BY Jeffrey Farrington
Bourne High School
Project Description
The Freshman Biology classes at Bourne High School will be able to participate in the comprehensive, real world curriculum unit: “There’s Something Fishy – the Nitrogen Cycle.” Students will use the aquariums to develop an environment with both living fish and plants, and then participate in ongoing testing of the nitrogen cycle in the environment, and observe how the environment will stabilize over time.
How will the project be evaluated (e.g. how will you gauge its success)
The project will be evaluated in multiple ways. Classroom assessments including lab reports, data collection, and analysis of data. Traditional pre- and post- testing will serve as evidence of student growth and achievement as a result of these tools. Additionally, increased student engagement and increased opportunities for real-world science work in the school environment will be considered large successes of the project.
Benefit to the students and the school
Bourne students will benefit most specifically from the opportunity to engage in ongoing, real-world, scientific work. While students in Biology class do currently participate in lab work, there is a strong need for increased lab experiences and for labs that offer students an opportunity to experience real-world science. These tools will provide all biology students with a true lab experience.
Timeline of Project (when will you do the project, if applicable)
Labs would be set up and utilized as soon as funding allowed. Student work would be completed throughout the second semester of the 2015-2016 school year, and repeated each year after with all Biology students.
