Learning Objectives Big Idea 1 LO 1.15 The student is able to describe specific examples of conserved core biological processes and features shared by all domains or within one domain of life, and how these shared, conserved core processes and features support the concept of common ancestry for all organisms. Learning Objective 1.15 from Big idea 1 is demonstrated in our project by the shared needs of all the organisms involved in the system: oxygen, Big Idea 2 LO 2.1 The student is able to explain how biological systems use free energy based on empirical data that all organisms require constant energy input to maintain organization, to grow and to reproduce. [See SP 6.2 Learning objective 2.1 from Big Idea 2 is demonstrated in our project constantly, the basis of our project is to create a self sufficient system that cultivates both plants through hydroponics, and fish through aquaculture. In our aquaponics system we have fish in tanks, that provide ammonia, to plants that are growing above them. The fish receive energy from flakes and excrete the ammonia as well as from breathing it out of their gills. Normally ammonia reaches toxic levels and kills the fish, however, since the ammonia is getting used up by the plants as their source of nitrogen, the fish survive and also get a filtration system. The plants also receive light energy from a lamp that we have stationed above the plants. Big Idea 3 LO 3.40 The student is able to analyze data that indicate how organisms exchange information in response to internal changes and external cues, and which can change behavior. [See SP 5.1] Learning objective 3.40 is demonstrated in our aquaponics project all the time, the organisms that are in our aquaponics system communicate with each other and exchange information based on their environment. When the temperature changes in the tanks due to the addition of water, or putting in a heater, the external environment changes, thus creating an exchange in information between the organisms. When there is an absence of food, the fish get hungry, and sometimes they can eat the baby, or smaller fish; this has not happened to our system yet, but it has to others. If the internal changes in a fish are too drastic, the fish may die, when this happens the other fish avoid the dead fish, or eat it if they are hungry. Big Idea 4 LO 4.15 The student is able to use visual representations to analyze situations or solve problems qualitatively to illustrate how interactions among living systems and with their environment result in the movement of matter and energy. [See SP 1.4] This learning objective is demonstrated in our aquaponics system, because the ‘visual representation’ mentioned in the learning objective, is the actual aquaponics system. We can use our aquaponics system to see the interactions among the living systems and their environment, and that their result is the movement of matter and energy, as explained above, the energy goes from the fish to the plants through ammonia, and form the light to the plants, and the food to the fish. Our aquaponics system is the visual representation, we have also made diagrams about our aquaponics system that go through energy cycles. Science Practices Science Practice 4: The student can plan and implement data collection strategies appropriate to a particular scientific structure. Learning Objective 4.1: The student can justify the selection of the kind of data needed to answer a particular scientific question. This objective was demonstrated in out decision to collect quantitative data for our main measurement, in this case the leaf area of the plants growing in our system. This decision was prompted by the fact that leaf length by itself can be a misleading measurement, and area is a more reliable indicator of overall growth. Learning Objective 4.2: The student can design a plan for collecting data to answer a particular scientific question. This objective was demonstrated in our decision at the beginning of the experiment of what data to collect: quantitative data for the growth of the plants and water quality (in pH and concentration of nitrate, nitrite, and ammonia), and qualitative data for the fish (activity levels, ammonia burns, etc.) Learning Objective 4.3: The student can collect data to answer a particular scientific question. This objective was demonstrated in our continuing data collection in the forms described above. So far, the plants in the more bio-diverse tank are growing more successfully than those in the tank containing only goldfish. Learning Objective 4.4: The student can evaluate sources of data to answer a particular scientific question. This objective is demonstrated in our conclusion so far that a more bio-diverse aquatic population in an aquaponics system promotes plant growth, based on the data described above. Science Practice 7: The student is able to connect and relate information against various scales, concepts, and representations in and across domains. Learning Objective 7.1: The student can connect phenomena and models across spatial and temporal scales. This objective is demonstrated in our method of tracking the progress of our system through time (on a temporal scale.) Learning Objective 7.2: The student can connect concepts in and across domains to generalize or extrapolate in and/or across enduring understandings and big ideas. This objective is demonstrated in the design of our system, our data collection, and our conclusions that we draw based on our data, which draw primarily on Big Ideas 2 and 4. WEEKLY OBSERVATIONS
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