Welcome to the Leaf Pack Network, an international network of people investigating their local stream ecosystems. Leaf Pack Network is part of WikiWatershed, an initiative of Stroud Water Research Center to help people advance knowledge and stewardship of fresh water.

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Curricula, Goals, Objectives, and Standards

Curricula and Lessons

Stroud Water Research Center and partners created the following curricula, lessons, and mini-units incorporating the Leaf Pack Network.

Two young students collect macroinvertebrates from a stream.

  Shared Waters Curriculum 
(Lesson 8; elementary level)

A teacher and young students exploring a stream.

WATERS Curriculum 
(Lesson 2; middle school level)

A coral reef underwater, with the waterline above, and mountainous land beyond.

  Biodiversity Unit by the Smithsonian Science Education Center (Part 6, pg. 22)

Goals for Involvement in the Leaf Pack Network

  • To actively engage students in investigative and place-based watershed education in environmental science, technology, engineering, and math (E-STEM) content.
  • To promote student inquiry by using scientific methods involving observational and explanatory activities.
  • To raise awareness of the importance of streamside forests to the ecology of rivers and streams and to promote their stewardship.
  • To develop a diverse and dynamic network of groups that digitally share information about their backyard streams.
  • To use the Leaf Pack Stream Ecology Kit and other teaching resources to improve hands-on E-STEM education and teacher professional development.

Objectives for Involvement in the Leaf Pack Network

At the conclusion of the project, students will have:

  • Used the Leaf Pack Network as a tool to apply and understand scientific principles in a real-world situation.
  • Conducted a research-oriented investigation of their local stream(s).
  • Engaged in inquiry-based, hands-on data gathering and monitoring.
  • Observed and described aquatic food webs and resource availability among communities,
    populations, and organisms in a freshwater ecosystem.
  • Identified local tree species and their function as food and habitat in freshwater ecosystems.
  • Identified local macroinvertebrates.
  • Explored macroinvertebrates’ roles as valuable indicators of stream health.
  • Identified their local watershed using a map.
  • Measured physical characteristics of a stream.
  • Analyzed macroinvertebrate data by using indices to assess water quality.
  • Formulated research questions related to leaf packs and E-STEM disciplines.
  • Drawn conclusions based on empirical evidence about the relationships among habitat, land use, and macroinvertebrate diversity and density.
  • Identified how to improve water quality and minimize human impact in a local stream.
  • Collected real data in real places to improve capacity for real-world decision-making surrounding water-quality impacts and watershed stewardship.

Next Generation Science Standards Alignment (Grades 5-12)

Performance ExpectationsDisciplinary Core IdeasCross-Cutting ConceptsEngineering Practices
3-LS4-3, MS-LS2-1, MS-LS2-2, MS-LS2-4, MS-LS2-5, HS-LS2-1, HS-LS2-2, HS-LS2-7LS4.C, LS2.A, LS2.C, LS4.D, ETS1.BCause and Effect; Patterns; Stability and Change; Scale; Proportion and QuantityEngaging in Argument from Evidence; Analyzing and Interpreting Data; Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions; Using Mathematics and Computational Thinking