Electronic Field Trip to a Watershed
KET’s Electronic Field Trip to a Watershed takes students to urban and rural settings across Kentucky to see how water from rain and snow is collected and funneled into common waterways—and how human activities affect the quality of water everywhere.
Mountain streams and low-lying wetlands, karst and sinkholes, city storm drains and mighty rivers are all interconnected in a water system that sustains all life on Earth. Animations in the field trip video show how smaller watersheds flow into larger ones and how rain that falls on Kentucky fields eventually ends up in the Gulf of Mexico. In exploring these cycles and interactions, the video also illustrates the most common forms of nonpoint source water pollution and what individuals, families, and communities can do to prevent it.
The field trip video is available in two versions: one for grades 3-5 and one for grades 6-8. The program is a 2008 KET production.
Ideas for Teachers
The Electronic Field Trip to a Watershed is part of the Raindrops to Rivers project to develop resources for classrooms and the general public on water quality. Raindrops to Rivers includes a professional development resource that features authentic video of Kentucky classrooms showcasing exemplary instruction on watersheds and nonpoint source pollution. Available online at RaindropsToRivers.org as well as on CD-ROM, this resource includes nine lessons captured on video as well as links to Kentucky Core Content and Program of Studies, lesson materials, and additional resources. Lessons are organized by both grade level and instructional sequence and include examples of interdisciplinary collaborations.
Another component of the Raindrops to Rivers project was the documentary Common Ground and Cleaner Water, a 2005 KET production. The one-hour program focuses on water quality issues, expanding on the theme “If It’s on the Ground, It’s in Your Water.” Watch the documentary video »
The Raindrops to Rivers videos and teaching materials are also available on a DVD. Kentucky educators may request a free copy from KET Professional Development, (800) 432-0951, ext. 7271 or . The two field trip videos are also available for download from KET EncycloMedia.
The Electronic Field Trip to a Watershed addresses the following Kentucky Academic Expectations:
2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.5, 2.6, and 2.31.
Program of Studies:
• Earth/Space Science: The Earth and the Universe
• Unifying Concepts: Interdependence
For information on purchasing this and other KET Electronic Field Trips on videotape or DVD, call (800) 945-9167 or e-mail .