Greetings Teachers of the Guadalupe River Basin! GBRA offers a Composition Challenge that is a fun way for 4th grade students to practice their reading and writing skills while earning prizes.
Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority Booklets
GBRA offers fun educational booklets for classrooms across the Guadalupe River Basin, featuring lessons on watersheds, water resources, water conservation and more. For more information contact the Education department at [email protected] or (830) 964-5424.
Journey Through the Guadalupe River Basin
is a curriculum provided free to all 4th grade classrooms in the Guadalupe Basin, including Kendall, Guadalupe, Comal, Hays, Caldwell, Gonzales, Refugio, DeWitt, Calhoun and Victoria counties.
Two cartoon characters, “Edward A. Armadillo” and “Lupe” the turtle guide teachers and students on a trip down the Guadalupe River, introducing them to their watershed, the history and geography of the river basin, aquifers and the importance of springflow to the Guadalupe River, dams and hydroelectric generation, how water is used and by whom, and the importance of water regulation and conservation.
Interactive Story Map
Learn MoreTeacher's Guide
Download PDFStudent Workbook
Download PDFStudent Workbook (Spanish)
Download PDF
Water Makes the World Go ‘Round
This third grade booklet covers the water properties, water cycle, water distribution and water uses/conservation. Class sets of this booklet are provided to third grade teachers in the Guadalupe River Basin upon request, using the link below. This booklet is also available in Spanish.
View Booklet
Download PDFView Booklet (Spanish)
Download PDF
Guadalupe River Basin Poster
This 24×36 poster is available to teachers in the Guadalupe River Basin. The poster shows the major rivers and streams of the river basin, and highlights the Eco-Regions that the river traverses through from the headwaters to the bay.
Water Cycle Poster
This 24×36 poster is available to teachers in the Guadalupe River Basin. The poster shows each step of the water cycle – evaporation, condensation, precipitation and accumulation as it occurs in a watershed. It is suitable for lower and upper elementary students.
Water Quality Monitoring
Supplement for grades 4-6 dealing with Water Monitoring and Non-Point Source Pollution. Teachers interested in addressing watersheds and water quality in the Guadalupe River Basin are encouraged to lead their students in an investigation of a local creek or river. The monitoring activities are used in coordination with a water monitoring kit, which can be donated to schools in the Guadalupe River Basin.
View Booklet
Download PDF
Watershed Puzzle
Everyone lives in a watershed – an area of land that drains water into a particular creek, river or lake. This puzzle will help you learn about the watersheds of the Guadalupe River Basin.
ADDITIONAL ONLINE RESOURCES FOR Elementary Schools
- https://arcg.is/1n5LLX – Fourth – Fifth grade Story Map of the Guadalupe River Basin, featuring cartoon characters Lupe the Turtle and Edward the Armadillo. Led on a tour of the Guadalupe River Basin, students discover different ways water is used, exploring different communities that depend on the water, and endangered species dependent on the rivers.
- https://www.discoverwater.org/ – An engaging, interactive website for all things water – suggested for grades 3-5. Topics include: the earth and water, water cycle, oceans, freshwater, watersheds, conservation and water use, healthy water – healthy people. Students can print handouts created in a science journal, save action items, and create a poster.
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_c0ZzZfC8c – NASA Water Cycle animation – This animation shows one molecule of water completing the hydrologic cycle. Heat from the sun causes the molecule to evaporate from the ocean’s surface. Once it evaporates, it is then moves high in the atmosphere and condenses to form clouds. Eventually the water molecule will fall as rain or snow. Ultimately, the water molecule arrives back where it started…at the ocean.
- https://www.usgs.gov/special-topic/water-science-school/science/water-cycle-schools-and-kids?qt-science_center_objects=0#qt-science_center_objects – Interactive water cycle diagrams for basic, middle and advanced learners.
- https://www.gbra.org/education/water-trivia-quiz/ – A water trivia quiz for students. Completion will result in a prize mailed to the school to the attention of the teacher/student(s).
- https://online.kidsdiscover.com/unit/water/topic/why-water-is-important – Kids Discover: Why Water is Important