Virtual Environmental Classroom
Educator Resources
Educator Resource Guide for both
Virtual Environmental Classroom - Clean Water Champion series
grouped by Learning Standard Content Areas
Here are 2022 Video Tents and Activities + Videos grouped by Learning Standard Content Areas.
Each video is linked to the Clean Water Champion YouTube series where you can find Learning Standards and extensive resources for each one! You will also find many more Champions.
Activity associated videos are short versions. Your hyperlink takes you to the original full length version for more content.
English Language Arts/Common Core State Standards - ELA/CC
Writing, Speaking & Listening
12 The Creation with Jo Lakota and Eagle Ridge Singers - Join in the dance of life as we celebrate the beginning of the world!
15 Walter the Water Molecule - An exploration of the Water Cycle - Create your own story about Walter the Water Molecule and who knows where it might take you!.
21 The Web at Dragonfly Pond - Storyteller Brian "Fox" Ellis draws from his memories of fishing with his father to tell this true tale of a fish, a frog, a dragonfly, a mosquito, and himself as part of the web of life.
More stories in the Clean Water Champion series:
The Salmon of Knowledge with Brian Fox Ellis - Travel back to the glory days of Ireland to see what gifts a Salmon can give!
The Tidal Wave with Anne Shimojima - Are you brave enough to take the risk? Will you make the difficult decision to do the right thing to save your village? This Japanese folktale might just inspire you to be more brave!
We Come from the Water with Oba William King and Justus Arts - Sing-a-long, get up and dance, join in the celebration of water, this celebration of life!
Earth and Space Sciences/Next Generation Science Standards, ESS3/NGSS
Earth’s Systems / Earth and Human Activity
3 From the River to Your Tap with the Illinois American Water Company follows a drop of water through the filtration process to see good chemistry in action!
10 Hunters: America’s First Conservationists - Join Shae and his son as they take us on a journey through the history of hunting and conservation. Activity - Collect Jr Duck Stamps and learn facts about each duck.
13 Hannah Testa and Youth Advocacy - Can a teenager write legislation and change the world? Hannah can… with your help!
15 Walter the Water Molecule -An exploration of the Water Cycle - Create your own story about Walter the Water Molecule and who knows where it might take you!.
20 Youth Empowerment with Baylee Ritter - A wonderful & succinct action plan for becoming a Clean Water Champion by Baylee Ritter!
21 The Web at Dragonfly Pond - Storyteller Brian "Fox" Ellis draws from his memories of fishing with his father to tell this true tale of a fish, a frog, a dragonfly, a mosquito, and himself as part of the web of life.
24 Emiquon Wetlands with Jason Beverlin - Explore one of the largest wetland restoration projects in North America! Activity - Make a Wetland come Alive - watch videos and complete activities to unlock all the parts of this wetland. (ANSWER KEY: TROPHIC LEVELS, TROPHIES and tent LOCATIONS where they are unlocked along with resources available upon request cleanwater@sunfoundation.org)
Field trips
1 The Original Prairie with the Illinois Botanizer Chris Benda - Visit a prairie cemetery to learn the secrets from the past! Activity - Plant native plants and see what are the effects of adding compost to each species.
3 From the River to Your Tap with the Illinois American Water Company - From the River to Your Tap with the Illinois American Water Company follows a drop of water through the filtration process to see good chemistry in action!
6 Better Earth Compost Tour - The art and commerce of composting! Activity - Waste Stream Sort Challenge
19 Environmental Anthropology with Dr. Michael Wiant - Dickson Mounds Museum - What stories do ancient artifacts tell us?
24 Emiquon Wetlands with Jason Beverlin - Explore one of the largest wetland restoration projects in North America! Activity - Unlock the Wetland Food Web - watch videos and complete activities to unlock all the parts of this wetland food web. (ANSWER KEY: TROPHIC LEVELS, TROPHIES and tent LOCATIONS where they are unlocked along with resources available upon request cleanwater@sunfoundation.org)
More Field trips in the Clean Water Champion series:
Beauty of the River by VIDEOGENIQUE - A time lapse adventure on the Illinois River
Chillicothe Bottoms Wildlife Sanctuary - Explore the floodplain forest and learn about the diversity of life protected there. Let's meet Carol Beatty from the Illinois Audubon Society at Chillicothe Bottoms.
Kiss a Fish! Herman Brothers Fishery with Nate & Livey - Tour of the Fishery
MacArthur Highway RAIN GARDEN with Darren Graves- Tour of Bioswale
Fine Arts Standards/Media Arts, Music, Visual Arts
7 Creative Repurposing - Visual Arts - Art project with Jody Tockes - When you see trash can you imagine treasure?
8 Art & the Environment - Visual Arts - Whale Sculpture, Preston Jackson - How can art challenge us to reconnect with nature?
14 Making Music -Music - Rap with The Endangered Species Crew, Jam with the Blank Stairs and sing with the Pontiac Township High School Choir, Route 66!
16. Songs for the River with Barry Cloyd - Music - Let’s go on a musical journey to write our own "Songs for the River!"
18 Trashman Sculpture - Media Arts - created by our platform developers Interactiva Studios. Be sure to check out their other fully-interactive virtual experiences.
23. Water as Art Media Arts - Doug & Eileen Leunig photography/film -Please allow us to change the way you view water! Global Water Fountain
More Fine Arts in the Clean Water Champion series:
Beauty of the River by VIDEOGENIQUE- "Sometimes, if you stand on the bottom rail of a bridge and lean over to watch the river slipping slowly away beneath you, you will suddenly know everything there is to be known." — (A.A. Milne, Winnie the Pooh)
Love, Respect & Appreciation of Water by Doug and Eileen Leunig- Can art help us fall in love with water? Can you produce a video or take a few photos that help your friends care about clean water? How can you become a Clean Water Champion?
