Engage your students in solving real environmental problems in the Chesapeake Bay watershed through hands-on, outdoor science investigations.
Engage your students in solving real environmental problems in the Chesapeake Bay watershed through hands-on, outdoor science investigations.
Harbor Scholars is an exciting professional development opportunity for 5th grade science teachers in Baltimore City. Participants will learn how to deliver effective Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences (MWEEs), in which students investigate and take action on a real local environmental issue. Get more details about the Harbor Scholars workshop (PDF).
The summer workshop will take place from July 12–23, 2021. All sessions will take place via Zoom Monday/ Wednesday/ Friday from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm.
Outdoor field experiences will also take place over the summer. Dates are TBA, but teachers will be able to choose their preferred dates and times from a selection. Parking will be provided.
Support will be provided througout the school year, with a final session on May 21, 2022.
Applications are no longer being accepted for this year, but we will offer Harbor Scholars again in 2022! You can join our email list to receive updates about next year's workshop.
This series of lessons will engage students in solving real environmental problems in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Students will learn about the physical and ecological characteristics of the Bay and current issues facing our watershed. The last two lessons challenge students to think of actions they can take to help save the Bay.
Based on the Baltimore City Public Schools Save the Bay! unit, these lessons can be utlilized by any teacher interested in exploring these topics with their students.
The corresponding lesson numbers and titles from the original Baltimore City Public School (BCPS) Save the Bay! unit are referenced in the descriptions.
| LESSON | DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|
| Baltimore and the Chesapeake Bay | Mayor Brandon Scott needs your help! Complete this lesson to hear his challenge to students in Baltimore. (BCPS Lesson 1/My Hero) |
| Freshwater, Saltwater | What type of water is found in the Chesapeake Bay? Complete this lesson to find out where the Bay's water comes from! It includes demonstrations of how fresh and saltwater mix in estuaries like the Chesapeake Bay. (BCPS Lesson 2/What is the Bay? and Lesson 3/Salinity in the Bay). |
| Who Lives in the Chesapeake Bay? | Students learn which plants and animals live in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Challenged to complete independent research, students select a specific plant or animal species to study. (BCPS Lesson 4-Part 1/Who Lives in the Bay?) |
| Oyster Gardening | How do oysters help the Chesapeake Bay? This lesson helps students to understand what oysters do for our ecosystem and what we can do for our oysters! |
| Wetlands and Food Chains | How are populations of animals and plants connected? Through food webs! Students learn all about food webs in the Chesapeake Bay and how wetland restorations help protect them. (BCPS Lesson 7/Food Chains) |
| Whoooo Eats What? | How do scientists make the food webs we learned about in the Wetlands and Food Chains lesson? We can discover what owls eat by dissecting owl pellets. In this lesson, students dissect a digital owl pellet to figure out what that owl ate! (BCPS Lesson 6/Whoooo Eats What?) |
| Where Does All the Trash Come From? | Many of us have seen trash and other pollutants in our waterways, but how did it get there? Students will discover how pollutants travel through the Chesapeake Bay watershed. (BCPS Lesson 8/No More Trash Collectors) |
| Ground Permeability | Where does the rain go after it falls? That depends on the of ground cover. Students learn how to use an infiltrometer to determine the permeability of a surface. (BCPS Lesson 9/Ground Permeability) |
| Rain Gardens | We can stop pollution from entering the Cheseapeake Bay! Students discover how rain gardens absorb and filter stormwater to prevent pollution. |
| Mr. Trash Wheel | Mr. Trash Wheel is famous in Baltimore for helping to keep the Inner Harbor clean. Learn about the Trash Wheel's family's role in our community. |
| Choosing a Project | In the first lesson of this unit, Mayor Brandon Scott challenged students to help save the Bay! It's time to choose what issue you want to address. Use this lesson synchronously to help students make a decision. (BCPS Lesson 13-Part 2/Schoolyard Assessment) |
| Take Action! | Now it's time to take action. Students can share their ideas on how to take care of the Chesapeake Bay with their school, their community, and even the mayor! (BCPS Lesson 14/Take Action!) |