Lesson plan ideas?

Hello everyone,

I'm a beginning (read unlicensed, working on substitute license, then
full certification) teacher and my internship deals with teaching
science in low-income K-6 schools. My goal is to create as many
lessons as possible based on coldwater marine aquariums, which I set up
in the local schools. The tanks vary hugely, from $2500 turn-key
systems to a 10-gallon tank with a thermoelectric chiller stuck on the
back. I've taught lessons on the nitrogen cycle, water changes,
siphoning, and observational skills.

I'm currently teaching 3rd graders, but any ideas that could be used
for K-6 would be marvelous. If any of you have any ideas floating
around that you think would help kids learn about science using
aquaria, please post! Even if they're not complete thoughts, snippets
can work wonders.

Thanks! You're helping kids!
Ryan Lenz

Undergraduate Teaching Fellow
Oregon Institute of Marine Biology
Charleston, OR

I setup a marine for the local library.
cycled it with mollies
the mollies bred
and now it's all mollies and clown fish

I told the kids to go try find compatible fish
anyway next time I came in
had a great convo on why things will work together

we also had a bit of a go at photography
after some photoshopping everyone had their own Nemo x-mas card
but yea the mollies and breeding marine fish was a big hit
good chance to explain osmoregulatory systems too!

kids enjoyed taking fry home and even building the fry savers
would still chew me arm off to get out of doing it again
= a hell of a lot of panicking 2am phonecalls from parents
about fish tanks going cloudy etc.....




wrote in message
ups.com...
Hello everyone,

I'm a beginning (read unlicensed, working on substitute license, then
full certification) teacher and my internship deals with teaching
science in low-income K-6 schools. My goal is to create as many
lessons as possible based on coldwater marine aquariums, which I set up
in the local schools. The tanks vary hugely, from $2500 turn-key
systems to a 10-gallon tank with a thermoelectric chiller stuck on the
back. I've taught lessons on the nitrogen cycle, water changes,
siphoning, and observational skills.

I'm currently teaching 3rd graders, but any ideas that could be used
for K-6 would be marvelous. If any of you have any ideas floating
around that you think would help kids learn about science using
aquaria, please post! Even if they're not complete thoughts, snippets
can work wonders.

Thanks! You're helping kids!
Ryan Lenz

Undergraduate Teaching Fellow
Oregon Institute of Marine Biology
Charleston, OR