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El Paso Water and Science

In El Paso, Water is Life! We have a special relationship with water, and our students learn to conserve this precious resource from an early age.

El Paso Water and Science was developed as a customized curriculum – aligned with Texas curriculum standards (TEKS) – for teachers who want to share water science lessons that go beyond the water cycle, actively engage students and provide insights into our region with its unique border culture in the Chihuahuan Desert. Each lesson comes with learning tools, including videos, labs, games and more.

In contrast to generic national textbook examples or Texas examples focused on prairies or beaches, El Paso Water and Science enables teachers and students to learn about our region, with investigations that include Hueco Tanks State Park, Rio Bosque Wetlands, our Rio Grande River and the Franklin Mountains. 

Introducing Ernie and Carmen

We are pleased to introduce two young tour guides, Ernie and Carmen, who will take us on our journey as we learn about water and science in El Paso. Ernie and Carmen love science.

Ernie and Carmen

Ernie and Carmen will encourage students to organize and collect their data in lab sheets, participate in observations and play science games.

3rd - 5th Grade: Carmen and Ernie Frog Watch and Keyhole Gardens: Students will learn about frog metamorphosis and the adaptations that our local species have made to survive the Chihuahuan Desert as well as learn how to make a keyhole garden.

Units of Instruction:

3.10C, 4.10C, 5.9A & C, 5.10A Carmen and Ernie, Citizen Science: Frog and Toad Watch!
Teacher GuideBooklet Print FoldBuild It GuideChronicleObservation GuideStudent Pages



3.7A, 4.7A, 5.9A, 3.10C 4.10C Carmen and Ernie's Classroom Keyhole Garden
Teacher GuideBooklet Print FoldBuild It GuideStudent Pages









4th Grade: The Meandering Rio Grande: 
Identify slow changes caused by weathering, erosion and deposition; represent the natural world using models and stream tables

Units of Instruction:

4.7B, 4.3B The Meandering Rio Grande
The forces of  water have changed the shape of our Rio Grande over time. Join Carmen and Ernie as they explore the meandering Rio Grande and the causes of the Chamizal Treaty.
Teacher Guide Booklet Booklet Print/Fold observation guide
Student Pages 



4.9A, 4.9B, 4.2D, 4.8B, 4.12B, 4.3C Migration Station at the Rio Bosque
Join Carmen and Ernie as they explore the animals that migrate to the Rio Bosque Wetlands.
Teacher Guide Activity 1 Activity 2 Booklet online Booklet Print/Fold Observation Guide What to Wear Guide Cards





5th Grade: Importance of Water in Science: Each unit contains a teacher resource that explains the science behind the lab (or activity) and lab videos to show how to do the experiment. Foldable booklets help explain concepts; lab sheets help with observations; and science games help make it fun!

Units of Instruction:

5.5A Properties of Matter: Rules of the Phases of Matter - SOLIDS
You can practice measuring matter (including water) and determine the phases of matter by using the rules of solids, liquids, and gases.

Teacher Guide Booklet Print/Fold


5.5A Properties of Matter: Rules of the Phases of Matter - LIQUIDS
You can practice measuring matter (including water) and determine the phases of matter by using the rules of solids, liquids and gases.

Teacher Guide Booklet Print/Fold


5.5A Properties of Matter: Rules of the Phases of Matter - GASES
You can practice measuring matter (including water) and determine the phases of matter by using the rules of solids, liquids, and gases.

Teacher GuideBooklet Print/Fold
5.5A Classification of Matter: Junk Drawer Matter Mystery Game
Matter (including water) can be classified by measurable, testable, and observable physical properties.

Teacher Guide Booklet Online Booklet Print/Fold Student Pages Game Cards


 

See these mini-videos for examples of how  students can test materials for the following:



6th Grade: Water is Life:
Ernie and Carmen publish the El Paso Water Chronicle for middle schoolers, which provides higher level reading passages about science with a comic strip. Units include a science lab to investigate and lab sheets to record observations and collect data. Watch for the word puzzle!

Units of Instruction:

6.12 E, F Abiotic and Biotic Factors: Water is Life: Build Your Own Hueco Tanks
Water is a key abiotic factor in a desert environment, especially in the microenvironments found at the Hueco Tanks State Park.

Teacher Guide Chronicle icon  
Student Pages Build It icon





6.12 A, B & C Taxonomy and the 3 Domains: Build Your Own Winogradsky Column
Water is a key abiotic factor in a microbial terrarium, students will create a Winogradsky Column to grow microbes represented in the Bacteria and Archaea Domains.

Teacher GuideChronicle
Student Pages Build It icon



7th - 8th Grade: Carmen and Ernie Pollution in Arroyos and Waterways: Learn how gravity influences the formation of rivers, arroyos and channels that help keep the Rio Grande recharged as it travels along the Texas Mexico border to the Gulf of Mexico. 

Units of Instruction:

7.8A & C Pollution in Arroyos and Waterways
Teacher guidechroniclegameStudent Pages



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