NEW 2015 RESOURCES
Wetlands Theme Page
This "Theme Page" has links to two types of resources related to the study of Wetlands. Students and teachers will find curricular resources (information, content...) to help them learn about this topic. In addition, there are also links to instructional materials (lesson plans) which will help teachers provide instruction in this theme. Please read our About
Estuaries
A page from a site dedicated to informing individuals about estuaries and
the importance of restoring them. From their menu, you have the choice of:
10 Top Estuary Facts, Economics of Estuaries, Reason for Habitat Loss, What
is Restoration, and Why restore.
Biome
Investigation
Using picture/graphical resources on the Internet as starting points, intermediate
students investigate the six biomes of the world in this lesson plan. Two
specific objectives are to describe the major factors that shape biomes and
to represent the connections between the factors that determine biome development
and plant and animal life.
Environmental
Education
A unit to help teach about the Kaelepulu Wetlands in Hawaii. The author
has included valuable background information on wetland issues. In addition,
there are 5 lesson plans, several examples of wetland field trip reports,
and a wetland bird hunt lesson plan.
Learning
About Wetlands
Designed for primary students, this web site has introductory information
on four types of wetlands. For the teacher, there's a set of about a dozen
suggesting learning activities.
Learning
Space: Wetland at Risk: What Now? WWW Research Lesson
One of the ways to integrate the Internet into your classroom is by using
it as a source of current curricular information. Having students conduct
research on the WWW is an effective and relevant learning activity. Here's
one such learning activity for intermediate students which focusses specifically
on wetlands.
Louisiana
Wetlands
A site with links to Louisiana's wetlands and pages expressing the need
to conserve them. Links provides pictures of the plants, animals, and descriptions
of Louisiana's wetlands and bayous.
Make
a Water Cycle Wheel
A lesson designed to help young students produce a water cycle wheel. The
water cycle helps create wetlands as water changes from one stage to the next.
Nature
Notes
A collection of more than 15 links to photos of plants and creatures found
in wetlands. The author has included pictures, text and some sounds.
Salt
Marshes Trailhead
This is the starting point for a virtual field trip on salt marshes from
Tramline. Experts in the subject have selected a number of web sites on salt
marshes and arranged them in a sequence to tell a story for students to follow.
Students can move from one web stop in the field trip to the next with ample
opportunity to explore within the individual web site as they wish. However,
since their web browser page has been split into an inner part (showing that
stop in the field trip) and an outer part (giving navigational tools to go
through the entire field trip), they can always return to their "tram" and
go to the next stop. To be effective, teachers would have to ensure that student
browsing through the field trip sites was purposeful. Teacher guides can be
printed.
Wetland:
Past, Present, Future
In this lesson, middle school students examine how human interactions affect
a local wetland ecosystem. Features of the lesson include open-ended questions
generated in work teams, an interdisciplinary approach, use of the Internet,
and a focus on current community related issues.
Wetlands
National Wildlife Federation has created an informative site with an educational
focus that describes several different wetlands, issues of concern, and the
benefits of wetlands. Browse through the site from the main menu (above) or
go directly to some of their educational resources (below).
- Types
of Wetlands Small Isolated Wetlands and Bottomland Hardwood Forest
Wetlands are the two types of wetlands the author identifies and provides
descriptions of their benefits and characteristics. The overview describes:
bogs, coastal marshes, freshwater marshes, prairie potholes, swamps, and
vernal pools.
- Benefits
of Wetlands The overview on this page summarizes benefits such as
protecting us from floods and runoff, ensuring water quality, maintaining
wildlife habitat, availability of fishing, and preventing erosion.
- Threats
to Wetlands The following issues are described in the overview as
threats to the wetlands: Urban Sprawl, Highways and Roads, Mining, Stream
Channelization, and Logging.
- Glosary/Acronyms
Wetlands are complex systems, and so is wetland vocabulary.
(The)
Wetlands Education System
These pages provide some basic information that "explores some of the ways
in which wetlands are defined and classified, as well as some of the roles
they play in our society and natural environment." The author has more than
30 photos about wetland types, plants, and inhabitants.
Wetlands
- Fresh Water Wetlands
Information at this site will: provide a definition of what wetlands are,
answer the question why they are important, investigate the wetland creatures
and describe the impact of draining wetlands. It also explains recent laws
in the US which will help keep the present amount of wetlands intact.
Wetlands
of Canada
This website includes four chapters covering the following topics.
- Introduction
To Wetlands Chapter One provides an introduction to wetlands, including
their location, importance, and threats.
- Classification
Chapter Two provides a summary of the Canadian wetland classification
system with descriptions on the five classes of wetlands.
- Wetland
Regions in Canada Chapter Three gives you the opportunity to explore
the seven major wetland regions in Canada
- The
Ramsar Convention The Ramsar convention and Canadian Ramsar sites
(protected wetlands) are outlined in this chapter.

Note: The sites listed above will serve as a source of curricular content
in Wetlands. For other curricular resources in Social Studies (e.g., Canadian
Studies, Current Events), or for lesson plans and theme pages, click the "previous
screen" button below. Or, click here
if you wish to return directly to the CLN menu which will give you access to
educational resources in all of our subjects.