Every day is Earth Day in my classroom. We have saltwater aquarium systems and in addition to regular science classes, I teach two Aquatic Studies classes. Students will care for a reef aquarium, coral propagation tank, jellyfish tank, clownfish and anemones, frogs, and plankton cultures. Middle school is the perfect time to involve students in real-world issues such as environmental stewardship and money management!
As a magnet school, we serve students from throughout the district, encompassing a wide range of home languages, academic proficiency, and socioeconomic levels.
We are also a full-inclusion school, so I teach all students including those with special needs, the gifted, and English Language Learners. I teach a rigorous STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) curriculum constructed on a foundation of hands-on learning and real-world application including career exploration. Aquarium study and animal care provide excellent applications of science concepts, art, financial literacy, teamwork, empathy, and responsibility!
My Project
I teach an elective class that is expensive to run - Aquatic Studies. To provide a meaningful experience to students, I offer hands-on activities and students maintain saltwater aquarium systems. Last year I began incorporating financial literacy principles such as budgeting, identifying wants and needs, and comparing unit prices when shopping. Students participated in keeping track of maintenance supply inventory and shopping around to stretch our budget.
After setbacks due to water quality and a frilly, voracious coral-eating nudibranch infestation, I would like to continue working toward the goal of making our class financially self-sufficient as a model for students.
Propagating corals to sell or trade is one way to accomplish this. My students need a variety of corals to learn how to propagate them, and other marine creatures to help keep the tanks and water clean and establish a viable ecosystem for coral growth. We have connected with a local aquarium business owner who will help us select corals and a clean-up crew of snails and other invertebrates suitable for our classroom tanks. He can also advise us on the fragging (dividing) of each type of coral and techniques for mounting them in our tanks and meeting their environmental and nutritional needs. Once our coral frags grow out, we can sell or trade them for maintenance supplies and other marine organisms!
In establishing our aquaculture endeavor, we can also use the Charles Schwab-supported online program Money Matters: Make It Count to learn about entrepreneurship!
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