Aquaponics: Design, Build, and Sustain · 2018-10-29 · aquaponics designs, and how aquaponics addresses global issues and human impacts. Ø Aquaponics is the combination of two

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Grade: 9-12

Version 2

Sept. 2017

Design and build an aquaponics system based on engineering, construction, and ecological systems

Aquaponics: Design, Build, andSustain

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Table of Contents

Curriculum Introduction ............................................................................................................. 3Curriculum Key .......................................................................................................................... 5

Setting the Stage .......................................................................................................................................................... 5Activities .......................................................................................................................................................................... 5Assignments .................................................................................................................................................................... 5Handouts ......................................................................................................................................................................... 5Extensions ....................................................................................................................................................................... 5

Academic Content Standards ..................................................................................................... 6Materials List ........................................................................................................................... 11Aquaponics Pre & Post-Test ..................................................................................................... 19Lesson 1: Fundamentals of Aquaponics .................................................................................. 24

Key Words .................................................................................................................................................................. 24Preparation ................................................................................................................................................................. 24Setting the Stage: An Introduction To Aquaponics .............................................................................................. 25Activity 1: The Aquaponics Project ......................................................................................................................... 25Assignment: Researching Aquaponics ..................................................................................................................... 26Setting the Stage: The Benefits of Aquaponics .................................................................................................... 26Activity 3: Researching The Benefits & Impacts of Aquaponics ........................................................................ 27Optional: Student Websites .................................................................................................................................... 27Assignment: Research Paper .................................................................................................................................... 28Handout: The Aquaponics Project ........................................................................................................................... 29Handout: Aquaponics Research Project ................................................................................................................. 30Handout: Creating a Website ................................................................................................................................. 32

Lesson 2: Designing & Building The System ............................................................................ 34Key Words .................................................................................................................................................................. 34Preparation ................................................................................................................................................................. 35Setting the Stage: Imagining an Aquaponics System ......................................................................................... 35Activity 1: Envisioning Your System ........................................................................................................................ 38Assignment ................................................................................................................................................................... 39Setting the Stage: Technical Considerations ......................................................................................................... 39Activity 2: Design Pros & Cons ................................................................................................................................ 42Assignment ................................................................................................................................................................... 45Setting the Stage: Technical Calculations .............................................................................................................. 45Activity 4: Calculating Pump Load & Carrying Capacity .................................................................................. 46Setting the Stage: Technical Drafting .................................................................................................................... 46Activity 5: Drafting your Aquaponic System ........................................................................................................ 47Assignment ................................................................................................................................................................... 48Setting the Stage: Constructing Your System ........................................................................................................ 48Handout: Aquaponics System Design ..................................................................................................................... 49Handout: Design Pros & Cons .................................................................................................................................. 52Design Pros & Cons Teacher KEY ............................................................................................................................ 54Handout: Calculating Carrying Capacity & Pump Load .................................................................................... 56Handout: Drafting Your Aquaponics System ........................................................................................................ 58Handout: Constructing Your System ........................................................................................................................ 60


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Lesson 3: Cultivation and Maintenance .................................................................................. 63Key Words .................................................................................................................................................................. 63Preparation ................................................................................................................................................................. 64Setting the Stage: Fish .............................................................................................................................................. 64Activity 1: Testing Your Water ................................................................................................................................ 66Aquaponics Check ...................................................................................................................................................... 67Setting The Stage: The Nitrogen Cycle ................................................................................................................. 67Activity 2: Testing for the Nitrogen Cycle and pH .............................................................................................. 70Assessment ................................................................................................................................................................... 71Setting the Stage: Plant Cultivation ........................................................................................................................ 72Activity 1: The Life of a Seedling ........................................................................................................................... 73Setting the Stage: Decomposers ............................................................................................................................. 73Setting the Stage: Balanced Ecosystems ............................................................................................................... 74Activity 2: Online Ecosystem Lab ............................................................................................................................ 74Setting the Stage: System Maintanence ................................................................................................................ 75System Maintanence: Fish ......................................................................................................................................... 75System Maintanence: Plants ..................................................................................................................................... 76System Maintanence: Water Quality .................................................................................................................... 78System Maintanence: Mechanics, Plumbing & Electrical ..................................................................................... 79System Maintanence: Documentation ..................................................................................................................... 81Final Options ............................................................................................................................................................... 81Handout: Nitrogen Cycle and pH Videos Worksheet ........................................................................................ 83Nitrogen Cycle and pH Videos Worksheet Teacher KEY .................................................................................. 84Handout: The Life of a Seedling ............................................................................................................................. 85Handout: Online Ecosystem Lab .............................................................................................................................. 87Handout: Adjusting Water Chemistry .................................................................................................................... 88Handout: LED Aquaponics Lighting ......................................................................................................................... 89LED Aquaponics Lighting Teacher KEY ................................................................................................................... 91

