Educator's Resources title graphic
Welcome to the Educator's Resources page of the Water's Journey: The River Returns film and web documentary. Here, you'll find lesson plans geared specifically to The River Returns project, as well as a comprehensive guide to additional water, agriculture and environmental resources that are relevant to The River Returns areas of focus. For your convenience, the resources on this page are organized into the following four groups:
St. Johns River Water Management District's Water Education Resources
Florida Project Wet logo
Florida Project WET (Water Education for Teachers) engages students in inquiry-based activities that relate to the water resources students know: the bath, the ocean, the creek behind their house. Educating while it entertains, Project WET carries a message of water resource education and reinforces classroom concepts. Project WET activities assist in teaching Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test and Sunshine State Standards.
The Legacy Water Resource Education Program is a cooperative educational and service learning venture between the St. Johns River Water Management District and area schools, in which the District works with educators and their students to make public lands more accessible. Public lands serve as living laboratories where students take the lead in managing land for their communities while learning about natural resources.
The Great Water Odyssey logo
The Great Water Odyssey introduces students to the world of water through an interactive, animated curriculum including reading, history, geography, math, social studies, and science. The program employs and enhances critical thinking skills and correlates to Sunshine State Standards and provides Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) practice questions for third, fourth, and fifth grades. An educator's manual with teaching suggestions, background information, and learning and reading extensions is included.
Waterways logo
Fourth-grade and fifth-grade students and their teachers can access 14 lessons, each with hands-on experiments and quizzes in a new online format. Updated to include correlation with the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test and Sunshine State Standards, lessons can be used individually or as a series, and are designed to supplement science, language, and math curricula.
Agriculture and the Environment
Florida Agriculture in the Classroom logo
Florida Agriculture in the Classroom, Inc. (FAITC) is a nonprofit organization that develops, distributes and trains teachers and agriculture industry volunteers in its agricultural curricula and materials, which they in turn use to educate students about the importance of agriculture. Programs include:
Project Food, Land & People Resources for Learning - (grades Pre-K - 12)
This site contains agricultural and environmental interdisciplinary lessons with hands-on activities correlated to the Sunshine State Standards, which are distributed free of charge to teachers completing training workshops.
A guide to educator resources and programs for integrating agriculture into the classroom, including the following:
Project Food, Land & People Resources for Learning - (grades Pre-K - 12)
The Florida Farm Bureau offers a grants program for teachers who wish to integrate agricultural issues in the classroom. The grants have no subject boundaries but can include environmental education, science, and social studies.
Youth Speech Contest (Ages 14 to 18)
Each year the Florida Farm Bureau Federation sponsors a Youth Speech Contest. The 2005 theme is: How can agriculturalists assure future availability of natural resources? First prize is $500 and second place is $250. Deadline for entries is October 1, 2005.
Other Environmental Education Resources
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection supports the professional development of teachers and non-formal educators through the nationally recognized Project WET (Water Education for Teachers) program. The Office of Environmental Education conducts regularly scheduled workshops for educators.
The Florida Department of Education's Environmental Educational Resources website lists numerous resources for educators and students.
The Florida Envirothon is a problem solving, natural resource education program for high school students. It is a field-oriented program in which students, working in teams of five, learn to use critical thinking skills, work as a team, and develop problem-solving and communications skills to conduct investigations about environmental issues. The 2006 Florida Envirothon will be held at the Silver River State Park; Silver River flows into the Ocklawaha River, a major tributary of the St. Johns River watershed.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission logo
Project Wild and Aquatic Wild is a conservation and environmental education program for K-12 educators. Educators get hands-on experience in at least five activities and receive the Project Wild K-12 Activity Guide, focusing on wildlife and habitat, and the Aquatic Education Activity Guide, emphasizing aquatic wildlife and aquatic ecosystems.
The Schoolyard Wildlife Project is an environmental education program for K-12 educators to learn how to turn school grounds into effective outdoor classrooms. The Schoolyard Wildlife Project's resources help teachers incorporate Florida's natural history into curricula to teach environmental awareness, problem-solving, basic biology, and ecological principles.
This Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission website offers a variety of information and resources about manatees for educators and students.
This is the Environmental Protection Agency's web portal for High School students and teachers. Resources include information on water conservation, watershed, and ecosystem protection.
This site provides resources and links for teachers and students in grades 5 through 8.
This site provides a variety of resources for educators on conservation and environmental protection.
This site provides educator resources from the U. S. Geological Survey.
Environmental Education on the Internet is a resource designed to support students, teachers, and professionals in K-12 environmental education, such as media specialists, in-service providers, nature center staff, and curriculum developers. The site contains an extensive catalog of environmental-based school projects, classroom activities, and lesson plans.
SeaWorld's online Water Unit is designed to help students explore the forms and properties of water and its key role in sustaining plant and animal life.
Hands-on activities from The Water Sourcebook are designed for use by teachers, non-formal educators, and water quality professionals. The Water Sourcebook series covers today's most important water environment topics.
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The Water's Journey: The River Returns film
is an original film by Karst Productions, Inc.
The River Returns web documentary, Copyright © Fusionspark Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
All Photos © 2005 Russell Sparkman/Fusionspark Media, Inc., unless otherwise noted.