Introduction
Waterways including lakes, rivers, and streams have always played a vital role in the lives of people. In our region, the lakes and rivers invited early exploration and settlement, proved to be strategic in times of war, and played a key role in the development of a regional economy built on agriculture, industry, and trade. Lakes and rivers have influenced where boundaries are drawn, the foods people eat, and the languages they speak. Today our waterways continue to affect the quality of life for residents as well as drive Vermont’s tourism industry.

Where there is a lake or a river, human activity and settlement are never far away. The relationship between humans and the ecosystems within our waterways continues to be a complex.  How can humans continue to use the resources and opportunities provided by our waterways without causing them undue harm?  Striking this balance can only be achieved when all people are aware of the issues involved and understand their own impact.

This website serves as an activity guide for students as well as resource for teachers seeking to combine Vermont's Grade Expectations with inquiry and  website resources. 

There are few topics for reasearch that are as dynamic as waterways, they can be studied in many different ways:
Geography- Settlement patterns, resources, landforms, regional identity, etc.
History - Exploration, settlement, conflict, etc.
Economics - Trade, tourism, land use, etc.
Ecology - Habitats, human impact on water quality, etc.
Literacy - Vocabulary, inspiration and purpose for writing to inform, persuade, or poetry

Essential Questions
How have waterways been important in our past and present and how will they continue to be important in the future?

Why should we preserve, protect, and educate others about the ecosystems, historic, and cultural sites around our waterways?

Grade Expectations
Many of the following grade expectations could be incorporated into this activity and many will be addressed. The product will likely assess H&SS GEs, Geography Standards and Technology GEs. The extent to which the Science GEs and Literacy GEs will be assessed depends on teacher direction in the final product.

VT History & Social Science
H&SS4  - Students conduct research
H&SS7 Students communicate their findings
H&SS11 - Students interpret geography and solve geographic problems
H&SS12 - Students show understanding of human interaction with the environment over time
H&SS18- Students show an understanding of the interaction/interdependence between humans, the environment, and the economy

National Geography
The World in Spatial Terms:
Standard 1: How to use maps and other geographic representations, tools, and technologies to acquire, process, and report information
The Uses of Geography:
Standard 17: How to apply geography to interpret the past.
Standard 18: To apply geography to interpret the present and plan for the future.

VT Literacy
Writing
W8 In reports, students organize information/concepts.
W9 In reports, students effectively convey a perspective on a subject.
W10 In reports, students demonstrate use of a range of elaboration strategies
W15 In persuasive writing, students define a significant problem, issue, topic, or concern
W16 In persuasive writing, students present and coherently support judgments or solution.
Reading
R5   Identifies the meaning of unfamiliar words.
R 6   Shows breadth of vocabulary knowledge, demonstrating understanding of word meanings or relationships. 

VT Technology
IT5 Research, Problem Solving and Decision Making
Students demonstrate use of technology for research.
Using technology, students demonstrate processing data, solving problems, reporting results, and making decisions.

VT Science
S34 Students demonstrate their understanding of energy flow in an ecosystem.
S35 Students demonstrate their understanding of food webs in an ecosystem.
S36 Students demonstrate their understanding of equilibrium in an ecosystem.
S37 Students demonstrate their understanding of recycling in an ecosystem.