Lesson 4: Water Careers .......................................................................................................... 92Key Words .................................................................................................................................................................. 92Preparation ................................................................................................................................................................. 92Activity 1: Exploring Green Career Pathways .................................................................................................... 93Setting the Stage: Exploring Green Career Pathways ...................................................................................... 94Setting the Stage: Water Careers ......................................................................................................................... 97Activity 2: Skills Assessment and Job Research .................................................................................................... 99Assignments ............................................................................................................................................................... 100Assessments ............................................................................................................................................................... 100Setting the Stage: Social Media and Career Development ............................................................................ 100Setting the Stage: Applying for Jobs .................................................................................................................. 102Activity 3: Resume Writing & Cover Letter ......................................................................................................... 102Extension .................................................................................................................................................................... 103Assignments ............................................................................................................................................................... 104Assessments ............................................................................................................................................................... 104Handout: Skills Assessment Worksheet ................................................................................................................ 105Handout: Skills Assessment Matrix ........................................................................................................................ 106Handout: Cover Letter and Resume Writing ....................................................................................................... 108Handout: Cover Letter Outline .............................................................................................................................. 110Sample Cover Letter for Requesting an Informational Interview ................................................................... 111Handout: Resume Outline ....................................................................................................................................... 112Handout: Sample Resume ....................................................................................................................................... 113


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Handout: Career Informational Interview & Shadowing Questions ............................................................... 114Handout: Career Professional Panel .................................................................................................................... 115

Curriculum Introduction

Welcome to the SEI Aquaponics Curriculum. This curriculum is designed to provide instructors with a menu of project options of various scales for designing, constructing, and maintaining an aquaponics system in your school. The SEI Aquaponics Curriculum is designed with a core design/build unit, created to lead students through the initial challenge of designing a sustainable aquaponics system, followed by a suite of independent, cross-disciplinary lessons, so that teachers may engage students with the system in future classes. The core design/build unit focuses on the purpose, benefits, design, build, and maintenance of an aquaponics system. The independent lessons are designed to help teachers in a variety of subjects, from culinary arts to entrepreneurship to engineering, utilizing the school aquaponics system as a dynamic learning tool.

It is possible to deconstruct the system, rather than maintain it, at the end of the year, to allow the next cohort of students to experience the design project. However, if you choose to do this, you will need to consider what you will do with the living organisms in the system after deconstruction.

This curriculum package includes: Ø Comprehensive lessons covering the purpose, design, build, and maintenance of aquaponics

systems.

Ø Hands-on activities allowing students to explore chemistry, biology, engineering, construction trades, and more.

Ø Practical applications in research, technical drafting, website development, construction, and food production through aquaponics.

Ø A unit pre- and post-test to assess comprehension and retention of material presented. Administer the test before beginning the unit and upon completion to assess student learning outcomes.

Ø Coverage of Next Generation Science Standards, Common Core ELA and Math Standards, and Career Technical Education Standards

Aquaponics: Design, Build & Sustain Lesson 1: Fundamentals of Aquaponics


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Lesson 1 Overview

Estimated Time 5 class periods (225 minutes)

Standards Covered NGSS: HS-LS2-2, HS-ESS3-1, HS-ESS3-4, HS-ESTI-1, HS-ESTI-3 CCSS: Math N-Q, F-LE ELA: Reading for Informational Text 7-9, Reading for Literacy in Science and Technical Subjects 3, 4, 7, 9 CTE: Agricultural & Natural Resources B4.2, B4.3, C2.0-2.4, E1.1, E1.5, E2.6, E6.0, E6.4, G3.4 Energy, Environment & Utilities A6.0

