Engaging Learners  •  Exploring Watersheds  •  Connecting Communities

VitalVenture is an interdisciplinary watershed education curriculum that engages Maine students in grades 5-8 with a series of locally relevant, issue-based Watershed Experiences that deepen conceptual understanding and connection to place. Sustained over four grades, VitalVenture Watershed Experiences provide students with a meaningful continuum of authentic, inquiry-based learning.

Students ask: "What environmental issues affect the place where I live?" They observe, ask questions, investigate, take action, and deepen their scientific understanding and connection to their local watersheds. Through VitalVenture Watershed Experiences, students gain independence as learners, thinkers, and problem-solvers.

VitalVenture was co-developed by Maine Sea Grant, the Gulf of Maine Research Institute, and 31 Maine middle-level teachers. It is funded through the NOAA Bay, Watershed, Education and Training (B-Wet) Program.

To view or download the curriculum, visit: vitalventure.gmri.org

For more information, contact: beth.bisson@maine.edu