Lesson Plans & Activities

In this initial lesson, students will be introduced to the various water resource careers and learn about preventing pollution to the Maximum Extent Practicable. They will receive Storm Water Career Cards featuring different storm water careers and match them accordingly. they will also learn how water travels through a community.

Students will learn methods professionals use to reduce the impact of runoff. Using this knowledge, they will explore and notate observations on a site map.

In this lesson, students will learn about watersheds and the ways in which land within a watershed affects storm water runoff.

Students explore balancing a pollution budget, drawing parallels between financial management and water quality management. They will learn about tracking pollutant deposits and charges to manage healthy water ecosystems. 

This lesson explores designing effective drainage structures, focusing on the importance of select design features that impact water flow dynamics. Through hands-on activities, students investigate the relationship between curve design, slope, roughness, and erosion, while applying principles of fluid dynamics to develop and propose a drainage system design that addresses both immediate and long-term storm water management needs.

In this lesson, students will explore the challenges of trash pollution in storm water systems by calculating their site’s waste and examining material persistence. They will also design thrash capture solutions, enhancing their critical thinking and engineering skills while learning to protect local waterways. 

In this lesson, students will learn about designing a storm water monitoring plan. They will explore the steps necessary to create a robust sampling design, discuss methods to ensure that the data collected is accurate and reliable, and perform sampling data analysis.

In this lesson, students will explore how to calculate flow, test or simulate water quality parameters, and integrate their new knowledge into improved monitoring designs.

In this lesson, students will learn about designing storm water-friendly landscapes, which capture, filter, and infiltrate storm water using landscaping and engineering approaches. They will explore the different site-specific factors that influence landscape design plans and the role of landscape architects in creating functional outdoor spaces.

In this lesson, students collaborate to design Green Storm Water Infrastructure based on community engagement.

In this lesson, students will learn the fundamentals of project management in storm water management, focusing on defining project scope, establishing objectives, and fostering collaboration. Through interactive activities, they will experience the differences between micro-management and collaborative approaches, reinforcing essential skills for effective project execution.

Through interactive activities, promoting teamwork and critical thinking, students will learn the five key steps in project management: Initiation, Planning, Execution, Monitoring, and Closing.

In this lesson, students develop their critical thinking and collaboration skills, emphasizing the importance of tool selection, resource allocation, risk assessment, and community engagement.

In this lesson, students will learn about debriefing as a tool for project management and use debriefing skills to reflect on their learning throughout the Storm Patrol Young Professionals Program. Students that worked on projects will present their final project proposals and debrief with their team.

In this lesson, students will explore how storm water systems function in real-world settings. Students are encouraged to observe storm water Best management Practices (BMPs), then discuss how planning, engineering, science, and architecture work together to protect water quality and manage runoff.