Program
The Arizona Water Festival (AWF) Program instills a deeper understanding of water in the Earth's systems by looking at Arizona's water resources through a 4th grade curriculum unit driven by exploration and curiosity. The AWF connects water professionals and community members with school districts, putting water education in the context of science standards and learning objectives that drive student learning.
"putting water education in the context of science standards and learning objectives that drive student learning."
The program is used by 26 participating school districts all across the state, teaching two of the eleven 4th Grade Science Standards.
Unit Anchor Question:
How does your local water cycle affect your water availability and impact your life?
Arizona Science Standards
4.E1U1.6 Plan and carry out an investigation to explore and explain the interactions between Earth’s major systems and the impact on Earth’s surface materials and processes.
4.E1U3.9 Construct and support an evidence-based argument about the availability of water and its impact on life.
When schools shifted to online learning in March 2020, the APW team quickly transitioned to a virtual platform to ensure the continuity of student learning, which is paving the way for success in the 2020-2021 school year.
The Components
AWF Curriculum Unit was once again revised to optimally support 4th grade standards and learning objectives.
The teacher professional development is now delivered online using the Canvas Learning Management Platform and Live Zoom Sessions.
Welcome to the new Arizona Water Festival Website! Everything that teachers and students need at their fingertips.
A "Celebration of Learning" showcases student's work and features water careers and water oriented facility tours provided by program partners and sponsors.
The Festival Modules
Four learning modules can now be found online in interactive video and game formats.
The Groundwater System
The Incredible Journey
Watersheds & Water Management
Water Conservation Technology
Online Activation of Learning
Video demonstrations bring phenomena to life for homebound students studying matter and energy in the AWF 4th grade lessons.
Googles slides offer opportunities to make small group work interactive using a drag and drop process to study water movement and transformation through the water cycle.
Touring the UArizona campus, Miriam and Pearl bring a new aspect to the curriculum and add to the learning using a formative assessment in Tiny Tap.
Arizona Project WET's first storybook brings a new perspective to the understanding of groundwater/surface water relationships.
Student Impacts
Student learning gains by specific water topic
pre-to-post Arizona Water Festival Curriculum unit.
Student learning gains by overall water topic
pre-to-post Arizona Water Festival Curriculum Unit.
Teacher Impacts
Teacher learning gains pre-to-post 3-day professional development workshop.
Workshop delivered online through the Canvas Learning Management platform and live Zoom sessions.