Water Resources Research Act Program

Principal Investigators: Arretta Card

Abstract: The environmental educational materials for students age 9-12 about fresh water resource issues on Guam have recently been developed. The "Guam Water Kids" materials emphasize the importance of Guams fresh water as a key resource, explain hydrological concepts, and introduce a sense of stewardship for conserving and protecting Guam's fresh water. These materials include a pre-recorded presentation, teacher's lesson plans and suggested activities, a Chamorro language glossary, and a companion website. The educational materials are correlated to learning standards recognized by the Guam Department of Education and have been approved for use in Guam public schools by the superintendent's office and announced in the GDOE newsletter. The materials were developed, in part, to support outreach efforts by WERI. There is a need to familiarize teachers with the materials and demonstrate the value of incorporating them into curriculum. Working directly with these educators will also increase awareness of WERI as a resource for water related issues and will open opportunities for WERI to engage educators in the future. As materials are employed and as teachers become engaged in water resource issues, an evaluation is needed to assess the effectiveness of the "Guam Water Kids" materials and to explore additional needs teachers may report such as a willingness to participate in water related courses for educators which may be developed in the future. Specifically, we intend to follow the public schools' chain of approval, schedule a presentation targeted to reaching the 5th graders at each of the 6 elementary schools and follow the presentations with an evaluation by educators involved in teaching subjects related to water resource issues. Procedures include: 1) contact and present materials to the principals at each of the six elementary schools in the Guam public school system for approval at the school level. Upon principal's approval, contact appropriate head teacher and schedule presentation to all fifth grade sections to be conducted in the spring 2010 and fall 2010 semesters; 2) conduct six team presentations of the "Guam Water Kids" program led by Ann Card and with WERI professionals serving as resource persons. Leave participating teachers with a packet of the educational materials including the CD presentation, printed copies of the two related Lesson Plans and Activities, and WERI contact information as appropriate; 3) conduct a survey of participating educators to evaluate the "Guam Water Kids" presentation and related lesson plans. Include additional questions about needs teachers may have and specifically poll interest in participating in future teacher training courses in water resources, a critical need which has been identified by the advisory council. The survey will be conducted online with an "on paper" option in order to facilitate participation. Contact information will be preserved in order to facilitate future communication with educators; 4) analyze and report survey results; 5) make any appropriate adjustments to existing "Guam Water Kids" materials indicated by educators' assessments.