Water Education Resources: High School
Lesson plans, interactive tools, real-world data, and career resources for high school students.
Explore & Interact
Digital tools students can use independently to explore real water data and systems.
Comprehensive, regularly updated resource covering the water cycle, water use, water quality, and groundwater. Includes data-rich graphics, Q&A sections, and links to real USGS datasets. Excellent for AP Environmental Science.
Real-time and historical streamflow, groundwater levels, and water quality data for the entire US. Students can explore local watersheds, compare seasonal flow data, and analyze trends.
Look up water quality conditions for any local waterway by address or zip code. Reports on impairments, pollutant sources, and restoration efforts. Great for place-based investigations.
Interactive 8-step walkthrough of a wastewater treatment facility covering pre-treatment through cogeneration.
Step-by-step lesson plan for building a physical aquifer model. Learn what aquifers are, how they work, and why they’re critical. Designed for grades 9–12.
Investigate & Build
Structured activities, labs, and calculators for classroom use.
The actual USGS data portal — students can pull real water quality and streamflow data for analysis. Pair with a structured worksheet for an authentic science inquiry experience.
Calculate personal, dietary, and household water use, then compare to national and global averages. Excellent for quantitative analysis and discussion of virtual water.
Standards-aligned lesson plans on water rights, water management, water chemistry, and the water-energy-food nexus. Some resources require free educator registration.
Engage students in real scientific data collection on water transparency, temperature, and macroinvertebrates. Data uploads to a global database — authentic citizen science aligned with NGSS.
Educational resources about aquifers, contamination, and groundwater management that go beyond the basics.
Connect & Engage
Current events, documentaries, career exploration, and global context.
Full documentary episodes, short clips, and discussion guides. Connects water chemistry (lead, corrosion control) to environmental justice and public policy.
Journalism focused exclusively on the global water crisis — scarcity, contamination, infrastructure, and policy. Great for current events, research projects, and media literacy.
Curated lessons, maps, and data activities for grades 9–12 — mapping global water stress, analyzing water access inequities, and exploring desalination.
Course framework, free-response question archives, and supplementary resources. Water resources and pollution are covered in Units 5 and 8.
Fact Sheets & Reference
Six common water-wasting mistakes. A quick-reference conversation starter about conservation habits.
10 key water facts — from planetary distribution to human body composition to household usage rates.
45 facts covering physical properties, body composition, and production requirements for food and industrial goods.
Web-based scavenger hunt about the Potomac and Chesapeake Bay Watersheds. Follow links to discover how watersheds connect.
Word Games & Puzzles
These may be more suited for review or warm-up activities at the high school level.
Search for water source vocabulary words.
Navigate to the clean water faucet.
Find vocabulary words from The Water Project’s Water Challenge.
Printable trivia card game — one team reads the answer, the other picks the question.
Bulletin Board Ideas
USGS Water Education Posters
Each poster includes educational activities. High-res images and PDFs, color and B&W. Free and public domain.
Watersheds
Hazardous Waste
Wetlands
Water Use
Wastewater
Navigation
Ground Water
Water Quality
Classroom Activities & Labs
Each activity includes lessons, vocabulary, and hands-on instructions. Curriculum courtesy of the Water Environment Federation.
Science tutorial on wastewater and wastewater treatment.
Interview people in water-related careers to explore the field.
Research the history and formation of rivers in your area.
Develop math skills calculating volumes of groundwater.
Deepen your knowledge about groundwater systems.
Study groundwater and the water table.
Explore the relationship between groundwater and surface water.
Create an aquifer and demonstrate well placement and contamination.
Apply physics concepts to hydraulic heads in groundwater flow control.
Model how groundwater becomes contaminated.
Study pollution’s impact on the environment and human health.
Design a landfill and consider effects of leaks on the water supply.
Learn about underground storage tanks and their effects on the water supply.
Last updated March 2026. All links verified at time of publication.