This post is sponsored by the Cal Water H20 Challenge, but the opinions are that of my own.
Last year, California enjoyed a rainy season, but the party ended abruptly with a hot dry Summer and no rain in Fall. The recent California fires were a sharp reminder that water conservation efforts must be ongoing, and we all need to think of new and creative ways to preserve this precious natural resource.
Therefore, it’s crucial that all Californians, young and old, conserve water in order to secure a reliable water supply for present and future generations. Cal Water H2O Challenge is a free program teaching kids how to care for water.
Your child’s class could win some exciting prizes in the Classroom Challenge! Also, what a great way to teach our youth about water conservation in our beautiful state!
The students of participating classrooms initiate, develop, and implement a 4-8 week-long project (or longer at teacher discretion), focusing on caring for water. This class-based project explores water as a global resource and as a local resource, while tackling a local water
problem in an individual and community-based endeavor.
Prizes: There are AWESOME Classroom prizes! The Grand prize classroom will get a tent-camping trip to the Santa Monica Mountains with NatureBridge plus a $3,500 grant.
There are also Cal Water prize packs for every student. Click here to see the rest of the prizes.
Teachers – guidance is provided for you by grade level.
A handbook can be found at challenge.calwater.com/resources, including a guide for the flow of the project, and sample lesson plans.
Upon completion of the project, students create a final portfolio documenting their work. This portfolio, along with accompanying cover sheets, student reflections, and a teacher reflection, constitute the final submission. Sample Portfolios can be found in the resource section.
• Early Registration closes Dec. 31, 2017. Final Registration closes Jan 31, 2018. Submissions are due February 28, 2018.
• Curriculum Alignment: Common Core State Standards and is complementary to the Next Generation Science Standards. In aligning
the curriculum, sample lesson plans were developed incorporating
these guidelines.
• Project-Based Learning: Developed with the help of the WestEd /K-12 Alliance and the North American Association for Environmental Education, their project-based learning model offers an effective
and engaging manner to inspire students to community action while achieving curriculum standards.
• Objective Rubric: Judging of the competition will be conducted by a panel of experts working in education and/or an environmental field. It will use an objective rubric, developed with the help of the West Ed / K-12 Alliance. This rubric evaluates the water topic choice, project
goals, action plan, and outcomes, long-term benefits, integration with student learning and curriculum, student participation, impact on student learning, presentation, and impact on teacher practice.
For more details on this exciting contest, click here.
Are you a student and want to enter as an individual? Stay tuned and follow the Cal Water H20 Challenge Website! An Individual Contest with Details is coming soon! (Open to Grades 4-12)
