Inquiry-Based Lesson Plans

This page contains the collection of all lessons that comprise Protecting Nebraska Waters. These lessons are categorized under sections for social studies, science, language arts, and interdisciplinary studies. Teachers from diverse disciplines will likely discover that lessons from outside their discipline will align with their needs.

Social Studies Lessons

How do citizens solve problems democratically?
How do different levels of government solve problems?
How do average citizens solve civic problems?
How will I take action to address a civic problem?
How do senators and their constituencies influence each other?
How does Nebraska's current legislation address the issue of statewide water quality?
How should citizens utilize Nebraska's legislative process to accomplish their goals?
What role does money play in community problem-solving?
How does surface water contamination in our local area impact downstream environments?
How can maps contribute to our understanding of local water quality issues?
How does Umoⁿhoⁿ Nation share their water stories?
How should the diverse perspectives of community members influence the development of civic solutions?

Science

Why is water important?
What can aquatic organisms tell us about the health of a body of water?
How vulnerable is my community to the threat of an algal bloom?
How does nutrient pollution affect the water in my community?
How can we investigate the health of a local body of water? (a condensed version of the "Phenomenon Labs" collection)
How do longitude and latitude help us analyze data and solve problems?
What is geoscience, and how can it help us explore local water quality?

English language arts

How do we write an effective paragraph using CREW?
What does it mean to be a researcher?
How can I create an annotated bibliography for a paper or project?
How can we effectively communicate to promote change?

Art Lessons

How can photographic methods be used to preserve an ever-changing place?

Interdisciplinary Lessons

How are we and our communities affected by water quality?
How does scientific data influence the legislative process?
How can my students share their solution plans?
What is a democratic community of learning?
Why reflect at the end of a project?