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Good School fishkeeping topics?


Oxquo
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I have been accepted to go down to the Elementary and High school to speak on fish. I do have the one project I used last year but it suited grade 6. What would be some good ideas for grade 3, grade 5, grade 7 and grade 8? Last year I did a killi project that the grade 6 ers raved about, I intend on using that again for them. I also spoke to grade 2 class about biotope and habitat which was really fun, maybe even on My part more than theirs. But for grade 7 and 8 I need to step it up, grade 7 already did the killi project last year. This year I have one week and a whole classroom to use for My project. I'd like to set-up several display tanks so that all classes can tour everyones project. I am thinking that grade 8 has a better attention span so a few sample visuals and a good solid talk should suffice. Grade 3 would be mostly visuals to keep them interested and grade 5 an inbetween of 3 and 6 with more facts and less visuals. Last year I thought the older grades would be easier but was wrong. The girls wouldn't even look at the worms and pond bugs, the boys had less attention span than the girls and just made retarded comments. I am by myself in there so I am highly out numbered. Anyone have useful suggestions? I may get a shot at grade 12 as well next semester and prefer not to bore them with chemistry. That is hilarious too as I have never seen the inside of a grade 12 classroom. I was thinking for grade 8 maybe actually setting up a biotope aquarium from a picture. but tha may actually be more suitable for an older grade. Any suggestions are good ones within reason. I have two weeks to prepare each project and one day to deliver it. As for the killies it carried on after I left them alone and they did amazing.

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One thing that might interest them (not sure what grade?) is a tank with adults caring for fry. One tank I have set up is a tang biotype with a colony of multis (shell dwellers) and 2 petricola. Everyone that has seen it, likes it. You can watch all of the generations interacting and see them dart in and out of their habitat (shells and a rock wall). It is a 25 gal. If you would like some info, send me a PM.

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I was thinking the same thing as Blue Ram - cichlids parenting. You could do something on African Cichlids for the Jr. High evolution unit. I did a research project on them in Uni, and was surprised at the amount of info you can get about how all of the diversity came about. Also, how they developed strategies to care for their young (mouth brooding, cave/shell spawning, etc.).

Grade 12s would be good for a full blown planted tank. They go thru a unit on the Carbon cycle, so you could set up a tank w. and w/o CO2, showing how plants utilize it.

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How about weather loaches and their activity in corelation to the weather (barometric pressure)

My Son spoke about those for a weather project. His teacher had no clue about them.

As for speaking, I get the most response out of babies to be sure. I also get a good response from Cory's. They like seeing algae eaters stick to the glass too.

There are zillions of worksheets & coloring sheets online. I also made bookmarks for them, and raided the dollar store for fish stuff - there's lots of it. I told them there would be questions & prizes after so they listened more carefully. The best way to get them to shut up & sit still? Feed them. I did up snack bags of what else? Fish crackers.

I usually cover threatened species issues and wild release, both of which could serve them and the environment well if they retain it.

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great ideas, the weather loach would be very cool as they could maybe document it's behaviour before high pressure moved in. We are going out next weekend since the RAS auction is this weekend to look for fish fossils, A friend of mines farm colapsed and we have found these huge trumpet snails almost 30 feet below this cliff top. I'd love to find a fish. It is the assiniboine river valley so it is almost all sea creatures so far aside from a large spine type of bone. That would make a cool evolution topic. Maybe bring a bicher as well to show the close resemblance between some of todays fish and yesterdays. That trupet snail would wreck a planted tank in an hour I am sure.

Babies, for sure a tank of My ever spawning saulosi would impress the young ones good call. I like the idea of breeding behaviour, livebearers, killies, mouthbrooders, shell dwellers and maybe some brichardi as ongoing parenting. Alot of work but I think I can use the same tank for a different lesson such as biotope.

Awesome ideas I'll ask the principal which topics suit who best as it will go according to what they are taking in Science. I am thinking bugs and babies for the young ones, weather loaches and cory spawning for the mid grades and biotope or fossils and evolution for the older ones now. I better get studying as I'm going back to school, lol. Hope I don't get caught smokin in the boys room....

thanks all for the awesome input....

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... That trupet snail would wreck a planted tank in an hour I am sure. ...

Are you sure the Trumpets are MTS? There are a lot of species that are a similar shape. I'm not nit-picking, I'm intrigued...lol. If you get any photos, I'd love to see them. In fact, bring some home and some sucker for snails like me will pay you outrageous amounts for them :blush: . I've never seen an MTS or a Viv (also cone shaped) eat plants, regardless of their size, so that would be interesting too.

I'd also love to hear how the lesson plans go. I don't envy you the older classes - the questions get more and more difficult to answer. :huh: Have a statement prepared for those, like "Detailed documentation as it applies to specific fish is often elusive to non-existent...." B)

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I have checked into it further, but as far as I have gotten so far, because it is collected and the deposit sits on native land, no one seems to want to respond with a 100% answer. That is where this deposit is as well as who is collecting it. As far as I am concerned though, it isn't really wise to keep such items in My house as I am not a treaty indian.. The rules if they are the same for My friend who discovered these fossils are either not enforced or they are just trying to dodge bullets. Would this be to say that Native Canadians are authorised to collect fossils? I am sure if collecting these items was illegal they would say Yes or No and not Hmmm and hah. I wonder who else could be contacted? They didn't even reply a for sure answer as to whether these items can be moved from the Reserve. Can I ask, if You know the link to the Heritage Property Act as i cannot find it or a further place to contact than just the sask.gov.ca ? Maybe if the items can't be removed I could find a way to borrow some of their's or they could even bring some down for the school to view as I remember in school they did quite often.

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http://www.cyr.gov.sk.ca/heritage_faq.html

Archaeological Resource Management

Community Support Services Branch

Saskatchewan Municipal Affairs,

Culture and Housing

1855 Victoria Avenue, Room 402

Regina, SK S4S 5W6

Tel: (306) 787-5772

Fax: (306) 787-0069

and

Saskatchewan Culture, Youth and Recreation

4th floor - 1919 Saskatchewan Drive

Regina, Saskatchewan

S4P 4H2

PH: 306-787-5729

FX: 306-798-0033

E-mail: info@cyr.gov.sk.

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Thanks RD, the site pertains to all of Saskatchewan, the decision with the gov of saskatchewan must be based on a native collecting on native land. Maybe it is a touchy subject for them, I am sure I'd get busted without question. I appreciate the response, maybe I can get a permit without going through hell as I am hoping to find fish in there. We found what looked like a massive leech the other day, maybe it is a sea worm of some kind. It's damn cool stuff though, completely makes me dread the snow coming so soon as I could spend hours there. The time everything would take will make me skip this school project this year but God couldn't keep me from unearthing goods there. There is a fossil almost every 5' as the cliff that collapsed is massive and deep too. Can't see anyone digging up the site too easy as it is My buddies parents back yard pretty much.

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