Managing Water for California Communities and Ecosystems
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Provided by: Ten Strands|Published on: July 24, 2025
Lesson PlansScientist Reviewed
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Scientist Reviewed This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Synopsis
- In this Seeds to Solutions unit from Ten Strands and the San Mateo County Office of Education, students examine how California manages their water supply by investigating climate impacts, water systems, ecosystem health, and equity across a number of regions and communities.
- The lessons use modeling, case studies, and collaborative analysis to help students evaluate past strategies and create a locally informed action plan for more sustainable and just water management.
Subjects: Earth and Space Sciences, Geography, Engineering
Authors: Seeds to Solutions, Ten Strands
Region: California
Languages: English
Teaching Materials
Positives
- The inclusion of various videos and short films helps students to see and visualize the affected parties and those working to make a change.
- This unit does an excellent job of helping students to consider multiple perspectives and understand that complex problems often do not have one simple solution.
Prerequisites
- Students should already understand the effects of climate change on the water cycle.
- Teachers should note that in the first video at Station 3 for Lesson 6, there is some wordplay with the words "dam" and "damn".
Differentiation & Implementation
- There are many opportunities for geography, civics, language arts, and science teachers to collaborate on this unit by using class time to cover the parts of this lesson relevant to their subject area.
- California teachers can implement this unit after teaching about climate change to illustrate the implications in a local context.
- During Lesson 6, teachers can use this article to demonstrate the importance of traditional foods like the Chinook salmon to the culture and identity of Indigenous people in other places like the Northwest.
- Teachers can also have art or math teachers introduce this data art concurrently with the implementation of Lesson 6 to extend the discussion about the salmon population.
This unit teaches students about water management in California, with a focus on social and environmental factors. The link between climate change and unpredictable precipitation patterns is clearly made, and the hydrologic cycle is detailed. This resource is exceptionally well-sourced with all figures cited in slides and an extensive list of references. This resource is recommended for teaching.
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About the Partner Provider
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Ten Strands
Ten Strands is a California–based nonprofit established in 2012. Their mission is to strengthen the partnerships, strategies, and systems that advance environmental literacy, ensuring all California TK–12 students thrive in sustainable, resilient schools and engage in meaningful environmental learning experiences, both in and beyond the classroom. They operate with a small, diverse, and nimble staff and strategic partners throughout the state. Ten Strands utilizes the largest and most diverse institution in California—the public school system—to impact 58 county offices of education, more than 1,000 school districts, approximately 10,000 individual schools, over 300,000 teachers, and 5.8 million children.
Scientist Reviewed
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Our review process ensures that every resource in our library reflects the current state of climate science.
Learn about our review process →
