Big Ideas
Linking Water, Power, and Sewer in K–12
An Alignment with Academic Standards
Water, power, and sewer are integral parts of life that affect everyone, from the first moment of waking up and brushing teeth,
until turning the last light off before bed. Our children use these resources every day but many of them don’t know where
their water comes from, how they get electricity in their homes, or where their waste goes when they flush it down the drain.
The idea for Big Ideas: Linking Water, Power, and Sewer in K–12 came from our commitment to helping create the next
generation of environmental stewards. The 2013 adoption of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) provided
the perfect opportunity to revisit our own curricular materials. This new framework focuses on the new science standards’
emphasis on cross-cutting concepts, such as systems and cause and effect, which greatly align with how we think about
infrastructure and the environment: everything is connected. We have also aligned the key concepts for grades K–12 to the
Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts, and the History–Social Science Standards for California Public
Schools, cultivating a cross-disciplinary approach to teaching about water, power, and sewer.
With help from staff across our agency, and the invaluable knowledge and expertise of the Center for Ecoliteracy, we
are pleased to bring this resource for curriculum developers, teachers, and schools. This framework is not a lesson
plan guide, but a guide for teachers to engage their students in learning about how we obtain, use, and conserve water;
how we harness the power of nature to provide energy; and how we clean our waste and reuse resources to protect the
environment and plan for a better tomorrow. The sample student engagements and connection with teaching and learning
standards will provide a valuable foundation for developing lesson plans and project-based units, from kindergarten to
advanced high school courses in science and technology.
It is our hope that the Framework will provide teachers with the foundation they need to ensure that every child starts to
see the world in a new way. When students learn about water, power, and sewer, they will know which lake, river, or reservoir
provided their water, how their schools and libraries get their power, and understand where their waste goes once it is out of
sight. In this way, we hope they will use their new knowledge to take action and help protect these precious resources.
Harlan L. Kelly, Jr.
General Manager
San Francisco Public Utilities Commission
Juliet Ellis
Assistant General Manager, External Affairs
San Francisco Public Utilities Commission
March 2016
BIG IDEAS
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