State Water Resources Research Institute Program
Project ID: 2011GU198B
Title: Presenting 'CNMI Water Kids': Public School Outreach/Teacher Relations Program
Project Type: Education
Start Date: 3/01/2011
End Date: 2/29/2012
Congressional District: N/A
Focus Categories: Education, Non Point Pollution, Conservation
Keywords: water resources, aquifer, groundwater, surface water, watershed, CNMI, hydrological cycle, ground water, non-source pollution, non-point pollution, conservation.
Principal Investigator: Card, Arretta Ann
Federal Funds: $ 17,887
Non-Federal Matching Funds: $ 0
Abstract: The environmental educational materials for students age 9-12 about fresh water resource issues on Saipan, Rota and Tinian, CNMI, have been developed recently. The "CNMI Water Kids" materials emphasize the importance of fresh water as a key natural resource, explain hydrological concepts, and introduce a sense of stewardship for conserving and protecting fresh water in the CNMI. These materials include a pre-recorded presentation, teacher's lesson plans and suggested activities, a Chamorro language glossary, and a companion website. The educational materials are correlated to learning standards used by the CNMI Public School System. The materials were developed, in part, to support outreach efforts by WERI. There is a need to familiarize teachers with the materials and demonstrate the value of incorporating them into curriculum. Working directly with these educators will increase awareness of WERI as a resource for water related issues and will open opportunities for WERI to engage educators in the future. As materials are employed and as teachers become engaged in water resource issues, an evaluation is needed to assess the effectiveness of the "CNMI Water Kids" materials and to explore additional needs teachers may report such as a willingness to participate in water related courses for educators which may be developed in the future.
Specifically, we intend to follow the public schools' chain of approval, schedule a presentation targeted to reaching the 6th graders at each public elementary school (9 on Saipan, 1 on Rota, 1 on Tinian) and follow the presentations with an evaluation by educators involved in teaching subjects related to water resource issues. Procedures include:
Progress/Completion Report, 2011, PDF