1. Virtual Watershed and Web Quest Assignment
Goal: The purpose of this assignment is for students to see the effects of human impact on watersheds through viewing virtual tours of actual watersheds, and researching for specific information about watershed through the web quest portion of the assignment.
Assignment: Students may choose one of the six assignments listed below. Each different watershed tour and web quest has questions to answer. Then each student will prepare a visual representation to share with the class showing what they have learned.
 You will make 10 slides to include the vocab on slide 2 and the information from the websites you visit. The first slide is a title slide with your name, the number of the web quest you are doing, and the date.

2. Important Terms About Watersheds
Make sure to define and explain these terms – these words have been assigned in Stemscopes picture vocabulary
Watershed
Surface water
Ground water
Percolation
Zone of Aeration
Saturation Zone
Water Table
Aquifer
Point source water pollution
Non-point source water pollution

3. 1 – Click on the links and answer the questions
1 – Click on the links and answer the questions. Paste the link into your power point so you can show it to the class while you share your information.
Watershed tour:
What is a watershed?
Why are watersheds important?
What is affecting watersheds?
Click on Alfalfa River Watershed Excursion
Go through the tour and answer these questions.
How big is this watershed?
Why is this river considered a blackwater river? Tannins and
What is a major source of pollution into this watershed? Farming and phosphorus mining
What are some examples of plant and animal life in the Alfafa River? Many birds
Why is there a need for restoration and what is being done about it?

4. 2 - Web Quest - Click on the links and answer the questions
2 - Web Quest - Click on the links and answer the questions. Paste any link into your power point that you want to show to the class while you share your information.
Sites for information on the Galveston Bay Watershed:
For this site: Click on stream flow
What streams in this area feed into the Galveston Bay watershed?
For this site: Click on State of the Bay
Go to State of the Bay Report and click on this link For more information and a link to the report
Go to chapter 3 and skim through the information. Read the introduction and summary and create a slide about how Galveston Bay was used in the early years of its history.
Go to chapter 4 read the introduction, skim through the material, and read the summary. Create a slide about how the Bay has changed and what the major impacts are on the bay.
Go to this site:
Click on Presence and choose two to three species that interest you. Explain how they are believed to have gotten in the bay and what their effect could be.

5. 3 - Web Quest - Click on the links and answer the questions
3 - Web Quest - Click on the links and answer the questions. Paste any link into the power point that you want to show to the class while you share your information.
Read the first page and answer these questions:
What is a watershed?
Why is your watershed important?
What are pollutants and what do they have to do with water quality?
Define these terms – wetlands, ground water, point source pollution, and non-point source pollution.
For this site: Click on State of the Bay
Go to Seafood Safety – Read the paragraph and give a brief summary of the paragraph.
Click on visit the Galveston Bay Status and Trends site here under the Seafood Safety heading.
Answer these questions:
What are pathogens?
What are toxicants?
What is a seafood consumption advisory?
Look at the map and the chart for advisories. Which seafood advisories are intended for La Porte and what are the toxins?

6. 4 – Click on the links and answer the questions
4 – Click on the links and answer the questions. Paste the links into your power point that you want to show to the class while you share your information.
Watershed tour:
What is a watershed?
Why are watersheds important?
What is affecting watersheds?
Click on Springs Coastal Watershed Excursion
Read the Welcome information and start the tour. Answer these questions as you go.
What type of waterways makes up most of this watershed? How is this similar to the watershed area around La Porte?
How many gallons of water do the springs that feed this watershed discharge per day?
Read the third paragraph under the Crystal River heading and explain what nitrates are and where they come from. Why is this a problem in this watershed?
Read the next paragraph and describe some possible solutions to this problem.
Enjoy the rest of the tour and give two pieces of information that you found interesting or important.

7. 5 – Click on the links and answer the questions
5 – Click on the links and answer the questions. Paste links into your power point that you want to show to the class while you share your information.
Wetland Podcast:
Watch the pod cast and answer these questions:
What is a wetland?
Why are wetlands important?
What is affected this wetland before it was restored?
Now go to this website:
Click on State of the Bay and open the report. Then go to chapter 7 and locate the section on wetlands. Answer these questions.
What are the two types of wetlands? Page 2 and examples on page 4 -5
Go to the third paragraph on page three and explain why wetlands are so important to Galveston Bay.
Look at the picture on page 6 and explain how hurricane Ike affected the wetlands of Galveston Bay.
Look at the bottom of page 9 and explain what was happening to the wetlands up to 1989 and how that is changing now.

8. 6 – Click on the links and answer the questions
6 – Click on the links and answer the questions. Paste links into your power point that you want to show to the class while you share your information.
Virtual Watershed Tour:
Click on Southern Coastal Watershed Excursion Answer these questions:
What is a watershed?
Why are watersheds important?
Read the introduction and then take the tour and answer the rest of the questions as you go.
Click on DeSoto National Memorial to begin after the map.
How do Mangrove trees help other organisms?
What are some things that Florida residents and business owners can do to help save the sea turtles?
In the last 50 years, how has development affected the environment in Sarasota?
What is an estuary? ( on the page about Sarasota)
Now go to:
Click on Chapter 9 Impact on Public Health – Read the introduction
What are ways that humans can be impacted by contaminants in Galveston Bay?
Go to page 6 and locate some diseases from eating seafood and their causes.