{"id":20424,"date":"2020-03-23T15:30:53","date_gmt":"2020-03-23T19:30:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/?page_id=12285"},"modified":"2024-08-15T12:56:19","modified_gmt":"2024-08-15T16:56:19","slug":"curriculum-connections-spring-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/curriculum-connections-spring-2020\/","title":{"rendered":"Curriculum Connections"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n

Last fall, North Carolina Sea Grant published a collection of free lesson plans on marine aquaculture, or \u201cmariculture.\u201d Designed for high schoolers, the activities cover a wide range of topics, such as aquaculture\u2019s origins and the benefits of shellfish to the ecosystem.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis curriculum is here to hopefully help teachers \u2014 earth and environmental science and marine science teachers, in particular \u2014 integrate aquaculture resources into their classroom,\u201d says Amy Sauls, a science teacher at Swansboro High School and lead writer on the lesson plans. \u201cAquaculture, especially of North Carolina oysters and clams, is a quickly growing industry that our students need to know about.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lesson 4, republished here, offers a flavor of what you can expect from these resources. Through a creative slideshow focusing on the blue crab, this lesson encourages students to think about the biology and ecology of various aquaculture species.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTeach a kid to fish,\u201d quips Sauls. \u201cHow about how to grow clams, oysters, or blue crabs?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Find more lesson plans here<\/a><\/span>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2014 Julie Leibach<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lesson Four<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Objectives<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. Describe the life stages of an aquaculture species and recognize its habitat needs and other ecological requirements at each stage.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Compare and contrast the ecological needs of species produced through aquaculture.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Explain the role of zooplankton and phytoplankton in the food web.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Explain the ways that different organisms reproduce can help or hinder their suitability as aquaculture species.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Overview<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    This activity exposes students to North Carolina aquaculture species at multiple scales. First, students will take a big-picture look, exploring a species\u2019 habitat needs and the effects of human activity on its environment. Then they will examine the organism at smaller and smaller scales to better understand the organism\u2019s life cycle and adaptations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The blue crab (Callinectes sapidus<\/em>) will serve as a model species, given its important role in marine aquaculture in the state. Indeed, soft-shell blue crabs, along with Eastern oysters (Crassostrea virginica<\/em>), are the top N.C. marine aquaculture species by volume and by economic value.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Students also will have the opportunity to research other organisms to compare similarities and differences in life stages, habitats, biological needs, and aquaculture potential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n