Objectives: Students will be able to: • Compare and contrast aquaponics to

traditional agricultural and fish production methods

• Evaluate and explain the benefits of aquaponics

• Demonstrate the nitrogen cycle graphically

• Develop a website

Prep Time • ~2 hours for reviewing the lessons,

background information, and assembling or ordering materials

Handouts • 1.1 Aquaponics Project • 1.2 Aquaponics Research Project • 1.3 Creating a Website

Materials (for each student/group): • 40-100 gal tank/tub • 1-2 fish per tank • Substrate (rocks, pebbles, or sand) Icon source: CA Dept Fish & Wildlife aquaculturematters.ca.gov

Lesson 1: Fundamentals of Aquaponics

Aquaponics offers the opportunity to learn about technical design, science, food production, and sustainability. This lesson will introduce students to the concepts and science behind aquaponics systems, and guide them through research that will allow them to evaluate the benefits of aquaponics.

KEY WORDS

Aquaponics: A method of combining conventional aquaculture with hydroponics in a recirculating, symbiotic, constructed system (raising fish and plants in a closed-loop system)

Aquaculture: The farming of aquatic organisms such as fish, crustaceans, mollusks, and aquatic plants; also known as aquafarming

Hydroponics: A method of growing plants using mineral nutrient solutions, in water, without soil

Scarcity: Short supply of a limited resource

PREPARATION

Ø Gather the basic materials needed for the construction of the infrastructure of your aquaponics system (see Introduction for materials ordering matrix)

§ If you are interested in using a small desktop system for this project, visit: https://www.ecolifeconservation.org/programs/san-diego-village-aquaponics/eco-cycle-aquaponics-kit/



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! Students should have a logbook or journal, which will be their “Aquaponics Log”. Students will start this logbook to record data, notes, and observations throughout the project. Students will also use it to respond to prompts and answer questions throughout the unit, which will provide opportunities for participation and assessment of comprehension.

Ø Provide each student with access to the internet to explore the FAO Aquaponic Report

Ø Print one of the following handouts for each student in the class:

§ Handout 1.1 The Aquaponics Project

§ Handout 1.2 Researching Aquaponics

§ Handout 1.3 Creating a Website

SETTING THE STAGE: AN INTRODUCTION TO AQUAPONICS

Ø Provide each student with The Aquaponics Project Handout. The following lesson will guide students through the investigation and research of the rapidly growing discipline of aquaponics. As students advance in their research, they will evaluate different types of aquaponics designs, and how aquaponics addresses global issues and human impacts.

Ø Aquaponics is the combination of two existing practices for growing food and farming fish: hydroponics and aquaculture. The combination of these two practices creates a recirculating, symbiotic, closed-loop system in which fish waste provides nutrients for plant growth.

Ø Hydroponics is a method of growing plants using mineral nutrient solutions, in water, without soil. The plants roots draw nutrients from the mineral rich water itself.

Ø Aquaculture is the farming of aquatic organisms such as fish, crustaceans, mollusks, or aquatic plants by cultivating freshwater and saltwater populations under controlled conditions, in contrast to commercial fishing of wild populations.

Additional Resources:

§ For more information on hydroponics, go to: http://www.simplyhydro.com/whatis.htm

§ For more information on aquaculture, go to: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/aquaculture/what_is_aquaculture.html

§ For good resources on Aquaponics, visit: http://www.fao.org/3/contents/1dea3c92-1faa-47bb-a374-0cf4d9874544/i4021e00.htm

ACTIVITY 1: THE AQUAPONICS PROJECT

Ø Pass out the Aquaponics Project Handout. Review the handout with the students, explaining the deliverables and implementation plan for the aquaponics project.

Ø After students gain an understanding of the fundamentals of aquaponics as a discipline, they will draft a blueprint of the aquaponics system they will be setting up in class, and then work within a group to construct their very own aquaponics systems.



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Ø Form groups of 4-5 students that will work together through the duration of the project. Each student will use an Aquaponics Logbook; we suggest creating a digital logbook through Google forms for students to record all activities, water quality data, and observations related to their aquaponics system over the course of the project.

