The River Starts Here
A Southeast Minnesota Water Workshop for Educators
June 2018
About the workshop:
The River Starts Here Workshop 2018 was a first annual collaborative workshop that provided over 20 educators with the resources and tools to use water as a context for learning in the classroom, while addressing Minnesota academic standards in science, social studies, and language arts.
Over two days, participants received:
• Instruction and hands-on participation in water-based education activities, indoors and in the field
• Sample lessons from MinnAqua, Project WET, Project Learning Tree, Project WILD, and River of Dreams curricula
• Introduction to WHAF online technologies, ways to incorporate oral history in the classroom, and Google Earth tools
• Tour of the Whitewater Watershed
• Catered lunch from local farms and Q&A with five local farmers
• Annual Minnesota State Parks Vehicle Permit
• 16 CEUs
The River Starts Here Workshop 2018 was a first annual collaborative workshop that provided over 20 educators with the resources and tools to use water as a context for learning in the classroom, while addressing Minnesota academic standards in science, social studies, and language arts.
Over two days, participants received:
• Instruction and hands-on participation in water-based education activities, indoors and in the field
• Sample lessons from MinnAqua, Project WET, Project Learning Tree, Project WILD, and River of Dreams curricula
• Introduction to WHAF online technologies, ways to incorporate oral history in the classroom, and Google Earth tools
• Tour of the Whitewater Watershed
• Catered lunch from local farms and Q&A with five local farmers
• Annual Minnesota State Parks Vehicle Permit
• 16 CEUs
Stay tuned for more information on the upcoming 2019 educator's workshop at Whitewater State Park!
Testimonials from 2018 participants
"I learned how to incorporate what's going on locally into my classroom lessons so my students can see that they can make a difference."
"This is absolutely the best teacher CEU class I have attended on ANY subject! Great work!"
My mind is spinning with all of the science content I learned! I am extremely motivated to get back to school and find ways to incorporate environmental education lessons into my district curricula. The Whitewater Staff is amazing!
"Thank you for hosting us teachers hear at Whitewater State Park. The learning that I did here will have a huge impact on my teaching-my students will love it!"
The Data
- 100% of participants said they would return for an annual educators workshop at Whitewater State Park
- Participants reported they would use information from this workshop to:
- Incorporate new topics into their teaching in the next two years (100%)
- Collaborate with new partners (79%)
- Develop new units or curricula (74%)
Resources for Educators
Find links to resources from the River Starts Here 2018 Educator Workshop below.
Find links to resources from the River Starts Here 2018 Educator Workshop below.
Whitewater River Valley Tour and Field Work
- Give your class an overview of the Whitewater Watershed by watching this Flyover Video. Be sure to turn on captioning.
- Volunteer to be a MPCA water monitor with your class. The MPCA will send you the gear you need.
- Schedule a Watershed Field Experience trip for your students. (Middle and High School age recommended.)
- Watershed Field Experience Worksheets
River of Dreams
- Our canoes are on their way to the Gulf of Mexico. Follow their journey here and learn more about the International Water Institute.
Watershed Health Assessment Framework
- Presentation Slides Part 1, WHAF Introduction
- Presentation Slides Part 2, Whitewater State Park Specific
- Exercise 1
- Exercise 2
- Glossary of Watershed Terms
Oral History in the Classroom
- Presentation Slides -Click on pictures in the pdf for resource links
- Minnesota Reflections-Whitewater State Park oral histories will be archived on Minnesota Reflections by 2019
Project WET
- Sum of the Parts, River Activity Character Scenarios-Use these to guide students in developing their "shore front property."
- A Drop in the Bucket Lesson
- The Incredible Journey Lesson
Project WILD
MinnAqua
- Access the entire MinnAqua Leaders Guide or download specific sections here.
Minnesota State Parks offer free naturalist programming for school and educational groups.Check out this spreadsheet for a list of Whitewater State Park offerings according to topic, grade level, or discipline. Contact [email protected] to schedule a visit. We hope to see you at the park soon!
Many thanks to our partners and sponsors!