Download the AF Educator’s Guide [PDF]

INTRODUCTION

The Aqueduct Futures’ Educator’s Guide is directed at educators, parents, students, and the public during your visit to the Aqueduct Futures exhibit and exploration of the project’s website. As global citizens, we all need the ability to engage our complex world so we can adapt to our changing planet and the depletion of resources. The references and resources shared here will take you deeper into the science of water, how to make our cities more resilient, and ways to conserve water and create habitat.

The guide provides resources for educators to further explore the water/energy nexus and California’s water supply system. Each resource features hands-on or online activities, and most are free or available at nominal cost; a few require the educator to have a password or similar for access.

The exhibit’s panels and maps are intended to raise questions about:

Attitudes towards water and nature
What impacts and social cost can be tolerated to supply water to our cities
How can we equitably share common resources
What will the future of Los Angeles be with less water
How small rural communities can be regain control of their resources

A REFLECTION

Before going further, take a moment to consider the following brain drops and add your own:

Who? Is the audience for the lesson? (Science students, english language learners, homeschooled children, visual, auditory, kinesthetic, or other learners)
What? Are you looking for lesson plans, new activities, or other resources? Is the lesson teacher/educator driven, student-driven, or a mix? Does the lesson need to meet California and/or national education standards? Are there any associated costs (special equipment, online access, other)?
Where? Will this happen in school or another learning environment?
How? Is there easy access to the lesson/activity plan and its components? Is there a need for assessment tool such as grading?
Which? Which students work best in teams, one-on-one or individually?
How? How much time is needed to complete the lesson or activity?
Who? Who can provide additional support (teachers, student peers, volunteers, parents, college students, scientists and technicians)
How? How comprehensive is the lesson/activity? Does it include more than one subject (for example writing and presenting as part of an algebra lesson)? Is the resource current, accurate, and and/or have an engaging format?

It is important is to identify your goals and challenges:

Consider energy and water, past, present and future in your region.
Check for potential socio-economic, environmental or other bias in education resources.
Suggested activities for use of static or dynamic content.

	Local	State	National	Global
Source	Los Angeles Department of Water and Power	California Environmental Protection Agency	United States Environmental Protection Agency	Project WET Foundation
Start here	https://www.ladwp.com/ladwp/faces/ladwp/aboutus/a-inourcommunity/a-ioc-educationalprograms/a-ioc-ep-mathandsciencelessons?_adf.ctrl-state=vi2wykatc_77&_afrLoop=148622314668000	http://www.californiaeei.org/	http://epa.gov/climatechange/kids/index.html http://epa.gov/climatechange/kids/resources/index.html	http://projectwet.org/ http://store.projectwet.org/index.php/educators-guides/water-quality-educators-guide.html
QUest Subjects	Math, science, technology	History/social science, science	Science	Science; multidisciplinary
Grade levels	6-12	5-12	6-8	4-12
Access	Download	CA Public school educators with password	online	Free or purchase at nominal price
Associated costs	Internet accessEquipment for some hands-on activities	TBD	Internet access	Internet access; varies depending on curriculum and training
Need for educator involvement	High	TBD	Moderate	Moderate to high
Funded by	Los Angeles Department of Water and Power	State of California, The David and Lucile Packard Foundation and others	Government of United States (Environmental Protection Agency)	501(c)(3) non-profit funded through fundraising and grants
Other support	Target Science Teacher Network, a program of the Los Angeles Education Partnership (formerly Urban Education Partnership)	http://www.californiaeei.org/History/default.htm	http://epa.gov/climatechange/kids/references.html	http://projectwet.org/water-education-project-wet/sponsor-donor-partner-project-wet/
Use of design elements	Fair but adequate for purpose	High	High	Moderate to high depending on resource
Resource strength(s)	Pilot tested by LAUSD teachers; career oriented	New content/format for environmental education	Content is clear, easy to understand	Mix of static and dynamic content
Resource weakness(s)	Difficult to duplicate due to teacher time constraints	Limited potential to develop student interest in STEM unless there are changes in public education	Unlikely to trigger student discussions on political issues related to climate change	Time needed to go through the educational tools and to make follow-up calls for
Precipitation zone(s)	Arid	Arid and semi-arid	Wide range	Wide range; depends on lesson plan or activity guide
Connections to water/energy use and lifestyle	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes