Radnor Middle School

"...But the greatest thing about Watershed is the experience you gain. I think it is so fun and cool to get taught by your teachers in school and then go experience it outside the next day. I never really understood what teachers used to teach me, until now that I can relate to it in the real world."

Alexandra N. - Class of 1992-93

Curriculum Description

WATERSHED is a fully integrated curriculum that has been in place since 1990 at the Radnor Middle School. This program is offered to seventh graders as an alternative to their regular course of study. Forty students are randomly selected from a group of applicants. All activites are related to the central theme of the watershed. Skills developed are reinforced by hands-on experiences. The watershed is studied in relation to its history, physical aspects, social relations and natural systems. The disciplines of math, English, science, social studies, history, physical education, music and art are all integrated in this one course of study. Numerous field trips and guest lectures help to reinforce concepts introduced.

The WATERSHED year is broken down into three units:

• Sense of Place: studies physical and chemical characteristics, geography and mapping, natural processes
• Sense of Time: studies history of human interactions with the watershed, geology
• Sense of Quality: studies the relations of various systems, stewardship and human impact

The six learning stations are: Cartography, Geology, Processes, Ecology, Photography, and Microscopy.

WATERSHED's basic tenets: Commitment, Cooperation, Courage, Caution, Caring

Springer, Mark (1994). Watershed: a Successful Voyage into Integrative Learning. National Middle School Association.

Contacts Radnor Middle School 131 South Wayne Avenue Wayne, PA 19087 (610) 688-8100 ext.271 Mark Springer, WATERSHED Instructor Ed Silcox, WATERSHED Instructor Woody Arnold, WATERSHED Instructor