What is Fresh Water Tool Kit
FREE Water Resource Educational Tools
Looking for fun and easy tools to help support your lesson plans on science and water
resources? Tools that also help meet multiple state educational standards?
Check-out one or more of these FREE, great resources for 3rd through 12th grades
created by the MKE Water Partners.
DOWNLOAD FWTK OVERVIEW
Download the PDF of this overview document in simple printable format.
1. Freshwater 101: In-Class Presentation [All Grades]
This engaging and interactive presentation is the perfect start to a strong foundational understanding of how precious and limited freshwater is for all living things. Students will begin or continue their journey learning about water with a renewed enthusiasm and appreciation. This “30,000-foot view” of the Big Blue Planet’s waters can be tailored in content and duration and brings the message right back to their local waterways.
2. Enviroscape Watershed Model [Grades: 3-6]
A fun, interactive, 3-D model the students will love. They’ll actually see how water runs over the landscape and picks up pollutants and learn solutions to help protect our waters. The model includes a kit of supplies and teaching aids.
3. Milwaukee’s Waters Map [All Grades]
This 24×36” poster can be used on its own or with the watershed model to connect students to local waterways. The Milwaukee’s Waters map is easy to understand showing local rivers, their watersheds and places of interest. You’ll also receive a teaching aid that highlights general facts on our waterways and environmental and historical information.
4. Simple Solutions Resource Guides [All Grades]
This useful guide can be used on its own or as a next step after the Freshwater 101 presentation or watershed model. Each tri-fold guide has a map of the Great Lakes, a stormwater graphic and a fold-out poster with over 50 easy solutions to protect and conserve water. There is also an activity guide available to find ways to use the guide in the classroom and at home with their families. The Guides are in English and Spanish and can be provided for each student.
5. Day at the Beach - Beach or River Cleanup [All Grades]
Get your kids out of the classroom to a beach or river near you! You’ll receive instructions on how to coordinate a beach or river cleanup with other activites that groups of students can rotate through. It’s fun to rotate lunch into the trip. The cleanup can be a data collection event or a general cleanup. Gloves, bags and a data form can be provided by a MKE Water Partner. Transportation to the beach or river and chaperons need to be provided by the school.
6. Water Works – Activities on Water’s Unique Chemical Properties [Grades 3 – 8]
Ignite student’s interest in water with these quick and easy hands-on activities adapted from Project Wet. These are perfect fill-in activities that show the 3 states of water and their density, adhesion, cohesion, capillary action and surface tension and explains the behavior of water’s unique molecules. Each activity can stand alone, or students can rotate through stations of all 3 activities.
7. Water Art [All Grades]
This activity guide will direct you to ideas to spark visual creativity in students to design posters, cartoons, comics, collages, and more projects with water themes.
NOTE :: If you’d like to explore a deep art and water experience, check out the Water Across the Curriculum program through the Haggerty Museum of Art at Marquette University.
8. Conserve! Water Use Guide and Tracking [Grades 3 - 12]
These activities help students understand how we use water every day and gives them tools to reduce water and energy use. They will track water use at home and be able to share what they learn with the rest of the family.
9. Water Heroes: The People Working With Water [Grades 5 -12] - COMING SOON -
Students learn about jobs related to water resources. Milwaukee is a global leader in water research, science and technology and is creating many new jobs in these fields. We’ll need student’s brilliant minds to help solve worldwide issues on water quality and quantity. Additionally, a MKE Water Partner can arrange for a visit from a water Professional. For example, students were wowed” when research scuba divers from UWM came out of the water to greet them at a beach cleanup.