We Come from the Water with Oba William King and Justus Arts-Sing-a-long, get up and dance, join in the celebration of water, this celebration of life!
Life Sciences/Next Generation Science Standards, LS/NGSS
Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy and Dynamics
1 The Original Prairie with the Illinois Botanizer Chris Benda - Prairie Remnants in Cemeteries Activity - Plant native plants and see what are the effects of adding compost to each species
2. Operation Endangered Species Alligator Snapping Turtle - What are the endangered species of your local habitat and how can you help bring them back?
3 From the River to Your Tap with the Illinois American Water Company- From the River to Your Tap with the Illinois American Water Company follows a drop of water through the filtration process to see good chemistry in action!
5. Herpetology and the River - Herps as Indicator species, How plastics affect Herps and what you can do, Alligator Snapping Turtle Recovery Program
9. Life Cycle of Monarch Butterflies with Katie Ehnle & Karen Logan- You can become a champion for monarch butterflies!
10 Hunters: America’s First Conservationists - Join Shae and his son as they take us on a journey through the history of hunting and conservation. Activity - Collect Jr Duck Stamps and learn facts about each duck
17. Rivers of Birds with Dr. Travis Wilcoxen - Track bird migration along the rivers of America by banding birds! Activity - Migration flights of the Bald Eagle, the Ruby-throated Hummingbird and the Wood Duck
24 Emiquon Wetlands with Jason Beverlin - Explore one of the largest wetland restoration projects in North America! Activity - Unlock the Wetland Food Web - watch videos and complete activities to unlock all the parts of this wetland food web. (ANSWER KEY: TROPHIC LEVELS, TROPHIES and tent LOCATIONS where they are unlocked along with resources available upon request cleanwater@sunfoundation.org)
Physical Sciences/Next Generation Science Standards, PS/
Matter and Its Interactions
3 From the River to Your Tap with the Illinois American Water Company - From the River to Your Tap with the Illinois American Water Company follows a drop of water through the filtration process to see good chemistry in action!
4Dr. IC Coldwaters”s Medicine Show - A Medicine Show on the importance of physics & water! Activity - Demonstration videos of water properties
15 Walter the Water Molecule - An exploration of the Water Cycle - Create your own story about Walter the Water Molecule and who knows where it might take you!.
Social Sciences Standards/SS (Illinois)
Communicating Conclusions and Taking Informed Action
5 Herpetology and the River - Herps as Indicator species, How plastics affect Herps, Alligator Snapping Turtle Recovery Program
10 Hunters: America’s First Conservationists- Join Shae and his son as they take us on a journey through the history of hunting and conservation. Activity - Collect Jr Duck Stamps and learn facts about each duck
11 Making Waves Awards,,,and the Winner is YOU! - Making Waves Awards are for those who have gone above and beyond to protect and preserve clean water and the environment in the categories of: student, teacher, school, individual, government, organization. Nominate someone today: https://www.sunfoundation.org/making-waves-awards
13 Hannah Testa and Youth Advocacy - Can a teenager write legislation and change the world? Hannah can… with your help!
19 Environmental Anthropology with Dr. Michael Wiant - Dickson Mounds Museum -What stories do ancient artifacts tell us?
22. Fox on the River - What is a blue trail? How does a day on the water improve water quality? Climb into the canoe to paddle the Illinois River to answer these questions and learn how you can create more opportunities for folks to paddle along.
More Communicating Conclusions and Taking Informed Actionin the Clean Water Champion series:
5 Gyres with Marcus Eriksen - Sail the world on a raft of trash to rethink the five islands of floating plastic!
Peoria Parks River Clean Up with Living Lands and Waters - River Sweep! Organize a clean sweep of your local river valley!
Rainwater Runoff with Peoria City Engineer, Andrea Klopfenstein - Learn how the city of Peoria tackles rainwater runoff.
Stiv Wilson Plastics in your Water - A surfer turned environmental activist shares his story on turning passion into action!
Youth Action/Next Generation Science Standards, NGSS Practices
11 Making Waves Awards…and the Winner is YOU! - Making Waves Award - nominate your own award winning project!
13. Hannah Testa and Youth Advocacy - Can a teenager write legislation and change the world? Hannah can… with your help!
20 Youth Empowerment with Baylee Ritter - A wonderful & succinct action plan for becoming a Clean Water Champion by Baylee Ritter!
More in the Clean Water Champion series:
Astoria High School Environmental Club Clearing the Path- Volunteer for trail maintenance at your local park. Clear the path or carve your own trail!
Climate Mini-Makeovers Project- Schoolyard after schoolyard, from city park to county park, from your front yard to your neighbors' back yard, you can create more bird friendly migratory path with the Climate Mini-Makeovers Project created by John McPhie, Joseph Hiatt, Charles Hiatt.
Monarch Butterflies with Mary Keltner- Valeska Hinton Early Childhood Education Center, nationally designated monarch butterfly way station by Monarch Watch.
Nicolina’s Turtle Co - The story of a third grade student making a difference in her community that impacts the globe!
Oak Grove School District 68 School Garden - Learn how a school yard habitat can reduce run-off, erosion, create a pollinator garden and food for the students! Yum!
Pontiac Township High School 30 by 30 - Can we transform the world with a simple idea? Protect 30% of the planet by 2030 and we can reverse Climate change, clean the air and water, and improve the quality of life for all creatures.