for all grade levels. KC Water encourages everyone interested in improving water quality to check out these links. And, we would love to hear from you! Let us know what works, what doesn’t work, and if you have other water quality resources you’d like to share. You can send a message to water.education@kcmo.org or use Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Check back in the upcoming weeks for more lesson and activity ideas.
Websites with lessons and activities divided into age levels- EPA: Drinking Water Activities for Students and Teachers
- Utah State University Extension: Water Quality Kids Page
- MRI: Protecting Our Water Resources: Student Activities for the Classroom
- Water Use It Wisely
- EPA Games and Activities
- Water Environment Federation: Teachers and Students K-12
- Penn State: Water Lesson Plans
- Michigan Farm Bureau: Water: The Incredible Resource
- Teacher.org: Environmental Lessons
Websites with lessons and activities divided into topicsContent for Middle and High School Students- National Geographic: Educator Spotlight: Exploring Challenges of Water Quality and Access
- Teach Engineering: Urban Stormwater Management
- The Nature Conservancy: Design a School Stormwater Management Plan
- Into the Outdoors: Managing Stormwater Runoff
- Reflo: Water Story MKE
- Teach Engineering: How Clean is that Water?
- National Park Service: Clear Waters
- TGR Foundation: Project Pipeline
Earth Day Activities- 6-Foot-Safe Event – Team >Naturespace in the Forest
- Climate Council of Greater Kansas City
- Conservation Conversations
- DLTK’s Growing Together
- Earthday.org
- Earthday.org: 9 Books That Bring the Outdoors in During a Stay-At-Home Order
- Education.com: Earth Day Activities
- Missouri Department of Natural Resources: Earth Day Links
- Mrs. Willis’ Kindergarten
- MSN: 7 Earth Day Activities Kids Can Do at Home
- NASA: Earth Day At Home
- National Geographic Kids: Earth Day
- Never Ending Science
- PBS Kids: Earth Day
- PBS: Earth Day
- Project Learning Tree: Earth Day Activities to Inspire Your Students and Make a Difference
- Stream Teams United Educational Resources
Drinking Water Week Activities -
Students participate in the story of Freddy the Fish and his journey from Kansas City to the ocean. As Freddy encounters human activities along the way that are polluting his stream, students add various substances to the water to represent different kinds of pollution. At the end of the story, students discuss how water must be cleaned before humans can drink it, and what they can do to keep pollution out of creeks, streams, and rivers.
Total class time: Approximately 1 hour
Key components: Introduction includes rain, groundwater, and stormwater runoff with pollution. Main story includes Freddy the Fish, human influence on environment, and pollution in water. Conclusion includes summary of overall lesson and individual responsibility for clean water. In addition to NGSS/MLS, this lesson relates to standards for Language Arts and Social Studies.
Key vocabulary: Groundwater, stormwater, runoff, pollution, storm drains, roots, concrete, pesticide, fertilizer, littering
Freddy the Fish Next Generation Science Standard Alignment -
Students learn about common types of pollutants and their impact on waterways. They start with their definition of pollution an describe pollutants that might be found in local waterways. The lesson includes human impact with pollution and how water carries pollutants to waterways. Finally, a discussion of the importance of clean water through good habits and actions known as “Best Management Practices”. The lesson closes with students creating their own version of clean water towns with posters to display in the classroom or at home.
Total class time needed: Approximately 1 hour
Key components: Introduction includes rain, groundwater, and stormwater runoff with pollution. Main story defines and discusses “Best Management Practices” and individual action to promote clean water. Conclusion engages students in creating a clean water town through posters with clean water images and messages. In addition to NGSS/MLS, this lesson also relates to standards for Language Arts, Social Studies and Fine Arts.
Key vocabulary: Groundwater, stormwater, runoff, storm drains, roots, concrete/cement/pavement, gravity, pollutants, fertilizer, rain barrel, Styrofoam, Best Management Practices
Clean Water Messages Next Generation Science Standard -
Students revisit the water cycle topic with the focus of stormwater runoff. They become familiar with the most common types of trash found on the ground in Kansas City and how stormwater can carry trash to the nearest waterway. A quick tour of the school grounds to point out storm drains and slope followed by students using data sheets to tally the types of trash they observe on the ground. Back in the classroom, students add up the tallies, find an average, and create a bar graph to show the comparisons of the types of trash found around their school property. The lesson concludes with a discussion of why it is so important to keep trash off the ground and what they can do to caution against littering.
