In Beyond the Classroom Aquarium, students are guided through a structured sequence of 14 STEM-oriented aquatic ecosystem based activities in which they have opportunities to work on a range of activities that extend across a wide spectrum of complexity ranging between work with the simplest aquatic ecosystems and humblest single celled organisms, to work with highly complex organisms and aquatic ecosystems that utilize many modern technologies (including microcontrollers, stepper motors, motor drivers, circuitry, CAD, and 3-D printing).
In total, the book is 347 pages. Two chapters (the introductory chapter and a concluding chapter with an awesome final assessment activity) are featured to help teachers begin AND end the Beyond the Classroom Aquarium school year successfully.
The sequence of fourteen projects, that comprise the body of Beyond the Classroom Aquarium have been segmented into five chapters according to the natural progression of the educational activities in each successive project. In general, these five chapters are broken down as follows:
- Introductory knowledge, decisions, and activities related to upcoming projects involving design, assembly, and investigation of three primary classroom aquatic ecosystems
- Projects that guide each student team to complete design, assembly, and operation stages related to one unique classroom aquatic ecosystem (although not required, concurrent coordination of design, assembly and operation stages for each ecosystem/team is intended to result in the operational presence of numerous classroom systems in the shortest time)
- Additional team projects involving design, assembly, and application of auxiliary classroom aquatic ecosystem components and technologies
- Research project on classroom aquatic ecosystem and/or organism
- Implementation of aquatic ecosystem skills and knowledge whereby students are guided to apply such knowledge and skills beyond the classroom.
Educators who want to use aquatic ecosystems as a medium for integration of instruction in fields of science, technology, engineering, mathematics, (STEM) and beyond will find Beyond the Classroom Aquarium a useful guide. While beginning with modest classroom aquariums, the compilation of information and project descriptions in this book help teachers guide students to utilize tools of math and technology to design, assemble, and investigate (scaled to fit within their respective classroom space) three unique and fully operational aquatic ecosystems along with a number of auxiliary system components.
Most students who finish project eight are prepared (with adequate knowledge and skills) to design an aquatic ecosystem research project. In project nine they are guided to propose such a project and execute it.
The curriculum is designed so that students become more progressively involved in the design, construction, and/or maintenance of a number of aquatic ecosystems, from the first project – beyond. They work and have fun, while learning/applying core skills and concepts (in science, technology, engineering and math) in ecologically authentic aquatic ecosystem contexts, that reinforce development of a genuine sense of environmental stewardship.
Over the years, many educators have used one or more of the unique aquatic ecosystem projects described/compiled in this book as a stand-alone educational activity or project. In Beyond the Classroom Aquarium, the author has seamlessly merged a carefully selected set of heretofore stand-alone aquatic ecosystem themed activities into an integrated STEM-oriented curricular plan.
Please provide your contact information along with your comments AND I will forward a copy Beyond the Classroom Aquarium’s table of contents for you to review – if you request it.
To read more about Beyond the Classroom Aquarium you may click on a link to one of the four bulleted posts below. Each post offers additional information about: the curriculum, the author, the program’s structure/format, and acknowledgement of support others have provided in curriculum development or in piloting of activities with students.
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- Background Information About Beyond the Classroom Aquarium‘s Author – Robert Jakus
- How is Beyond the Classroom Aquarium Different (Features of this Curriculum that Some Educators Find Appealing)?
- Acknowledgement of Persons and Organizations that Supported the Development of System Prototypes and “Piloting” of Beyond the Classroom Aquarium Learning Projects
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- My Ideal Classroom Design (timothylyonseportfolio.wordpress.com)
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