Texas Aquatic Science Curriculum

Texas Aquatic Science is a comprehensive aquatic science curriculum, from molecules to ecosystems, and headwaters to ocean, for middle school and high school students.

The curriculum consists of an online student textbook, a teacher guide, specially produced videos, and supplementary materials.

Teacher Guide

To ensure the protection of answers throughout the Texas Aquatic Science Teacher Guide and its sub-parts, they are password protected. Click the Access Request Form (hyperlinked to the current form) to verify your email and receive the password.

Teacher Guide and Answer Key Access (password protected)

Access Request Form

Additional Materials

• Fish Flash Cards
• Maps
• Wetlands Poster
• Coastal Wetlands Poster
• Children’s Books Corresponding by Chapter; An Annotated Bibliography (PDF)

Workshops

Each workshop will meet the following goals:

• Introduce educators to the materials and philosophy of TAS.
• Provide a sampling of field activities for coastal and inland aquatic habitats.
• Make connections to local water and wildlife issues to help individuals become aware of their place in the environment and their actions to protect it.
• Demonstrate field interpretive techniques used in TAS field activities and TAS trunk equipment inventory.

Cost: FREE

Attend either or both of the upcoming Texas Aquatic Science workshops.

• Tuesday, September 12, 6:00pm-7:30pm
  • Attend whole session to learn Texas Aquatic Science and other educational resources; 1-2 activities will be demonstrated.
  • Virtual
  • Registration closed
• Thursday: September 14; 11:00am-1:30pm
  • Drop-in anytime or stay the whole time to ask questions about an aquatic science topic or activity. Teaching aquatic science this year and its new to you, have a camp and looking for an activity with kids, or any additional questions welcomed. 2-4 activities will be demonstrated depending on type and number of questions asked during timeframe.
  • Virtual
  • Registration closed

Interested in a Texas Aquatic Science training, contact Melissa Felty (Alderson) at ConservationEdu@tpwd.texas.gov

Student Materials

Student Portal

TAS Web Portal

Student Textbooks available from Texas A&M University Press
and Kindle version available from Amazon.com.

Features:

• Written for middle school and high school students.
• Designed to help teachers make students aware of the importance of water to life, aquatic ecosystems, and what we must do to conserve water and aquatic life.
• Hands-on classroom and field activities
• Short (around 2 minutes each) videos
• Students learn and demonstrate their new knowledge in creative products and performances.
  
• Science investigations, games, models, Internet projects,
• Field based assessments of water quality and environmental conditions in a variety of field trips
• Lessons embed higher order thinking skills, provide depth and complexity of learning, and engage students in many contexts and methods.

TEKS aligned

All activities are aligned with the state curriculum standards, the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for sixth through eighth grade and for Aquatic Science and Environmental Science courses for high school.

TEKS in Texas Aquatic Science

Texas Aquatic Science Brochure

Texas Aquatic Science is a cooperative education project sponsored by Texas Parks and Wildlife, The Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, and The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment at Texas State University. Texas Aquatic Science was modeled after the Missouri Department of Conservation‘s (MDC) curriculum, Conserving Missouri’s Aquatic Ecosystems. Support was provided by the Ewing Halsell Foundation, San Antonio and the Sport Fish Restoration Program of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.