Create Hands-on or Electronic Northern Waters Presentations

Choose Your Theme
Here are some suggested topics:

Grades K-3

• Me and my water connection to Canada's North.
• Water in my environment and where it flows.

Grades 4-6

• A shoreline community in Canada's North.
• Fresh- and saltwater wetland communities in Canada's North.

Grades 7-8

• Our connections to the rivers and oceans in Canada's North.
• Water systems in Canada's North.

Grades 9-12

• Trace "your ecological footprint" from your watershed to the Arctic Ocean.
• Issues facing our northern waters.

Select a Presentation Style
Here are some presentation style ideas:

• Be interactive. Create displays that motivate audience participation by including elements such as quizzes and scavenger hunts (where students search for items in a display or a website).
• State a dear theme. One key element in any display is a clearly defined theme.
• Make it 3-D. Include special crafts such as origami and mobiles in a display.
• Use visuals. Get lots of great photos from the WILD Education website.

For Younger Students:

• Story: As a class, deliver an important message through a simple, illustrated story. A theme such as "Where Water Flows" might work well. Have different students work on different parts of the display and the titles or captions.
• Mural: Have students create a spectacular themed mural and contribute illustrated elements.
• Collage: Allow students to produce individual items for a collage. The theme "Canada's Northern Waters" works well in this style.

For Older Students:

• 3-D model: Let students make a three-dimensional model of Canada's main watersheds.
• Large wall map: Have students show how people make different uses of land and water, and display the information on panels outside the Discover Canada's Watersheds map, which was provided in the 2006 Learning About Oceans Unit 12.

For High-School Students:

• PowerPoint presentations: Encourage students to create innovative computer presentations.
• Videos: Older students could video-record interviews with people on how they impact northern waters, watersheds, oceans and marine ecozones and what they could do to maintain their health.
• Website development: Let students build a website about practices that help sustain people, wildlife and water in the North. Post the websites within school district systems for maximum exposure.

Research, Plan and Prepare
Research the theme that is chosen for the presentation. Be sure to communicate your ideas visually through colourful photos, artwork or crafts.

Show Your Project in Busy Locations at School
Maximize the exposure of your display and its messages by positioning it in busy locations at your school.

• Plan to take photos of the assembly process from start to finish. Create a photo journal, video or PowerPoint presentation. Send it to CWF for inclusion on the WILD Education website.
• Alert teachers, administrators and caretakers that there will be a display.
• Follow your school's guidelines for attaching things to walls, ceilings, lockers, etc., if you are doing a hands-on display.
• Create work teams with leaders. Brief them on the task and your expectations.

Connect, Share and Celebrate
Your students have done a great job. Now let's share it!

Connect with your school. Have older students give an "interpretive tour" of their connection to northern waters to younger students or parents.

Contact other schools. Link with other schools located in your watershed. Contact those that have posted their projects on our website.

Celebrate. Plan an official "unveiling" of your display. Conduct a tour of the display during Rivers to Oceans Week in June or any other time of the year (such as National Wildlife Week in April, Biodiversity Day in May or Environment Week in June). Notify local media to help promote watershed and ocean awareness.

Share with CWF
Send us a copy (or link) of your project (video, PowerPoint, website, etc.) for posting on our  website. Be sure to create a photo journal of your project if you developed a hands-on display.

Please include:

•  pictures and explanatory notes of your preparation activities, your final display, your celebrations and any related events.
• an explanation of how your activities are helping Canada's northern waters.
• permission to post your project on the WILD Education website.
• your location and your class contact information.
• a note indicating if you are interested in hearing from other Canadian schools.