Learning Tools

EarthEcho Launches Free Collection of STEM Resources About Water Conservation

• By Joshua Bolkan
• 01/16/18

EarthEcho International has unveiled a collection of free curriculum resources, EarthEcho Expedition: Water by Design, that aims to bring STEM experiences from the real world into the classroom.

The resources are built on a program from EarthEcho and sponsored by Northrop Grumman, also called EarthEcho Expedition: Water by Design, that brought 26 middle school teachers to Southern California last October to learn about water scarcity before helping to design and vet the new materials. The company's expeditions program is a yearly event "that leverages the rich Cousteau legacy of exploration and discovery to bring STEM education to 21st century learners and their educators," according to a news release.

Educators who participate are dubbed "EarthEcho Expedition Fellows" and work with the organization's team to "use their first-hand experiences to develop engaging and relatable classroom-based education materials to support high-quality environmental STEM programming in schools and communities anywhere in the world," according to information released by EarthEcho. "Throughout expedition and after, the fellows are active in the process of developing, field-testing and promoting materials for each new EarthEcho Expeditions module online."

The resources will be available beginning Jan. 17 and will include lesson plans, design challenges, videos and a virtual field trip. Features of the collection include:

• "Adventure-based" STEM learning modules focused on topics such as aquaponics, desalination, precision irrigation and more. Modules include design challenges and other activities designed to encourage active learning with hands-on cross-curricular lessons tied directly to real-world water conservation issues;
• STEM career close-up videos offer the perspectives of scientists, engineers and other experts at organizations such as Northrop Grumman, NASA and the West Basin Municipal Water District for insight into careers related to water conservation and related areas;
• Expedition videos show students the environmental science and engineering solutions of conservation challenges; and
• Youth in action videos show how young activists work for positive change related to water conservation.

"EarthEcho Expeditions provides teachers and students around the world with access to classroom resources that open the door to amazing science and engineering and the women and men who are making a positive difference in our world each and every day," said Philippe Cousteau, Jr., founder of EarthEcho International, in a prepared statement. "At EarthEcho, we believe every classroom should have access to materials and tools that engage, inspire, and support new generations of problem solvers and leaders in STEM disciplines."