fish in the classroom

BrkD said:
haha they're 7th graders..not pre-schoolers i think they'll have enough common sense not to sitck their hands in if its not clean.

as for the stocking idea..i think you should go with a lightly planted tank with a male betta and a few shrimp or snails or an african dwarf frog....i have no idea on what to do if youre going to do a southern ohio theme tank.
Click to expand...
never know what kids will do out of stupidity or as a joke.
 
Actually, calling Fish and Game first is a good idea. They might just provide you with the local equivalent of mosquito fish (free). Usually something they breed to seed still waters with in summer, you can surely fit a few in a 10 gallon. They'll be hardy, usually native, and Fish and Game can provide you with a informational packet, or at least a booklet on local waterways you can share with the class.

Good idea having the kids track the cycle set up, and having a few clutches of eggs or fry from the rangers would grab their imagination. It's possible you might even get one of the rangers to bring em in and speak to the class.
 
Mgamer20o0 said:
never know what kids will do out of stupidity or as a joke.
Click to expand...

Actually our school is full of fish tanks. The six grade teacher is a salt water nut. That is actually the reason I have waited to set up a tank. I do not want the students to get sick of fish. Currently there are no animals in the seventh grade class rooms, and the students have never had a lesson based on the nitrogen cycle (sixth grade is physical science). While I agree anything is possible, these students have been trusted around tanks before. Part of the lesson would be about responsibility and care. So, I will trust them with the fish. However, if anyone is a real jerk while the cycling process is going on I can kill the project before fish (or other animals are added) are added.


I will absolutely call fish and game once the New Year rolls around. Free teaching material is always nice. But I still like the everglades idea too (Does anyone know how to mimic sawgrass?). I was there last year and have some teaching materials already. Maybe I will do two small tanks. We have lots of ten gallon tanks.

I could have a long term lesson plan like this.

Bacteria chapter – nitrogen cycle (I may start this early to make sure the cycle has enough time to process)

Fungi and plant chapter – add a set of plats that match or mimic the desired ecology.

Animal Unit – add the fish, shrimp, crayfish, or other creatures.

Ecology – study the relationships I the tank. Possibly have the students create a visual the shows the relationships between different organisms.
 
JardiniBoy said:
That sounds like a riveting lesson for 7th graders... :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

Well hopefully it will better than nothing. :)
 
Mgamer20o0 said:
never know what kids will do out of stupidity or as a joke.
Click to expand...


THANK U!! one in our high school we "had" two fish tanks....IN the science lab with all the chemicals...one was right beside the chemical hood!!

two it was coloured gravel 15 to 18 year olds would put them hands in the tank and grab the gravel and then go up to people and say "hey do you want some nerds??(a candy) and then the people would eat them and get sick.

but ya all the fish have been dead for years and there is like 300-400 bucks of tanks and equipment just waisting away!!
 
If you get crayfish, be prepared for them to munch on some fish.
 
I wouldn't put both in the same tank.
 
jennypenny said:
...I could have a long term lesson plan like this...
Click to expand...
(snip chapters)

How much fun is that?! Lots! When I was a kid, back in the late 50s, my class collected Coke bottle caps (under which were game pieces), applied them to game boards, turned completed collections in for $$, and bought a "computer" (that answered questions depending on what punch cards were inserted), named it Braniac... and had to leave it behind when we moved up in grade, which angered me since it was *our* class that had done all the $$ raising work...

On topic, other chapters: math (to figure cups, pints, quarts, gallons of water, dosing of Prime/similar products, volume of water, size of tank, cubic inches, etc.; fish per gallon rule); art (drawing tank, landscape, fish, plants, either imaginary and/or real, planning/administration). Oh :idea: and literature/library science/composition: reading about aquariums, writing reports about fish, plants, famous aquarium keepers (even if it's grandma's tanks and how grandma got fish way back in the dark ages ;) ) -- and maybe even Geology: what rocks can be added to an aquarium and why some are okay and why others aren't...

I almost wish I were a teacher :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
AquariaCentral.com
Top Bottom