🌊Mission: Source Control

A Middle School Stormwater Education Program


For Grades 6-8 | A Gateway to STEM, Environmental Literacy & MS4 Community Engagement


Central Focuses:

Through real-world investigations and creative problem-solving, Mission: Source Control challenges students to track pollutants, design solutions, and take action to protect their community's water. Students become critical thinkers, environmental advocates, and leaders in stormwater stewardship.


Narrative Theme:

The Degraders are on the move, triggering pollution spikes across the landscape. Students team up with the Stormwater Defenders to track pollutants, decode stormwater mysteries, deploy BMPs (Best Management Practices) before it's too late! Through teamwork, science, and problem-solving, students become certified Defender Investigation Specialists, helping safeguard clean water for their communities.

Overview:

Prepare your students to think critically, act collaboratively, and solve real-world environmental problems with Mission: Source Control. This dynamic program challenges middle school students to step into the role of pollution detectives, stormwater engineers, and public outreach advocates. They'll work alongside the Stormwater Defenders to investigate pollutant sources, understand stormwater infrastructure, and engineer solutions using Best Management Practices (BMPs).


Through interactive missions, real-world investigations, and collaborative projects, students learn not just the science of stormwater management - but how to appl it in their schools, neighborhoods, and communities.


Key Features:


  • Story-Based Adventure: Students are immersed in a narrative-driven mission that mirrors real-world stormwater challenges, making learning exciting, relatable, and impactful.


  • Critical Thinking & Real-World Application: Students conduct site investigations, predict pollutants, and design creative outreach campaigns - applying academic knowledge to environmental stewardship.


  • Project-Based Learning: Each module builds toward larger goals, culminating in community-centered projects like drain marker designs and pollution prevention campaigns.



  • Team Building: Group challenges like the Hero Challenge emphasize teamwork, leadership, and civic responsibility.


  • Empowerment Through Knowledge: Students leave with the tools, language, and confidence to advocate for clean water and community health.


Mission: Source Control equips educators with everything needed to deliver a memorable, STEM-rich experience that combines investigation, creativity, problem-solving, and action - all tied to real environmental impacts students can see in their daily lives.

Educational Value:

The Mission: Source Control mission pack supports a variety of academic standards and educational priorities, making it a versatile and powerful addition to any middle school program.

Common Core and NGSS Alignment


Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS):


  • MS-ESS2-4: Students model how water cycles through Earth's systems driven by energy from the sun and the force of gravity. 
  • MS-ESS3-3: Apply scientific principles to design a method for monitoring and minimizing human impact on the environment.
  • MS-ETST1-1, MS-ETS1-2: Define and evaluate solutions to real-world problems through engineering design processes.

Common Core State Standards (CCSS):


  • Language Arts (CCSS.ELA-LITERACY): 
  • Students analyze information about pollutants, BMPs, and stormwater systems, developing critical reading and comprehension skills.
  • Creative assignments like designing a storm drain stencil or presenting on stormwater topics build communication skills across written and oral formats.


  • Math (CSS.MATH.CONTENT):
  • Matching BMPs to problems, conducting runoff experiments, and working through site walk mapping activities support applied math and logical reasoning.

STEM Integration:

Science -  Investigating the causes and impacts of water pollution and erosion.


Technology -  Analyze site maps and create presentations using technology tools.


Engineering -  Design real-world solutions using BMPs and pollution prevention strategies.


Math - Apply measurement, mapping, classification, and problem-solving skills during hands-on investigations and matching activities.


This is experimental STEM education at its best - giving students the chance to engineer, create and innovate.

MS4 Compliance Support:

The Mission: Source Control program is fully aligned with MS4 public outreach and education minimum control measures for middle and junior high school levels:


  • Increases public awareness about stormwater pollution sources and solutions.


  • Encourages behavior change through outreach projects like drain markers and public education campaigns.


  • Builds stormwater vocabulary and comprehension around MS4, NPDES, BMPs, TMDLs, and other key acronyms and concepts.


  • Expands education beyond the classroom with take-home and community-centered activities.


  • Supports municipalities by providing pre-built educational resources that tie directly into stormwater permit outreach goals.


This mission equips students to not just learn - but to lead in their communities, creating a ripple effect of clean water stewardship.

What's Included in the Mission Pack:

Category Item Description
Teacher Tools Teacher's Guide Detailed instructions, NGSS/CCSS alignments, and easy integration tips.
Student Mission Log A themed workbook for student reflections, progress tracking, and project planning.
Presentation Template Editable slides for student-led stormwater presentations.
Completion Certificate + Defender Team Patch Stickers Recognize and reward achievement!
Vocabulary & Acronym Glossary Empower students to speak stormwater fluently.
Stormwater Defenders Headquarters Passport A suggested guided path through Stormwater Defeneder's virtual Headquarters.
Student Activities Schoolyard Site Walk Create a stormwater site map.
Commingled Vocab Vocabulary word search games,
Stormwater Superheroes Design stormwater-saving superheroes.
Pollution Source Hunt Real-world observation checklist and quiz.
BMP Match-Up Match BMPs to problems and pollutants.
Acronym Soup Word scramble and fill-in activities.
Water Word Cross Crossword puzzle of stormwater terms.
Only Rain Down the Drain Reflection Sheet After watching the "What is Stormwater?" video.
Storm Drain Stencil/Drainmarker Design Contest Public awareness project.
Create a Battle Scene Invent heroes and villains in the fight for clean water.
Family Engagement Take-home Tip Sheet Family-friendly summary of what was learned and how to support it at home.

Your Gateway to Adventure: Interactive Digital Headquarters Access!

When students join Mission: Source Control, they are not just completing lessons - they are stepping into an immersive stormwater adventure inside the Stormwater Defenders Headquarters!


This exclusive digital experience transforms learning into an epic mission, where students travel through different themed rooms, unlocking powerful environmental knowledge along the way.

Here's the Journey Your Students will Embark on:

🌀 Start the Mission:
Launch into action with the Importance of Water video, narrated by RH, setting the stage for why their mission matters — and why protecting water is a cause worth fighting for.


🎵 Stormwater Defenders Anthem:
Get fired up with the Defenders' rallying cry! The anthem unites students as official members of the team, ready to take on The Degraders.


🧩 Which Defender Are You? Quiz:
Students take a fun personality quiz to discover which Stormwater Defender they are most like — helping them personalize their learning journey and connect deeper with the mission.


🚪 Explore Sarge’s Room:
In this tactical command center, students dive into how Bioretention Systems and Permeable Pavers are engineered to protect water quality and fight runoff. It's stormwater technology in action!


🌎 Investigate TARP’s Room:
Students enter the erosion and sediment control hub! They learn how land disturbing activities cause serious pollution problems — and how erosion control BMPs act as the frontline defense.


🧪 Analyze in Super Sampler’s Room:
This lab is where students become true pollutant source sleuths. They explore Pollutants of Concern, identify where they come from, and sharpen their detective skills to track pollution back to its source.