Resources

Community Involvement | Interdisciplinary Activities | Career Connections

McKinney Roughs

Fun on-line activity to understand your watershed from the Texas Water Development Board. This is a good local resource that helps make this topic more meaningful for students.

PDF iconWatershed Patch Project developed by the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency). This can help you motivate your students to take a more conscious approach to water conservation and understanding their watershed. There is a specific section for 7th and 8th graders.

LCRA Presenter: Get an expert from LCRA to talk to your class about watershed pollution! Email at: watershed@lcra.org to request a presentation (and while that person is in your classroom, ask them to talk about his/her career.

McKinney Falls

Project WILD Educator Resources

Project WILD Workshop Information. You can contact Cappy Manly at 512-389-4369 or cappy.manly@tpwd.state.tx.us

TPWD Educational Trunk Program – these are free and available for loan!

Bug Picking Data Sheet – Helpful information on identifying macroinvertebrates

Tools of the Naturalist from Texas Junior Naturalists

How to Take Field Notes and Make Nature Sketches – an excellent resource with examples

Community Involvement

McKinney Roughs

Adopt Your Watershed - Information on adopting your own local watershed from EPA (Environmental Protection Agency)

Texas Watch – A network of people gathering information about the natural resources of Texas so that is available to all Texans. 40% are students and teachers! This is a cooperative between Texas State University, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) and the EPA.

McKinney Falls

Texas Nature Trackers – This is a way for you and your students to get involved in gathering scientific data on species of concern in Texas to help in conservation. You can also contact Texas Nature Trackers at 800-792-1112 ext. 7011

Texas Watch – A network of people gathering information about the natural resources of Texas so that is available to all Texans. 40% are students and teachers! This is a cooperative between Texas State University, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) and the EPA.

Interdisciplinary Activities

McKinney Roughs

Mapping Famous Rivers (44 Kb PDF) - Integrates geography/history

River-Crossing Math (220 Kb PDF) – Integrates math and science. This is a challenging activity that will really get your students thinking. It is an authentic example of math in the real world.

McKinney Falls

"Colorado River TV News Report": Integrates history and language arts. Have students research historical events on the Colorado River or Onion Creek and prepare a TV news report.

"Story Bags": Integrates history. Students present a personal narrative from the perspective of historical river people (Native Americans, Spanish explorers, Mexican settlers, pioneers, etc.). They decorate the outside of the bag to illustrate their life as that person as a whole. Inside the bag, they will place objects that illustrate particular parts of their story.

The Power of Water (52 KB PDF): Integrates math, history and science. This is a great activity for understanding how water can serve as a power source by estimating the horsepower of a waterwheel.

PDFRiver-Crossing Math (220 Kb PDF) – Integrates math and science. This is a challenging activity that will really get your students thinking. It is an authentic example of math in the real world.

Career Connections

Help your students to visualize themselves working in a STEM field. Print up sample job postings – which will let them see job responsibilities, and requirements; find a local expert to talk to your class about his/her field; or print up list of possible jobs in an area that interests them.

AAAS and Science Magazine Science Careers

Site by the National Institute of Health. Features “Success Stories” of those in fields of life sciences – with pictures and an emphasis on the importance of education. Great for middle school!

Site by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. It starts with, “If you like the sciences, then look at these possible careers:” Easy to use and lets students know what they need to do to enter these careers. Has sections for Science, Math, Computers, Nature (and other subject areas)

McKinney Falls

Visit the TPWD Career Day Webcast archive: Students can learn about jobs such as an archaeologist, coastal biologist, park ranger and game warden through actual video interviews. There is also a helpful resource page for more information on planning a career.