Wissahickon High School Watershed Project

Funding by Dow Chemical Partnered with the Wissahickon Valley Watershed Association

Project Goals:

• Produce environmentally literate students• Meet the Pa Environmental Standards • Project Based Learning that spirals through

the 6-11th grade • Provide all Wissahickon students a relevant,

meaningful, community-based outdoor field experience

• Gather and share data on the water quality of our local watershed.

Our partners

• Grant money for $20, 000 has been provided by Dow Chemical to fund the start up costs for the project.

• Wissahickon Valley Watershed will provide study sites, support for teacher training, shared data and their expertise on our local watershed.

Student Involvement

• 9th grade- field work at WVWA (stream bottom mapping, velocity, turbidity, pH, macroinvertebrate survey, collect samples for class use)

• 10th grade-analyze water samples (Dissolved Oxygen, BOD, CO2, biotic index)

• 11th grade- analyze water samples for Nitrates, Phosphates

Timeline:

Dec 2010-order equipmentFeb 18 2011- In-service training for

secondary science teachers, writing teams for labs.

April 2011- After-school training on site at WVWA (paid)

May 2011- Pilot 9th grade field trip

Timeline continued

• May 2012-implement 10th grade and 11th grade water testing labs into curriculum

• May 2013-Full implementation, posting of data on a public website

Ready to get started?