What is a MWEE?

The Meaningful Watershed Education Experience (MWEE) is a student-centered framework that focuses on investigations into local environmental issues and leads to informed action to increase Environmental literacy. As part of the 2014 Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement, Pennsylvania has committed to providing students the knowledge and skills necessary to responsibly preserve, protect and restore their local watersheds.

MWEEs align to work directly with the Science, Technology & Engineering, and Environmental Literacy & Sustainability (STEELS) Standards and can be used to teach students about environmental issues across multiple disciplines.

How can the Perkiomen Watershed Conservancy Support YOUR MWEE?

The Perkiomen Watershed Conservancy is your resource for the MWEE. Our staff are MWEE Ambassadors and Facilitators. We have already been your source for Outdoor Field Experiences. We offer a variety of programs in your classroom and out in the field, focused on various Watershed and Environmental topics.

We can be a place to go for the Outdoor Field Experiences, Experts to discuss with when developing your Issue Definition and even a resource to use when implementing Stewardship and Civic Action. We are here to support you through the MWEE and our staff of Educators is a great resource when learning more about our watershed.

Field Experiences and Programs with the Conservancy

In-Classroom Lessons - Great to help your students understand what a watershed is, who lives in our watershed, and how humans impact the local resources

  • Introduction to Watersheds For Grades 4 - 6 : Using models, topographic maps and a large floor map, students will develop an understanding for what a watershed is, how boundaries are determined and why “What you do to the land, you do to the water”.

  • Human Impact and Sustainable Solutions For Grades 4 - 8 : During this lesson, students will hypothesize and conduct experiments on how everyday actions impact our watershed and uncover best management practices designed to mitigate the effect on water quality

Outdoor Field Experiences -

  • Field and Stream Communities Day For Grades 2 - 3 : Discover the secrets of the essentials in nature to support life in the field and uncover the secrets of the stream. Explore how the energy needed to sustain life travel through these communities

  • Stream Investigation For Grades 4 - 5 : Combining Research with personal field observation, learn all about life in the lotic stream, as we search for the Macroinvertebrates that live in our local creek. Identify and learn how these small creatures teach us so much about the health of our waterways.

  • Floating Classroom: The Science lab that Floats : We pioneered this program in 2021 and it has been growing each year since. We offer a variety of programs and lessons for students in Grades 6 - 12 on our Floating Classroom program. Topics in Ornithology, Riparian Buffers, Water Quality, STEAM Challenges, Orienteering, and more.

    Don’t See what you're looking for? The Perkiomen Watershed Conservancy offers a variety of additional programs to further support MWEES, however if there is a topic you would love to have our experts come in and teach about, reach out to education@perkiomenwatershed.org. There may be lessons and activities we can bring from our numerous camp programs and education programs, or develop a lesson in collaboration with you!

MWEE Resources

  • Educator’s MWEE Guide - A manual designed for users with varying levels of familiarity with the MWEE framework including the MWEE essential elements, Supporting practices, and tools for planning and implementing the MWEE.

  • MWEE 101 - A self guided introductory course to gain a better understanding of the MWEE basics through a series of case studies

  • MWEE 201 - A follow up course to build off of MWEE 101 focusing on instruction and how to plan or update a current MWEE. Focus is placed on planning, outdoor investigations and incorporating student voice and choice

  • National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Bay Watershed Education and Training website with additional MWEE resources

  • Bay Backpack - A great resource for educators to find tools to support MWEEs. Teaching resources, action project ideas, field experiences, trainings and even funding opportunities

  1. Watershed Address - Follow your water from any location in the United States to see where your water travels

To start planning your MWEE with the Perkiomen Watershed Conservancy, contact our Education Department at education@perkiomenwatershed.org today!