Project WET is an international water-focused conservation education program to raise awareness for water resource management and encourage socially and economically sustainable environment. The program’s mission is to bring children, parents, teachers, and community members around the world with water education that promotes awareness of water and empowers community action to solve complex water issues. Project WET contains widely used curriculum and activities, providing pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade educators with the tools they need to integrate water education into every school subject.
For more details on the development and organization of Project WET Foundation at the international level, visit www.projectwet.org/.
- What is a Project WET Workshop in Indiana?
Water connects us all through living and non-living systems. Project WET explores how to teach people about water conservation and sustainable management. In Indiana, we focus our training to water resources as it relates to our native wildlife and tailor our workshops based on our educators’ needs. Project WET curriculum and activity guides:
- Are easy to use
- Work indoors or outdoors
- Correlate with Common Core Standards, Next Generation Science Standards, and Indiana State Standards
- Develop students’ conceptual skills such as analysis, classification, description, estimation, evaluation, inference, hypothesis formation, and problem solving
- Why attend a workshop?
Our workshops are designed for educators in both formal and non-formal settings. During the workshop, participants engage through professional development. Contact hours gained during a workshop are eligible for teachers to apply towards their Professional Growth Plan (PGP). The framework of this workshop is to provide educators with:
- An unbiased approach to basic water resource management practices
- Hands-on curriculum & an activity guide
- Interdisciplinary lessons
- Scientific information
- Techniques and methods to teach problem solving and decision-making skills
- Who can use Project WET?
- General Classroom teachers – Pre-K through 12; all subjects
- Specialist Teachers – GT, Special Ed, ELL
- Educators in non-formal settings – nature centers, museums, zoos, parks
- Children/youth leaders – scouts, camps, youth groups
- What are the Project WET Curriculum & Activity Guides?
- Project WET K-12 Curriculum & Activity Guide contains 64 activities concentrating on physical and chemical properties of water, the water cycle, water in life systems, water in earth systems, water as a resource, managing water resources, and water in social and cultural constructs.
Workshop Information:
- 6-hour minimum
- No Fee* (in support by federal sport fish restoration funds)
- May also be offered in conjunction with Aquatic WILD workshops
- Healthy Water, Healthy People (middle school - college) Curriculum & Activity Guide contains 25 activities on how to investigate water quality and learn how to protect local waterways.
Workshop Information:
- 6-hour minimum
- No Fee* (in support by federal sport fish restoration funds)
- WOW! The Wonders of Wetlands K-12 Curriculum & Activity Guide: contains 40 activities exploring the wonders of wetland habitat as these ecosystems clean waterways, provide resources for wildlife, and supply our food chains.
Workshop Information:
- 6-hour minimum
- No Fee* (in support by federal sport fish restoration funds)
- Getting Little Feet Wet is an early childhood (ages 3-6) Curriculum & Activity Guide: contains 11 activities for young learners to explore different aspects of water—from water properties to water sounds.
Workshop Information:
- 4-hour minimum
- May also be offered in conjunction with Growing Up WILD workshop
- No Fee* (in support by federal sport fish restoration funds)
The guides incorporate water-related concepts into classroom curriculum, and each activity is designed to teach one or more of the following concepts:
- Awareness and appreciation of water resource
- Human values and water demand
- Aquatic habitat and ecological systems
- Wildlife and water conservation
- Cultural and social interaction with water resource
- Environmental issues and trends, alternatives and consequences, ecological systems
- Responsible human actions related to water
Each guide includes quick-reference indices as well as a glossary of terms.
*note that fees may vary depending on funding or extras included - Project WET K-12 Curriculum & Activity Guide contains 64 activities concentrating on physical and chemical properties of water, the water cycle, water in life systems, water in earth systems, water as a resource, managing water resources, and water in social and cultural constructs.
- What are the education standards?
Project WET recognizes that its materials must follow education standards to stay relevant in the classroom. The curriculum guides follow:
- Indiana Academic Standards
- Common Core State Standards for English/Language Arts and Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects
- National Science Education Standards
- Next Generation Science Standards
- Benchmarks for Science Literacy, Project 2061
- Excellence in Environmental Education Guidelines for Learning (K-12)
- Academic Vocabulary
Getting Little Feet WET (ages 3-6) materials are correlated to:
- Early Learning, Indiana Academic Standards
- Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework
- National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Accreditation
- North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE)
- Common Core State Standards
- Next Generation Science Standards
- How was Project WET developed?
- Follows a conceptual framework that was developed through a rigorous process to ensure its accuracy, balance, and educational validity
- Written by classroom teachers and other educators, university faculty, resource agency personnel, representatives of private conservation groups and other community representatives
- Was extensively field tested and evaluated for student achievement. The program continues to be monitored and evaluated with changes made to the materials to respond to educator feedback and incorporate new information
- Each activity has been kid-tested and teacher-approved
- Who recognizes Project WET?
- Indiana DNR, Division of Fish & Wildlife
- Eligible for teacher’s Professional Growth Plan (PGP)
- North American Association for Environmental Education
- National Science Teachers Association
- Association of Educational Publishers Distinguished Achievement Awards
For a full list of publication awards, please visit Project WET Foundation website at www.projectwet.org/who-we-are/awards.
- Where can you find a workshop?
Educators can register for upcoming workshops on our DNR calendar. If there is not an upcoming workshop or if you would like one tailored to your education needs, we can arranged a workshop for you! Contact us with a minimum of 15 or more people that would attend a workshops and we can organize a training in a location and on a date at your convenience.
- School and Group Programs
Indiana State Parks provide educational programs on-site and off-site. Each program is designed for students and groups to learn more about native wildlife in Indiana. To learn more visit State Parks School and Group Program website.
- Additional Resources
- Project WET Foundation website
- Project WET workshop description flyer
- Project WET Foundation
- Project WET Foundation YouTube Channel
- DNR Wildlife Activity Loaner Trunks
- Indiana Project WILD website
- Indiana Project Learning Tree website
- Explore other outdoor programs with DFW
- School and Group Programs
- Water for You and Me - recorded children's book
Indiana Project WET Contact
For questions about Indiana Project WET, contact Rachel Woodworth, Indiana’s Project WET State Coordinator.
Rachel Woodworth
Education Outreach Specialist
State Coordinator for Project WILD & Project WET
Indiana Department of Natural Resources
Division of Fish & Wildlife
402 W. Washington Street, Room W273
Indianapolis, IN 46204
RWoodworth@dnr.IN.gov
Phone: 317-233-7417