Teaching Tips: Sustainable Pacific Island Watersheds

Here are suggested ways to engage students with this video and with activities related to this topic.

Class activity: After watching the video, demonstrate the concept of sediment settling over a coral reef. Gather the following materials, and then proceed with the demonstration.

Materials:

• Large glass jar with a wide mouth
• Sand
• Small rocks
• Spoon
• Water

Procedure:

1. Fill the jar almost to the top with water.

2. Add a handful of small rocks. Let them sink to the bottom.

3. Pour in some sand and stir the water.

4. Observe what happens.

Observations:
The water looks murky when the sand is first stirred into it. Soon after, the sand sinks and settles on top of and between the rocks at the bottom of the jar. Now ask students to imagine the small rocks as coral and the sand as sediment washed into the sea. The murky water blocks out the sunlight, which the corals need. As the sediment settles, it buries the coral.

Class activity: Ask students to map out their own local watershed. Have them determine the boundaries of the watershed and identify where the water originates and where it ends up. Then have them discuss what sorts of materials the water might pick up on its journey through the watershed.