Here are some ideas on how water quality issues can be integrated to serve as a stimulus for learning in a variety of ways, other than its obvious application in teaching science.

Integrating with mathematics

Collection of long-term data can be done with students, young and old.

• Keep the data on classroom charts for all to see.
• Spend just a few minutes each week discussing the data and how it is continually added to.
• When enough data is collected use it for graphing and other relationship recognizing activities, such as quantifying seasonal patterns and trends.

Graphing

• Providing them graph sheets with axes already set up and labeled.
• Make simple bar graphs, histograms and line graphs of easily measured factors:
• Water temperature vs. air temperature
• Water temperature vs. time of day or time of year
• Number of organisms found vs. time of year or time of day
• Simple turbidity (very cloudy, slightly cloudy, clear) vs. place of sampling or time of day or time of year or before/after a storm
• Water depth at one spot vs. month of year or before/after a storm
• Look for other factors to graph that are specific to your waterway.
• Use spreadsheets and database software to collect, process, display, and analyze the collected information (NYS Standard 2: Information Systems, Key Idea 1.2)

Measurement

Have students measure (count) simple characteristics such as:

• Temperature of air, water, and soil
• Time of day
• Number of organisms in a given amount of water
• Depth and width of stream at various points
• Length of stream within your study area

Integrating with Language Arts

• Students can write essays that are expository, documentary, influential, or imaginative. For Example:
• Describe how a stream study is done.
• What problems face our waterway?
• Describe a day (year) in the life of a waterway.
• Convince others that our stream is in danger.
• Imagine yourself as a fish in the stream. What is your life like?
• Write a play or short story--produce or illustrate it.
• Speeches and talks.
• Debates: students love to argue and the process of basing positions on supportive research in valuable to learn and can be done on almost any grade level.

Integrating with Fine Arts

Students become involved very easily in utilizing nature as a stimulus for communication through the limitless media of the fine arts.

Self-contained classes can easily integrate art into other disciplines, letting students choose their own media or assigning particular projects.

In departmental situations, team up with teachers of the fine arts to allow students to learn credit in multiple disciplines for various aspects of the same major project. If this is not possible continue to encourage the fine art dimension within your own area. This is a tremendously enriching, motivating, and integrating process.

Ideas:

• Use 'found' objects from the stream area to create expressive pieces
• Use various media to create influential works to convince or alert people (murals, posters, etc.)
• Produce a dance, song, or instrumental piece to tell the story of the waterway
• Dig clay from the stream bank to make pottery
• Make paper or cloth from the materials of the area
• Use media to develop a record of the changes the waterway area goes through in a year
• Use 'trash' from the area to make a piece of art
• Audio tape the sound of the waterway and its area, edit this together with song or instrumental music
• Use the water and other materials of the area to make musical instruments

Integrating with Social Studies

Social Studies provide a perfect framework for a companioning stream study.

• Students can research, explore, discuss, debate
• Historical land use in the area
• Settlement in the area
• Current Business vs. private use of the Area
• Governmental regulation of this stream area and of land in general
• The importance of running water in the choice of settlement areas
• Responsibilities of citizens to the community for resource use
• Relationship of technology to society/government/business
• History of the environment movement
• The difference between conservationists and preservationists
• A wide range of current environmental/political battles
• Students can also become involved in local environmental issues, attend public hearings, interview politicians, put on their own public hearing, become active in environmental issues within the schools community, and a bevy of other 'activity-oriented' projects.