The Major Rivers curriculum is designed to help fourth- and fifth-grade students learn about Texas' major water resources, how water is treated and delivered to their homes and schools, and how to care for their water resources and use them wisely.
The program's host, Major Rivers (named for the major rivers of Texas), and his horse Aquifer cover these topics in eight lessons that include a variety of activities in science, math, language arts, social studies and other subjects. The teaching package includes student workbooks, pretest and post-test sheets, home information leaflets, overhead transparencies and an introductory video. The teacher's guide shows how to use these materials and contains additional learning activities.
The history of Major Rivers
LCRA began developing Major Rivers in 1984 as part of its water conservation activities in the lower Colorado River basin. Formally launched statewide in 1989, Major Rivers was an instant success. By the end of the 1990s, the program had reached more than 1 million students throughout Texas.
In 2001 LCRA began work on a second revision, working with a curriculum consultant, LCRA staff and a Teacher Advisory Committee to produce a new edition specifically for the Colorado River basin.
Statewide interest in the curriculum grew and in 2003 LCRA, the Texas Water Development Board and many water providers and water management entities throughout the state worked together to produce a new statewide version. In 2008, the program was revised once again to keep Major Rivers current with the latest Texas learning standards and the current 2007 State Water Plan.
What's new in Major Rivers
The Major Rivers curriculum was updated in 2008. It has the look and feel of the previous program, while containing the following improvements:
- The correlation with Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) and Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) standards has been updated.
- All student materials are available in English and Spanish versions (the Spanish workbook is only available in the statewide version through the TWDB)
- The introductory video is available in DVD with captions in English and subtitles in Spanish.
- A new Teacher Resource CD-ROM includes electronic versions of the Teacher’s Guide in addition to student worksheets, transparencies, maps, posters, and links to other resources, such as the statewide version of the watershed lesson.
- More hands-on learning opportunities for students have been added, including a new lawn watering activity.
- Activities that expand such topics as water quality, water planning, water conservation, and provide additional interdisciplinary activities in math, language arts, history, and other subject areas have been included.
- Additional links to Internet resources and information on how to incorporate these resources into your students' learning experiences.
Before receiving the Major Rivers curriculum, teachers are encouraged to attend a workshop. You also may order the materials by filling out and returning the order form with your payment. For more information, send an e-mail to Environmental Learning or call 1-800-776-5272, Ext. 8002.
