In this lesson we talk about the uses of water, pollution, and filtration of polluted water. Each participant is given a film canister with a different type of “pollutant”: soap. oil, coal dust, leaf debris, salt, vinegar (acids) etc. We then teach about the sewage and filtration systems currently operating in the area, which clean the water we use every day. Two filtration experiments are completed with the participants whereby the polluted water goes through rocks of decreasing sizes, coffee filters, and cotton balls: mimicking actual filtration systems. We end the lesson talking about ways to conserve water and what each participant can do to clean up the pollution and prevent it in the future.

In this lesson, we cover the progression of inhabitants for the past 400 years along the river. We begin with the Susquehannock Indians and their life in longhouses and villages along the river. We then progress into the early explores and settlers, the Industrial Revolution and Civil War Era with a mini lessons on simple and complex machines. finally we cover the logging, coal, and steel industry of the area.

In this lesson we teach about the formation of the Appalachian Mountains and how the Susquehanna River came to run through them. Using a sand-stream table we demonstrate how the river was formed by wind, water, ice, and soil erosion.

Tectonic plates and their shifting under water and on the crust of the earth is also discussed with hands on activities.

In the lesson we discuss the role that the Susquehanna River plays within the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. The lesson begins with defining what a watershed is and showing various maps of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed and how the Susquehanna River plays a major role in that watershed. Next, students are introduced to how both biotic (living) and abiotic (nonliving) factors make up the watershed. Finally, students are taught about the water cycle and how water moves through the watershed.