We All Live in a Watershed
Grade: Kindergarten
Duration: Four 1-hour CWC led campus visits and 3 short teacher-led activities (an optional field trip can replace one of the CWC led campus visits)
Location: Classroom and San Lorenzo River/local tributary
Materials and teaching provided free by the Coastal Watershed Council
Supported by generous funding from the County of Santa Cruz Green Schools Program, City of Santa Cruz, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Supports Next Generation Science Standards:
K-LS1-1: Use observation to describe patterns of what plants and animals (including humans) need to survive.
K-ESS3-1: Use a model to represent the relationship between the needs of different plants or animals (including humans) and the places they live.
K-ESS3-3: Communicate solutions that will reduce the impact of humans on land, water, air, and/or other living things in the local environment.
Complements FOSS Kit
Kindergarten: Animals Two by Two
Lesson Series Overview:
Through hands-on activities, discussions and reflections, students will discover the answer to this focus question. We all need water to survive. Students will explore how both humans and steelhead trout need water to live and grow. The program culminates with a student-led action project to help save water.
Week 1
CWC led activity: Using a model of steelhead trout habitat, students discover that when less water in the San Lorenzo River, it is harder for fish to live and grow
Supplemental teacher led activity: Read aloud of Steelhead Trout book and watch videos of steelhead trout in their habitat.
Week 2:
CWC led activity on school campus or field trip: Through hands-on activities, students investigate how fish need water to live and grow.
Supplemental teacher led activity: conduct a scavenger hunt to determine people’s use of water on the school campus
Week 3:
CWC led activity on school campus or field trip: Explore ways humans use water and can save water and begin preparation for action project.
Supplemental teacher led activity: continue preparation for action project
Week 4:
CWC led activity on school campus or field trip: Begin action project and celebrate accomplishments by being sworn in as Watershed Rangers
Supplemental teacher led activity: complete action project if additional time is needed
Coastal Watershed Council Commitment to Education Equity
CWC is committed that every youth is supported, welcomed, included and championed as part of their education program. As such, CWC is seeking to incorporate culturally and linguistically responsive teaching and learning practices, principles of Universal Design for Learning, support mechanism for multi-lingual learners and wellness and mindfulness practices into each lesson. A number of activities are intentionally designed and set-up to validate, affirm and include all youth. We will also include some questions related to how we supported education equity into our teacher surveys. We welcome ideas, feedback, considerations as we continue to build more education equity.