§ Depending on how many systems you have room for, you may choose to assign each group of students a tank with which to design an aquaponic system, or you may choose to divide the groups by different roles for one system: engineering & design team, fish & plants team, electronics & pumps team, water quality & maintenance team.

! Have each group read Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 of the FAO Small-Scale Aquaponic Food Production Report, and write down 3 questions that they have.

Ø Allow a few minutes for the groups to share their questions out to their peers. Students will be finding the answers to their questions through the research project below.

ASSIGNMENT: RESEARCHING AQUAPONICS

Ø Students will take the rest of the week to conduct research at home and/or at school on the fundamentals of how aquaponics works, the different types of designs for aquaponics systems, and the sustainability and benefits of aquaponics. Students will then synthesize their research into a 3-5 page research paper. (You may choose to have students give a class presentation in addition to, or in place of, a written paper).

Ø Pass out the Researching Aquaponics Handout. Students should use the handout to guide their research and to record their sources of information.

Ø Tonight, students should research the first half of the handout, “The How”. They will focus on the science behind how aquaponics systems function (nutrient cycling, plant requirements, bacteria) and existing aquaponics designs. (Students will research “The Why” after an in-class discussion on the benefits of aquaponics.)

SETTING THE STAGE: THE BENEFITS OF AQUAPONICS

Ø The scarcity of resources on the Earth is one of the most important issues that we as humans must understand and respond to. As our global population grows, we are increasingly experiencing the limits of finite resources, from deforestation, droughts and water scarcity, to the cost and environmental impact of using oil and other fossil fuels. Specifically, ensuring access to fresh food and water will continue to be an enormous challenge for human well-being. Aquaponics is an innovative solution that addresses the need for sustainable use and development of our limited resources.

Ø One way to look at aquaponics is to consider how it benefits people, our planet, and the economy.

Ø Optional: Before the brainstorming activity, share the video “Aquaponics Offer Healthy Sustainable Food” by Grassroots News to get students started on a list of aquaponics benefits.

§ https://youtu.be/xDgin35wyIc (2:49 mins)



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Ø Have students pair with a partner and brainstorm for 5-10 minutes to think of two benefits of aquaponics in each category: people, planet, profit. Students should come up with 1-2 sentences on why each is a benefit. After the brainstorm session is over, have the pairs share their answers, create a list of the benefits on the board, and see how many different benefits they thought of as a class. After all pairs have shared their ideas, supplement the lists with any benefits they did not mention. Advise each student to copy the benefits in their logbooks.

People Planet Profit

Healthy food

Cleaner environment

Feed a growing population

Grow in many areas: urban areas, roof tops, indoors

Local food production

Uses less water

Uses less land

Uses less fossil fuels

No harmful chemicals

Sustainable way to raise fish

Utilizes fish waste

Business opportunities

Creates jobs

Plants grow faster

Efficient use of space

Combines fish and produce business potential

Ø Working with aquaponics develops career skills in a wide variety of disciplines beyond aquaponics farming such as engineering, chemistry, water/wastewater management, and entrepreneurship.

Ø Ask students if they can think of other jobs they could find with aquaponics. If students are creating a website as a part of this project (see below), use it as an example for jobs in digital media, marketing, and graphic design.

ACTIVITY 3: RESEARCHING THE BENEFITS & IMPACTS OF AQUAPONICS

Ø Students will continue their research on aquaponics using the second half of the Researching Aquaponics Handout, “The Why”. Students should dive more deeply into the benefits and sustainability of aquaponics (e.g. impacts on land use, agriculture, fisheries, local food production, water use).

Ø Provide students with access to the library and computers with the Internet.

OPTIONAL: STUDENT WEBSITES

Ø As an optional activity with the Aquaponics Unit, students can create their own webpages that will track the progress of their aquaponics system, provide tips and information on successful aquaponics practices, and may even eventually allow them to start a business selling their produce!

Ø Pass out the Creating a Website Handout to guide students through the creation of their webpage. This leads the students through the use of the website builder Weebly.

§ An alternative website option is Google sites, which may be preferable if your school has a Google account.

Documents

Aquaponics: Design, Build, and Sustain · 2018-10-29 · aquaponics designs, and how aquaponics addresses global issues and human impacts. Ø Aquaponics is the combination of two