Online Resources
Curriculum
Water Monitoring Curriculum Companion
Grades: 8th through 12th
The water quality monitoring curriculum presented here is designed for Middle School to High School science teachers. This curriculum is designed for use as a companion to the Texas Stream Team Water Quality Monitoring Manual. This curriculum provides lessons, exercises, evaluation materials and TEKS correlations. Texas Stream Team hopes this curriculum will facilitate the presentation of Texas Stream Team concepts in the classroom and during field investigations.
Introduction, TEKS, Introductary Lesson 1: Dissolved Oxygen 2: Clarity 3: Temperature 4: pH 5: Conductivity 6: Monitoring Plan Vocabulary & Map
Data Analysis Curriculum
Grade 8
The goal of this curriculum is for students to use critical thinking skills and scientific problem solving skills to interpret water quality data. These cross-curriculum exercises are appropriate for classrooms that have been collecting monthly water quality monitoring data at a local site or that are able to download water quality data from the web.
Texas Stream Team would like to thank Christine Kolbe of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality’s (TCEQ) Surface Water Quality Monitoring Program for creating this excellent guide to understanding and interpreting water quality data.
Overview (PDF 20 KB)
Section 1: Surface Water Quality Data Interpretation (PDF 399 KB)
Section 2: Cumulative Student Project (PDF101 KB)
Section 3: TEKS Correlation (PDF 12 KB)
Intermediate Student Guide to Water Quality Monitoring (3 MB PDF)
Grades: 4th through 6th
The Intermediate Student Guide to Water Quality Monitoring (24 pages) was produced in cooperation with Cinde Jimenez and the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority. This Guide introduces the four core water quality concepts and is appropriate for younger students.
Conducting a Watershed Survey (Curriculum Companion)
Grades: 3rd through 12th
This curriculum was created in collaboration with Margaret Russell, Christine Kelley, Evan Wilder, Cathy Springer and Allison Glass.The documents below are in pdf format and can be downloaded in sections. It is recommended that you down load the publication Conducting a Watershed Survey (pdf).
Lesson 1: Water in Texas
Lesson 2: Land and Water
Lesson 3: Investigating Watersheds
Lesson 4: Visual Assessment
Lesson 5: Best Management Practices
Sedimentation Curriculum
Grades: 6th through 8th
Lesson One introduces sedimentation as a nonpoint source of pollution involving soils in runoff from the watershed into the surface waters. The Three Major Types of Dirt activity allows students to make observations on three major types of soils and analyze ways that soils can differ. The Nonpoint Source of Pollution worksheet gives the students a chance to practice applying the definitions of point and nonpoint sources of pollution to practical situations.
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Lesson Two furthers the understanding of soils and explains some of their observations from the first soil activity, such as why sands feel gritty and clays are slippery when wet. The Rock Cycle demonstrates the importance of weathering to form different soils. The Sedimentation Observation Activity allows the students to observe the particles again and how the soil particles interact with water. The Rock Cycle Worksheet provides an opportunity for the students to review the Rock Cycle.
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Lesson Three examines ecosystems so that we can understand how sediment harms life in an aquatic ecosystem. The interaction of matter and energy are examined. The ecosystem worksheet allows the student to review the major concepts. We begin a two day quantitative lab in which the amount of water the soil can absorb is measured.
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Lesson Four reinforces the students' familiarity with the essential parts of the ecosystem. In this le we can explain why sedimentation is a source of pollution. Sediment deters photosynthesis by reducing sunlight. Reduced photosynthesis means less food and oxygen for other forms of aquatic life. The gills of aquatic organisms also get clogged with sediment. The homework is to finish the lab report.
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Lesson Five is about ways that we can reduce sediment that gets into the surface waters. It starts with using the experiment on % water in the soil, to explain that both soils and rocks can hold water. The aquifers are important because they supply over half of the water we use in this country. The difference between surface water and groundwater is illustrated. Sediment usually enters the surface water when it rains and the water runs off of bare soil into the surface waters. If the soil is covered by plants or mulches, sediment in the runoff is reduced. Best management practices for reducing sediment are learned such as contour farming, selective logging, retention ponds and silt fences. The lesson is finished with a worksheet reviewing the ways to reduce sedimentation.
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