Total class time needed: Approximately 1 hour
Key Components: Introduction includes the water cycle and revisits the topics of groundwater and stormwater runoff with pollution. Main story covers pollution and tallying trash, calculating pollutants found in the area, and averaging totals. Conclusion engages students in discussion regarding observations on pollution and water runoff. In addition to NGSS/MLS, this lesson also relates to standards for Language Arts, Mathematics, and Social Studies.
Key vocabulary: Groundwater, stormwater, runoff, saturated, storm drains, roots, concrete/cement/pavement, pervious, impervious, gravity, pollutants, tallying.
Trash Tally Next Generation Science Standard -
Students are introduced to characteristics of water and categories of water pollution. They learn how weathering, erosion, and deposition impact water quality and how various substances interact with our waterways. Finally, they learn how point and non-point source pollution affect water quality.
Total class time needed: Approximately 1 hour
Key components: Introduction includes the characteristics of water and water properties. Main story covers weathering, erosion, and deposition and various pollutants in water. Conclusion engages students in discussion and debate regarding point and non-point source pollution. In addition to NGSS/MLS, this lesson also relates to standards for Language Arts.
Key vocabulary: Contract, expand, weathering, solvent, solute, solution, dissolved, turbid, suspended particles, erosion, disperse, point source pollution and non-point source pollution.
HItchhiking with H2O Next Generation Science Standards -
Students learn about watersheds and how precipitation moves through a watershed. The lesson focuses on stormwater runoff and contaminants carried to out waterways. This lesson also teaches students to think about their city when learning about the journey of stormwater. Finally, students calculate the amount of water found in a square yard and compare this to water falling around common impervious surfaces.
Total class time needed: Approximately 1 hour.
Key components: Introduction includes watersheds and the movement of water, groundwater, and stormwater runoff. Main story includes contaminants found in runoff, sewer systems, and ways pollutants travel with runoff. Conclusion engages students in measurements of water and calculating the amount of water in stormwater runoff. In addition to NGSS/MLS, this lesson also relates to standards for Language Arts, Mathematics, and Social Studies.
Key Vocabulary: Watershed, stormwater, runoff, impervious and pervious surfaces.
KC to the Sea Teacher’s Guide
KC to the Sea Next Generation Science Standards -
Students are introduced to benthic macroinvertebrates and how they are used to determine water quality. Students learn about the general characteristics of macros, their importance and role in the food chain, and descriptions of a healthy macro habitat. Connections are made as to how stormwater runoff negatively impacts these habitats. Students become familiar with the physical characteristics to identify macros and their level of pollution tolerance. Finally, students study and identify macros in local waterways.
Total class time needed: Approximately 1 hour
Key components: Introduction includes the characteristics of macroinvertebrates and healthy habitats. Main story includes physical characteristics of macros and their habitats. Conclusion engages students in identifying macros and assigning points to assess water quality. In addition to NGSS/MLS, this lesson also relates to standards for Language Arts and Mathematics.
Key vocabulary: Benthic, macro, invertebrates, habitats, exoskeleton, larva, nymph, pupa, metamorphosis, pollution sensitive.
*This lesson is best conducted at a local water site. It can also be completed in the classroom.
Macro Monitoring Next Generation Science Standards
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High school groups can schedule an overview of the Journey of Stormwater with discussion on the main issues of pollution and solutions. Discussion covers some solution driven practices known as Best Management Practices along with topics over local Green Infrastructure sites and a group led Project Based Learning event.
Project Based Learning -
Storm Drain Marking Program (Grades 2-5)
In most of Kansas City, the storm drains on the side of the road lead directly to a creek, stream, or river. You can help educate your neighbors about the importance of keeping these drains free of pollution and debris by marking storm drains and distributing educational door hangers in your community. KC Water will provide all of the supplies and training for this fun and rewarding community service project. All ages can participate, but children must be supervised by an adult.Education Litter Pickup (All Grade Levels)
Kansas City is not immune to litter around city streets. In addition to being a sore sight, all litter is a huge problem for water quality. The more litter on the ground, the more litter in our waterways. Organize students to sponsor an educational litter pickup anywhere on school grounds or around the surrounding community. Groups can also plan a fieldtrip to a site for an impactful litter pickup. Our educational team will provide the educational component about water pollution and supplies needed to combat the problem. Student groups such as STUCO or other groups can participate in an educational talk and a Project Based Learning activity where they organize and lead a school wide litter pickup event.