Online Curriculum Resources
Do you want Canadian-specific water ideas for your classroom? Check out these curriculum resources, free to download from the websites provided below.
SEEDS - Environment. Energy. Education
Visit the SEEDS Foundation website to find objective curriculum-fit energy and environmental education resources for Canadian teachers and students. Check out their water resources today!
Check out these publications about fresh water, designed specifically for teachers and produced by Environment Canada. Resources include fact sheets, speaker’s kits, children’s activity books, teaching suggestions, reading material, learning activities and much more. (Available in English and French)
Find everything you need to know about acid rain. Get the facts and learn how acid rain affects lakes, rivers and streams and the living creatures who live there. Click on the Kids’ Corner and find experiments tailored to specific grade levels from K to 12. (Available in English and French)
Browse this selection of environmental Teacher’s Guides on the Government of Canada’s Science and Technology for Canadian website. There are several guides related to water, including lessons on bottled water, storm surges and bioremediation. (Available in English and French)
Water - Youth and the Environment
Check out these resources for students and teachers, including puzzles, quizzes and videos, focusing on great lakes, wildlife and wetlands. The link How the Great Lakes were formed is especially useful! (Available in English and French)
Check out this interactive website with your students to learn about the history of drinking water.
Discover The Great Lakes: An Environmental Atlas and Resource Book. Topics covered include geology, hydrology, history, climate, and lake processes. The human impact on the ecosystem is discussed and includes land use and industry, toxic chemicals, and protection and restoration efforts. The book contains fact sheets, photographs, and detailed maps and graphics. For additional resources and mini-lessons on the Great Lakes, check out TEACH, a project catered towards elementary through to high school students and teachers.
Mysteries of the Great Lakes - Theatre Listings
Mysteries of the Great Lakes - Educator's Guide
Find theatre listings and download the educational guide designed to be used as a complement to the IMAX® film, Mysteries of the Great Lakes. The guide is divided into the three elementary grade levels and is designed to teach students why the Great Lakes are a unique and precious resource.
Water Activities for the Classroom
Browse these free H2Oh! Curriculum-Specific Water Activities. H2Oh! activities are the educational component of WaterCan’s Clean Water for Schools program. Organized by grade, each activity has been approved by a Teacher Committee in Canada for curriculum specific content and ease of use.
Energy Conservation Teaching Resources
Try these EarthCARE environmental resources. Find quizzes, handouts, lesson plans and activities, organized by theme and grade level. There are more than a dozen resources focusing on water conservation, as well as others on energy efficiency and waste reduction.
Download this free lesson plan provided by the Council of Canadians. It is designed for grades 9/10+ and includes key questions, talking points, a sample municipal water declaration and follow-up activities.
Children's Groundwater Festival Activity Centres
Check out these simple and detailed activity sheets offered by the Children’s Water Education Council. The activities will help to educate students about the importance of water conservation, protection, technology and ecology. There are also resources on how to start a water festival in your community.
Project WET Water Education Program
Project WET is an international, interdisciplinary, water education program for formal and non-formal educators. It is intended to supplement a school's existing K-12 core curricula in science, social studies, language arts, math, art, wellness and physical education. Project WET is available through five-hour certification workshops delivered by teacher facilitators and water resource professionals. Contact your provincial coordinator for details.
Participate in the Down the Drain program. This program is run by the Center for Innovation in Engineering & Science Education (CIESE) in the USA and allows students to collect data on the amount of water they use and compare it to the amount of water used by people in different parts of the world. Suitable for grades K-5.
Fill out a simple form to receive your Yellow Fish Road in-class materials, including lesson plans and student activity booklets for secondary students and an activity booklet for preschoolers and grades 2-4. (Available in English and French)
Try this water lesson plan entitled “Impacting our Watersheds: Focus on the Fraser River,” created by the Sierra Club of Canada, BC Chapter Green Star!
Unlock Underwater Mysteries - Rivers to Oceans Week
Peruse this Teacher’s Guide, produced by the Canadian Wildlife Federation, packed with resource sheets, classroom activities and useful contacts and resources on Canada’s vast water environments. Make sure to check out the Learning Centre on the “Rivers to Oceans Week” website to find out how to sign up for the Blue School program, which engages students to promote ocean literacy.
Check out the WWF’s Schools for a Living Planet, which builds knowledge by introducing a different environmental unit in each grade. The grade 7 unit focuses on Marine Protected Areas and the grade 8 unit focuses specifically on water.
Take a look at the Wetland Curriculum Resource, created by the Toronto Zoo’s Adopt-A-Pond Programme. Linked to the Ontario school curriculum for pre-school to grade 12, this guide includes study modules on water, wetland ecology, amphibians, beavers, and how you can make a difference.
Presenting Water for the World
Book an interactive “Water for the World” presentation, delivered by members of Engineers Without Borders. The presentation is 60-90 minutes and is best suited for Science and Geography classes between grades 7 and 12, and high school environmental and social justice clubs.
City of Toronto Water Education Presentations
Schedule a free in-school presentation by the City of Toronto’s Water Education Team (WET). They offer presentations for Grades 2 and 8 that relate to the Ontario Science and Technology curriculum. Each of the presentations include topics surrounding water treatment, management and conservation.
Visit the Safe Drinking Water Foundation’s website to find the exciting hands on learning activities provided for elementary and high school students. Resources range from kits to test community drinking water, to lesson plans that connect water and health, and programs that encourage understanding of Aboriginal culture and beliefs related to water issues.
The Jane Goodall Institute is not responsible for the content of external websites.
