PROJECT OVERVIEW

Name of Project:

Duration: 6 weeks

Family Aquaponics System

Subject/Course: Environmental Science

Grade Level: 10th

Teacher(s): Penarroyo

Other subject areas to

be included, if any:

Project Idea
Summary of the issue,
challenge, investigation,
scenario, or problem:

Student-family teams will design and construct a small/micro-scale symbiotic aquaponics system that can be used by
populations lacking natural resources needed to provide and cultivate a sustainable, nutrient-rich food source. This unit
will require students to use live fish and plant vegetables so please be aware of safety guidelines. Students-family
teams will also have a two-week period of observations in the middle of the unit to collect data on their system. Water
pumps are a requirement for each system. Seedlings are required for this project and can be purchased or planted.

Driving Question

1. What is the most effective way to sustain life in a closed system?

2. How can change in one part of an ecosystem affect other parts of the ecosystem? 3. How does matter and energy
link organisms to each other and their environment?
4. How do humans have an impact on the diversity and stability of ecosystems?
5. How is matter and energy transferred/transformed in living systems?

Content and Skills

Standards to be
addressed:

RH2, RST3, WHST2, HS-LS2-7, LS2

T+A
21st Century Skills
to be explicitly taught and
assessed (T+A) or that
will be encouraged (E) by
project work, but not
taught or assessed:

T+A

Collaboration

Creativity & Innovation

Presentation

Problem Solving

Critical Thinking:

Communication

Presentation Audience:

Group:
Culminating
Products and
Performances

Aquaponics System
Design

Class:
x

School:

2008 Buck Institute for Education

Community:

Individual:

Experts:

Pretest and Post test

Research worksheets

Web:
Other:

PROJECT OVERVIEW
Entry event to
launch inquiry,
engage students:

Aquaponics System built by student who attended ESY.

Assessments
Formative
Assessments
(During
Project)

Quizzes/Tests

Practice Presentations

Journal/Learning Log

Notes

Preliminary Plans/Outlines/Prototypes

Checklists

Rough Drafts

Concept Maps

Online Tests/Exams

Other:

Written Product(s), with rubric:

Other Product(s) or Performance(s), with rubric:

Summative
Assessments

Lab report

(End of Project)

Oral Presentation, with rubric

Peer Evaluation

Multiple Choice/Short Answer Test

Self-Evaluation

Essay Test

Other:

Aquaponics System

Resources
Needed

On-site people, facilities:

LCD projector, speakers, laptop, computer

Equipment:

LCD projector, speakers, laptop, computer

Materials:

4 feet of PVC tubing (various sizes)Plastic containers with minimum dimensions for tank (2 per team)
Pack of 100 StrawsGravel (enough for each teams tank)Water pump (1 per team)Cutting device for
tubing (1 per team)Drill for cutting plastic containers (1 per class)Pack of 100 Styrofoam CupsNitrogen
testing kit (1 per team)Thermometers (1 per team)ph strips (1 pack per team)Rulers (1 per team)Plants
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(2 per team)Fish (2 per team)

Community resources:

Reflection
Methods

(Individual,
Group, and/or
Whole Class)

Family, Pet shop, hardware, plant nurseries

Journal/Learning Log

Whole-Class Discussion
Survey

Focus Group
Fishbowl Discussion

Other:

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PROJECT TEACHING AND LEARNING GUIDE

Project:

Course/Semester:
Knowledge and Skills Needed by Students
to successfully complete culminating products and
performances, and do well on summative assessments

Students will engage effectively in a collaborative discussion through a team

building activity and creating a code of cooperation.
Students will form a real-life connection with potential STEM career fields
through research and exploration, as well as choosing their role on their
team.
Students will apply prior knowledge of ecology as well as evidence from
multiple sources in order to generate new ideas.

Student will generate solutions to the problem using team and individual
brainstorming strategies. Students will identify human impacts on the
nitrogen cycle.
Students use a variety of technological and information resources (e.g.,
libraries, databases, computer networks, video) to gather information and to
create knowledge.
Students will use a variety of technological and informational resources (e.g.,
libraries, databases, computer networks, video) to gather and synthesize
information and to create and communicate knowledge.
Students will define the problem statement, objectives, and constraints for
their engineering problem.

Students will use the decision matrix as a team in order to select

their most appropriate design.Students will create a list of
materials, collect them, and begin to construct their prototype of
their design solution.

Students will demonstrate an understanding of rates by utilizing the water

pump and measuring its output and graphing the data.

Scaffolding / Materials / Lessons to be Provided

by the project teacher, other teachers, experts,
mentors, community members

Pre/Post -Test (1 per student); and KEY (1 per teacher)

Team Code of Cooperation (1 per team)
Team Career roles (1 per student)

Ecosystem/Aquaculture Article (1 per student)

Window Gardens Video/Aquaculture Article Assessment (1 per student)
Engineering Design Challenge and Rubric (1 per student)
Engineering Design Process Graphic (1 per team, or post throughout
room)
Engineering Design Challenge Presentation Checklist and Rubric (1 per
student)

Research Guidelines (1 per student)

The Nitrogen Cycle Article: Anticipation Guide (1 per student)
The Nitrogen Cycle Article (1 per student)

Design/Data Requirements and Fish Safety (1 per team)

Turbidity Guidelines (1 per team)
Troubleshooting Plan (1 per team)
Problem Statement, Objectives, and Constraints (1 per team)
Decision Analysis Matrix Instructions (1 per team)

Water Pump Inquiry (1 per team)

2008 Buck Institute for Education

P R O J E C T
Project: Family Aquaponics System
M O N D A Y

C A L E N D A R
Start Date: February 2015

T U E S D A Y

W E D N E S D A Y

T H U R S D A Y

F R I D A Y

PROJECT WEEK ONE

Team Formation/PreTest

Introduction to the
Problem/Brainstorming

Guided Research and

Definition

PROJECT

WEEK

Collaboration of Ideas

TWO

Prototype Construction

PROJECT

WEEK

THREE

Prototype Redesign

2008 Buck Institute for Education

P R O J E C T
Project: Family Aquaponics System
M O N D A Y

T U E S D A Y

C A L E N D A R
Start Date: February 2015

W E D N E S D A Y

T H U R S D A Y

F R I D A Y

PROJECT WEEK FOUR

Data Collection

PROJECT

WEEK

FIVE

Redesign and Final

Assembly

PROJECT
Analyze Results (TWO
WEEKS LATER)

WEEK

SIX
Completion of Presentation
Presentations and PostTest

2008 Buck Institute for Education

 2008 Buck Institute for Education