New teacher curriculum guides and resource kits promoting awareness of the Boulder County watershed, developed in a joint effort led by the University of Colorado at Boulder, are being distributed to local school districts and private schools in April.
The 2006 educational resource, titled "MY H20," is a supplement to the children's book, "My Water Comes from the Mountains," distributed to the Boulder Valley and St. Vrain school districts in 2004. The new guide focuses on four themes -- the water cycle, watersheds, local plants and animals, and human impacts on water -- and is designed primarily for fourth- and fifth-grade classrooms.
"MY H20" is a collaborative effort of CU, Boulder County school districts and city and federal government agencies, according to CU-Boulder graduate student Colleen Flanagan, who spearheaded its development with Boulder elementary school teacher Kenneth Nova. Flanagan worked on the project under the direction of CU-Boulder Professor Diane McKnight of the Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research.
A materials kit accompanying the teacher's guide contains supplies, including topographical maps, mesh nets, magnifying glasses and litmus paper for a variety of hands-on classroom activities, said Flanagan. The guide blends Colorado state educational standards in science, language arts, geography and math into activities, educational games, story plots and community action tasks.
The 2006 teachers guide also includes scores of links to various conservation and educational groups, as well as a CD with music titled "Water Cycle Boogie."
Science curriculum distribution centers like the Boulder Valley School District's Full-Option Science Systems and the St. Vrain Valley School District's Science To Go Program are providing the material to teachers, said McKnight. Teachers will use the "MY H20" kit to help students attain proficiency in the state's fifth grade earth-science education standards.
"This is an important aspect of the project," said McKnight. "It shows the extent to which the teacher's guide will be integrated into the elementary curricula in the two districts."
In addition, CU's Science Discovery Program and several local science education centers are expected to use the new resource, said Flanagan. CU's Science Discovery Program offers after-school and summer classes for local students.
"My Water Comes from the Mountains" allows students to track water on its journey from glaciers and snow fields on the Continental Divide west of Boulder to the plains and finally to the faucet tap.
Authored by CU-Boulder alumna and Boulder County educational liaison Tiffany Fourment, the book also explores wildlife ecosystems and their relationship with the water cycle. The book is funded with support from the National Science Foundation and CU-Boulder's INSTAAR.
Collaborators on "MY H2O" include the Boulder Valley and St. Vrain school districts, the City of Boulder, Boulder County Open Space, and the Watershed Approach to Stream Health, or WASH, a partnership of communities in the Boulder and St. Vrain watersheds formed to protect water quality. Other collaborators include the Wild Bear Center for Nature Discovery, the Thorne Ecological Institute in Boulder and a number of CU-Boulder departments, institutes and programs.
Funding was provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the CU-Boulder Outreach Committee, the City of Boulder, WASH and the Niwot Ridge Long-Term Ecological Research site west of Boulder, which is funded by NSF and administered by CU-Boulder's INSTAAR.