Middle Trinity Groundwater CD offers resources for educators

Special to Leader-Press

“I just love searching for hours to find cross-curricular science activities,” said no teacher, ever. Time is valuable, especially when it comes to education.  
Middle Trinity Groundwater Conservation District offers four supplemental resources stocked full of hands-on activities.
MTGCD’s Education Coordinator, Stephanie Keith, was a public-school educator herself before making the switch to water outreach.  
No stranger to the everyday juggling act of educator, mother, wife, and the time constraints of a full-time job, Keith’s first passion is education with lending a helping hand in the classroom being a close second.
The following resources are available for public school educators and home schoolers as well, Keith said. 
Project WET offers in-depth lessons for students ranging from K-12.  The easy-to-use activity guide offers educators necessary tools to execute water-related hands-on experiments in or outside of the classroom.  
To improve water literacy, topics range from water properties to macro-invertebrates and the importance of conservation.  The lessons are categorized by grade level, subject areas, duration, setting, and skills.  
For the Curriculum Package, Educators must participate in a 6-hour workshop to obtain resources and TEA approved CPE hours through Middle Trinity Groundwater Conservation District. For this, they will receive the Project WET Guide 2.0 and access to all Project WET Foundation Online Resources.
Getting Little Feet Wet is a developmentally appropriate curriculum with lessons created for young minds. Activities are divided into Pre-K and K-2 options to account for the large gap in learning differences, with activities correlated to early childhood standards from the National Association for the Education of Young Children.  This resource can be obtained through a 3-hour workshop provided by Middle Trinity Groundwater Conservation District.  Educators will receive TEA approved CPE credit.
Texas Aquatic Science is a clear, concise scientific resource for middle and high school students, with each of 14 chapters beginning with focus questions, a short introductory video, and in-depth concepts delivered through vivid images alongside unique stories of aquatic species, biology concepts, ocean dynamics, and protection of natural resources. The author outlines a variety of career opportunities throughout the chapters and all information is specific to the great State of Texas. Each lesson is correlated to the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills. Students have access to online textbook, with teachers having the complete Teacher Guide, as well as access to Middle Trinity Groundwater Conservation District Field Site for Outdoor Exploration.
Major Rivers was a resource developed by the Colorado River Authority and is a great addition to any third through fifth grade classroom. Each educator receives a teacher guide and full color student workbooks, which are available in English and Spanish. The lessons bring Texas water concepts to life through the voice of Major Rivers and his horse Aquifer.  Students will learn about Texas rivers, watersheds, and the water cycle through hands-on exploration.
MTGCD’s education program offers a wide range of on-site presentations tailored to the needs of educator and student.   
Keith also has a variety of lessons that range from weathering, erosion, and deposition to building an aquifer, and little prep is required from the educator except for scheduling and communication with Middle Trinity. Students can see an Aquifer Model, a tabletop Enviroscape, and can even build their own aquifer. 
Stephanie Keith can be reached at mtgcd4@centurylink.net or  254-965-6705. For more information, visit www.middletrinitygcd.org.