Curriculum

The Newtown Creek Alliance is committed to education for all ages, young and old. With all of the potential young stewards in our communities we wanted to create learning tools that could bring the Creek into the Classroom and the Classroom out to the Creek. We are all a part of the Urban Environment and what better way to help care for it than to teach our young people about it in our local schools.

The curriculum has been designed to suit elementary or middle school aged students but can be easily adapted for any age. The individual curriculum units, along with their worksheets, are available for download below:

Intro + Field Trips
Flora & Fauna
Water Quality
Watershed & Sewershed
Soil Quality
History and Geography
Climate Change Adaptation
Glossary
Kingsland Wildflowers Green Roof preK-5th Teacher’s Guide**

If you’re and educator and found any of the above free curricular resources helpful, we ask that you please take a quick (5 minute) survey.

Each Unit has a Field Lesson built into it and NCA staff are available as Field Site experts to guide classes of all ages through the activities outlined and to be guest lecturers for your students. The Units each culminate in a design based applied learning project so that young learners have the ability to try their hand at applying their new knowledge to systems based solutions.

If you want to book a Field Trip with NCA or provide feedback on any of the materials we have developed here please email us at education@newtowncreekalliance.org

*This curriculum was originally created by the Gowanus Canal Conservancy and the Urban Memory Project then adapted to its current form by NCA for teachers to use the Newtown Creek and its watershed as a teaching tool and learning environment. The lessons were reviewed and tested with assistance from the National Wildlife Federation Eco-Schools with funding provided by the New York State Office of the Attorney General and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation through the Greenpoint Community Environmental Fund.

**Developed for Kingsland Wildflowers at Broadway Stages Green Roof and Community Engagement Center. Authored by Vicki Sando for NYC Audubon. 

Recent press:

Bringing Climate to the Classroom in Queens > Next City

LIC Students to Learn About the Newtown Creek in Innovative New Program > LIC Post

Newtown Creek Curriculum Expands in Schools > LIC Journal

A Partnership of Environmental NonProfits Launches Urban Ecology Educational Program with LIC Schools > QNS.com

UPDATE (Sept 1st, 2019): NCA is pleased to partner with Hunters Point Park Conservancy to expand the Newtown Creek Urban Ecology Curriculum in Long Island City. Read full press release here and stay posted for updates.