Curriculum Benchmarks [pdf]

Grade Level Content Expectations correlated to the Rouge Education Project. You must have Adobe Reader installed on your computer to view the benchmarks. Download Adobe Reader for free.

In addition to having a lot of fun, students in the Rouge Education Project accomplish the following:

• Learn about watersheds and ecosystems
• Develop field and laboratory skills needed to measure biological, chemical and physical parameters of water quality
• Collect, analyze and interpret data.
• Examine ecological and social factors that influence water quality
• Develop and utilize computer and Internet skills while communicating and exchanging data with other students in the project
• Develop group problem-solving and action-taking skills
• Provide a service to the Rouge watershed communities

See the detailed list of workshops offered by the Rouge Education Project. Teachers new to the project are encouraged to attend as many training workshops as possible. All workshop fees are waived for new schools in the project.

The following resources are provided and/or made available to schools participating in the Rouge Education Project depending on the grade level of the students participating in the program.

Books & Materials

• Rouge Education Project Teacher's Resource Guide
• Field Manual for Water Quality Monitoring
• Rouge River video

Maps/Aerial Photos

• Rouge River watershed map
• Topographic map of school and sampling site
• Black and white aerial photo of school and sampling site

Chemical Monitoring Equipment

• Dissolved oxygen test kit
• Biochemical oxygen demand bottle with stopper
• pH test kit
• Fecal coliform test kit (provided to middle and high schools only)
• Nitrate test kit
• Total phosphate test kit (provided to middle and high schools only)
• Turbidity test kit
• Water sampling rod
• GREEN Easy Tab Chemical Kit

Biological Monitoring Equipment

• Deluxe benthic macroinvertebrate sampling kit

• Benthic flashcards

• Benthic sorting sheets

• Benthic sorting tray

• Bucket

• Ice tray for separating organisms by taxa

• Waders with suspenders

Safety Equipment

• Safety goggles (30)

• Latex or vinyl gloves (150 pairs)

• Life preservers (3)

Physical Monitoring Equipment

• Metric tape measure

Other Resources

• Rouge Education Project listserv
• Rouge Education Project web site
• College Student Assistant (limited availability)
• Friends of the Rouge team support

Elementary schools new to the project contribute $500 for one teacher to participate, plus $50 per additional teacher (up to a maximum of $150). New middle and high schools contribute $1000 for one teacher to participate, plus $50 per additional teacher (up to a maximum of $150). The fair share contribution covers the cost of workshops and training for new teachers. Additionally, new schools are required to pay for a set of water quality monitoring equipment. All schools are also given the option of ordering REP T-shirts for their students to wear during Spring Monitoring Day. Costs are subsidized for new schools; the actual cost for a new elementary school to participate is $3200, while the actual cost for a new middle or high school is $3500. Returning schools in the project contribute $50 per teacher participating (up to a maximum of $150), plus the cost of replenishing monitoring supplies and workshop registration fees.

As part of involvement in the Rouge Education Project, each school is required to submit a copy of all data it collects to Friends of the Rouge. This information is made available to governmental agencies and the public on the Friends of the Rouge web site. Schools also must arrange and pay for transportation of students to and from their sampling site on monitoring days. If a school discontinues participation with the Rouge Education Project, the school must return all durable chemical and benthic kits, waders and field manuals to Friends of the Rouge.

Teachers are required to track and submit the number of hours that they contribute to the Rouge Education Project. These hours count as match for a grant that largely funds the project. Additionally, teachers are requested to complete a brief annual evaluation of the Rouge Education Project.

Interested in joining the Rouge Education Project or learning more about it?

Please contact the REP Assistant Program Manager at Friends of the Rouge via e-mail at repastmgr@therouge.org or by phone at (313) 792-9626.