Fins. Fur. Function.

This lesson offers a more in depth dive into the Nitrogen cycle. It will address questions such as: 1. Why is the nitrogen cycle important? 2. How does nitrogen get into an aquarium? 3. How does ammonia form in an aquarium? 4. How does a cycled aquarium get rid of ammonia? Etc. This has more complicated concepts of biology and chemistry and is meant to last 2-3 days depending on the level of the classroom. Supportive videos are built-in and indicated by a yellow star on the slide. Get the suppo

This lesson focus' on pH and Alkalinity (what it is, how it effects the fish in the environment, and how to control it). These are not only important biological and chemistry concepts, but critical for the lives in a controlled environment. Come with built-in supportive videos (indicated by yellow star on the slide).

Following up on "The Gold Fish Lab", this lesson introduces and discusses options to control the temperature of the aquarium in the best interest of animal health. It will introduce a variety of heating and cooling methods along with creating some talking points for the classroom. Comes with a built-in supportive video. Any supportive videos are indicated by a yellow star on the slide.

This is the complete study guide with answer key, test with answer key, and my modified and PACE test versions for Unit 1 of Aquarium Science. The study guide walks student through the information covered throughout the unit. I challenge them to fill out as much as they can off the top of their head, and then use notes to fill in the rest. The test includes multiple choice, fill in the blank/short answer, and descriptive writing.

This is a semester long project that is broken into 8 different sections. Each section aligns with the PowerPoint lessons and were meant to be done in 1-2 week sections. There are tables to fill out with guides and examples along with a grading rubric for each section. This encourages students to do a little research on their own and formulate a plan for their fictional aquarium. This can easily be modified as needed for those students in need and is already chunked and meant to last 1 semester.

Unit 2: Lesson 1: Introduction to Water Quality. This lesson focus' on explaining why water quality is so important in an aquarium. Not all water is the same, although it looks clear and clean. This will discuss different sources of water, the chemical make-up of water and characteristics, waters relationship with oxygen, carbon, nitrogen, and hydrogen, and desirable ranges for the aquarium.

This lesson is used to summarize and discuss the results of "The Gold Fish Lab" but then to introduce and discuss ecto(exo)/endothermic properties and why this is important for different animals. It will introduce proper and improper terminology when discussing these topics. Comes with some built-in supportive videos (indicated by yellow star on the slide).

Unit 2: Lesson 3: The Importance of Water Changes. This lesson focuses on why water changes are important for not only the life living in the water, but what it does to the water to sustain life. This will also cover different scenarios such as how much of a water change, cleaning methods to supplement the water change, and how to safely complete the water change. It includes 2 video references (indicated by yellow star on the slide).

Unit 2, Lesson 2: The Biological Environment, Cycling an aquarium. This lesson is focused on why cycling an aquarium is important and all the steps (chemical and biological) that are involved. This will discuss different cycling methods along with different types of bacteria and their purpose. Associated videos indicated by yellow star on the slide.

This lesson focus' on the basics of aquarium maintenance and some troubleshooting techniques. Every student/aquarist will come into this with different skills, backgrounds, experiences, etc. This is meant to speak to the masses and help make students aware of the many things one must juggle in order to keep an aquarium alive and healthy. It's just as much mental as it is physical. Any supportive videos are indicated by a yellow star on the slide.

This lesson focuses on the set up of an aquarium for the classroom. Traditionally I have many set up and running already (with fish in it) to stream line the process for students so they have hands on immediately. It is important to go over how to do this in class so they can all see it as many will want to do this at home. This is a step-by-step guide on how to do it and why the order is important, what supplies are needed, and what other maintenance should be considered. Any supportive videos

Unit 1: Lesson 1: Introduction to Aquarium Science. This lesson focus' on explaining what aquarium science is and how it is different from marine biology and oceanography. How does working on aquariums tie together environment and entertainment to be educational? A "quick history" talks about what aquariums are and how they can be simple, complex, or in between. What about public aquariums? Finally, the difference between an "open system" and a "closed system" in the aquarium world.

The physical environment lesson is broken down into 2 lessons: 1) All about the tank (material, shape, and size) and 2) Temperature control, types of lids, and lighting evolution and options. These lessons are very helpful in students being successful while working on the semester project packet. This is also supported by The Marine Aquarium Handbook: Chapter 1 worksheet. Includes embedded videos to support the lesson. Any supportive videos are indicated by a yellow star on the slide.

This is the beginning lesson that focuses on the importance of water quality. Temperature is the focus of this lesson as it's the easiest and best place to start. This is a brief lesson to discuss the importance of temperature, but the "Gold Fish Lab" that is used to support this is necessary. The "Gold Fish Lab" focuses on how temperature affects respiration rates of gold fish. Any supportive videos are indicated by a yellow star on the slide.

This is the final lesson 4/4 focused on the physical environment: Enrichment. This lesson focus' on the environmental enrichment benefits within an aquarium and reasons they are used. Discussion topics include: decorations (natural and artificial), plants (live and artificial), location importance, and aquascaping styles. There is a list of helpful and supportive videos at the end of the lesson. Any supportive videos are indicated by a yellow star on the slide.

Continuing the lesson on biological environment, this is part 3: Nutrition. This lesson's focus is on the nutrition and feeding implemented for various types and sized fishes. Topics covered include: different feeding types, methods of nutrient uptake, food types, feeding methods, supplementation, and common dietary conditions. The lesson ends with three videos to support the lesson. This directly connects to section 5 in the semester project packet. Any supportive videos are indicated by a yel

This lesson is a continuation of the Biological Environment but focuses on Hygiene (filtration). This lesson will cover the three types of filtration along with highlighting examples of each and the different technology that uses them. Different types of bacteria are also introduced which will go into more depth in a later lesson. This will help students with section 4 of the semester project packet and with a short video reinforcing the lesson. Any supportive videos are indicated by a yellow st

This lesson is focused on the order and reasoning behind why certain maintenance steps should be completed throughout the process. This is good for classroom conversation as well as many students have questions or input from their experiences. Includes a great starter and video to finish the lesson. Can also use a real aquarium and have a student demonstrate the steps as you go through it. Any supportive videos are indicated by a yellow star on the slide.

This 8 page curriculum guide is for unit 2 of 3 in Aquarium Science. This unit will cover the introduction to water quality along with concepts like cycling, the importance of water changes, water quality testing methods, endo/ectothermic properties, temperature control equipment, pH and alkalinity, fish acclimation, and the breakdown and importance of the nitrogen cycle. Includes: Key terms/concepts, Learning activities, Assessment ideas, and CCSS and NGSS alignment.

This lesson focuses on cross contamination and how important it is to prevent it in the aquariums. Non-native invasive species are a major contribution to this problem in the wild, but how does cross contamination happen in controlled environments like aquariums? There are video links in the presentation along with a link to a great documentary regarding a major non-native invasive species in the US (Asian Carp). There is no worksheet to go with the documentary. Any supportive videos are indicat