Teaching Sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

10 minutes – Part A: Activating Prior Knowledge
30 minutes – Part B: Learning About Aquaponics
60 minutes – Part C: Aquaponics Design Project
20 minutes – Reflection

Part A: Activating Prior Knowledge

Begin this lesson by prompting students to activate prior knowledge relating to sustainability and interaction between plants and animals in the wild.

Step 1.

Using the Inside-Outside circle approach, invite students to respond to the following questions:

Why is sustainability important?
What does it mean to be sustainable?
How do plants and animals support each other in the wild?

Ensure students have time to speak with at least three partners.

Step 2.

Invite students to share some of the thoughts and ideas they discussed in the Inside-Outside circle.

Use the discussion to ensure students understand that:

Sustainable practices are important to ensure that we don’t consume all of the Earth’s resources.
Being sustainable means making choices to reduce your own impact on the natural environment.
Many plants and animals (or animals and animals) have symbiotic relationships which benefit both parties, e.g. bees gather nectar from flowers and in the process pollinate the plants.

Part B: Learning About Aquaponics

Step 1.

Ensure that the Learning Intentions and Success Criteria are displayed or written on the board and read them aloud to students.

Students will...

... understand why aquaponics systems are sustainable.
... be able to design and construct a model of an aquaponics system.

Students can...

… explain the importance of sustainability.
… explain how an aquaponics system contributes to sustainability.
… describe different types of aquaponics systems.
… sketch a design idea.
… create a prototype of my design.

Step 2.

Explain to students that there are some specific approaches to growing plants in which they are not planted into the ground. Introduce the term ‘aquaponics’ and explain that it refers to a type of system that involves connecting fish tanks or ponds to the plant pots so that water is pumped through both the fish tank/pond and the plants.

Step 3.

Show the following clip and invite students to note any keywords:

What is Aquaponics? (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEal63zv-2M)

Next, invite students to share explanations and keywords about aquaponics. Record key points raised by the class on the whiteboard. Use this time to respond to any questions or confusions about aquaponics students may have.

Step 4.

Explain to students that they will be exploring how people create their own aquaponics systems.

Show the following clips. After each video, invite students to describe the system shown and share things that they noticed while watching.

Video 1: Kid Engineer: Growing Plants with Fish | Design Squad
Video 2: Urban Farmer: Aquaponica Jr - Micro Aquaponics Kit for Desk and Window Sills
Video 3: Aquaponicals - Mini Aquaponics System

Step 5.

Display the Aquaponics Systems Venn Diagram, either as an A3 printed copy, or on an interactive whiteboard if you have suitable software to allow you to write onto the diagram.

Invite students to share similarities and differences they noticed between the three systems and record them onto the Venn diagram.

Step 6.

Emphasise the features that all of the systems had in them (the centre of the Venn diagram), and display the Aquaponics Essentials Resource, explaining to students that all aquaponics systems should have:

A fish tank or pond.
An air supply to the fish tank/pond (e.g. an air stone with tube and pump).
A plant growing area.
A gravel substance to put into the growing area to hold the plants.
Tubing and pumps to transport the water.

Part C: Aquaponics Design Project

Before beginning this part of the lesson, ensure students have been provided with the Aquaponics Handbook.

Step 1.

Explain to students that they will now be designing an aquaponics system. Students will be making a 3D model of their aquaponics design using the craft resources you have previously selected. Display the Aquaponics Design Project Rubric (included in the Aquaponics Handbook) on the board and read through it with the students.

Step 2.

Show students the resources that are available to them and where they are located around the room. If you have chosen to use clay or plasticine, hand out the Joining Clay Factsheet.

Step 3.

Explain to students that they will now have time to complete their design projects. Emphasise that different people work in different ways. Some may look at the materials first, while others might start with a sketch, etc. Encourage students to continuously refer back to the criteria sheet while designing.

It is recommended that students are provided with 60 minutes for this stage of the lesson.

During this time, it is important that you roam around the classroom, observing student progress and supporting them with any challenges that may arise. Encourage students to seek advice and assistance from peers where suitable, or to trial different ideas to compare options.

Note: Design sketching/planning has not been included as a separate step in the lesson to honour the fact that children (and adults) all design and create using different methods and processes. Some students will sketch first to develop their initial ideas, others will develop ideas by interacting with available materials and may potentially sketch after that. Forcing a particular style or method for design can hinder creativity, so allow natural processes to be followed.

Reflection

Step 1.

Once 60 minutes has passed (when there are around 25 minutes of the lesson remaining), prompt students to pack up and return to their tables to complete the Reflection Activity of the Aquaponics Handbook. As well as reflecting on learnings from the lesson, any students not yet finished will plan the completion of their design. It may be completed as a home task or in another lesson at your discretion. Ensure it is clear to students when the task is to be completed. This information is to be recorded in the relevant section of the reflection activity.

In their reflection activity, students answer the following questions:

What have you learnt about aquaponics?
What did you find easy when designing your aquaponics system?
What challenged you when designing your aquaponics system?
Is there anything you would do differently next time you complete a design task?
Do you think aquaponics systems are important? Why?

Step 2.

Invite students to share their reflections with a partner of their choice.

Note: Allowing students to select their own partner is important to ensure they feel comfortable being open and honest about their experience.

Step 3.

If students are to complete the task at home, ensure they have all required resourced organised to take with them.

Differentiated Learning

Extension - Students who have designed well-structured systems efficiently can be prompted to think about how it might be disassembled and reassembled so that it can be delivered to and/or transported between locations.

Provisions for Learning Support - Some students may have difficulty developing ideas or focusing in the context of an open ended-task. These students can be provided with the Aquaponics Design Sheet for support. In some contexts, it may also be valuable to allow students to work in pairs so that they may support each other.

Teacher Reflection

Take this opportunity to reflect on your own teaching:

What did you learn about your teaching today?
What worked well?
What didn't work so well?
What would you share?
Where to next?
How are you going to get there?

STEAM - Aquaponics for Sustainable Living

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Learning intentions:

Students will...

Success criteria:

Students can...

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