This Starting Point webpage is a summary of a role-playing resource called Science in the Courtroom: The Woburn Toxic Trial. In this exercise, hydrology students role-play expert witnesses in a mock trial dealing with contamination of groundwater. Students prepare for the role-play by studying the movement of groundwater and the transport of contaminants through computational and map exercises and ... Full description.

This Starting Point teaching module highlights a case study of Malama Keone'o'oi. Students will learn techniques for conducting a local environmental assessment in an ecologically sensitive area. Identification of native plants and methodologies for sampling will be taught in the classroom and then reinforced in the field. The module also includes a community awareness and conservation aspect. Users ... Full description.

This case study is part of the Starting Point module. The activity requires students to author a presentation to the Grounds Management Committee of their school. Students must give their recommendation for the control of the invasive species purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) on the Edgewood College campus. Users can find a variety of information related to this case study including learning ... Full description.

In this Starting Point case study, students will explore wetland hydrology and biology. They will decide whether or not to restore a wetland or retain dams and drainage systems. Students will also examine the complexity of decisions regarding wetland restoration as well as investigate viewpoints of various stakeholders in the draining of wetlands. While the activity is set in Missouri, the case can ... Full description.

In this case study activity, students will examine the complex issues that result from human use of ecologically sensitive areas. The students will investigate these issues from the point of view of their major/career path. This example page is part of the Starting Point collection and was adapted from the Lifelines Online case study. Users can access information about the exercise's learning goals, ... Full description.

In this curricular unit, students learn how water becomes contaminated with specific water-borne diseases, read personal accounts of unsafe water, and work together to brainstorm solutions to the water problems of communities in Africa. The website includes complete lesson plans, a list of materials, assessment tools, and links to on-line components of the exercise. Activities within this module include ... Full description.

This site provides information about precipitation, evaporation, condensation, surface runoff, infiltration and transpiration, which are all part of the water cycle, a complex process that not only gives us water to drink and fish to eat, but also weather patterns that help grow our crops. The site has four sections. The introduction presents the overall concept while the second section covers each ... Full description.

This explanation of the hydrologic cycle discusses evaporation, transpiration, condensation, precipitation, runoff, percolation, groundwater, and the water table. There is a diagram and a description of each as well as a discussion of the dynamics of the cycle, which powered by the Sun. In addition there are links that lead to all parts of the Properties of Water menu. Full description.

This lesson is designed to help students use appropriate tools and techniques to gather, analyze, and interpret data; develop descriptions, explanations, predictions and models using evidence; develop an understanding of the Earth as a system by understanding that global patterns of atmospheric movement influence climate, including local weather; and understand that internal and external processes ... Full description.

This lesson is designed to give students an enhanced understanding of the water cycle and rain as a resource, increase their measurement and data collection skills, and develop graphing and data interpretation skills. It expects that students will demonstrate the ability to measure and record rates of rainfall, evaporation, and infiltration and to graph and interpret data. The lesson provides detailed ... Full description.