Aquaponics: Design, Build, and Sustain

14 Pages·2016·0.41 MB·English

Grade: 9-12
Version 2
Sept. 2017
Aquaponics: Design, Build, and
Sustain
Design and build
an aquaponics
system based on
engineering,
construction, and
ecological systems
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Table of Contents
Curriculum Introduction ............................................................................................................. 3
Curriculum Key .......................................................................................................................... 5
Setting the Stage .......................................................................................................................................................... 5
Activities .......................................................................................................................................................................... 5
Assignments .................................................................................................................................................................... 5
Handouts ......................................................................................................................................................................... 5
Extensions ....................................................................................................................................................................... 5
Academic Content Standards ..................................................................................................... 6
Materials List ........................................................................................................................... 11
Aquaponics Pre & Post-Test ..................................................................................................... 19
Lesson 1: Fundamentals of Aquaponics .................................................................................. 24
Key Words .................................................................................................................................................................. 24
Preparation ................................................................................................................................................................. 24
Setting the Stage: An Introduction To Aquaponics .............................................................................................. 25
Activity 1: The Aquaponics Project ......................................................................................................................... 25
Assignment: Researching Aquaponics ..................................................................................................................... 26
Setting the Stage: The Benefits of Aquaponics .................................................................................................... 26
Activity 3: Researching The Benefits & Impacts of Aquaponics ........................................................................ 27
Optional: Student Websites .................................................................................................................................... 27
Assignment: Research Paper .................................................................................................................................... 28
Handout: The Aquaponics Project ........................................................................................................................... 29
Handout: Aquaponics Research Project ................................................................................................................. 30
Handout: Creating a Website ................................................................................................................................. 32
Lesson 2: Designing & Building The System ............................................................................ 34
Key Words .................................................................................................................................................................. 34
Preparation ................................................................................................................................................................. 35
Setting the Stage: Imagining an Aquaponics System ......................................................................................... 35
Activity 1: Envisioning Your System ........................................................................................................................ 38
Assignment ................................................................................................................................................................... 39
Setting the Stage: Technical Considerations ......................................................................................................... 39
Activity 2: Design Pros & Cons ................................................................................................................................ 42
Assignment ................................................................................................................................................................... 45
Setting the Stage: Technical Calculations .............................................................................................................. 45
Activity 4: Calculating Pump Load & Carrying Capacity .................................................................................. 46
Setting the Stage: Technical Drafting .................................................................................................................... 46
Activity 5: Drafting your Aquaponic System ........................................................................................................ 47
Assignment ................................................................................................................................................................... 48
Setting the Stage: Constructing Your System ........................................................................................................ 48
Handout: Aquaponics System Design ..................................................................................................................... 49
Handout: Design Pros & Cons .................................................................................................................................. 52
Design Pros & Cons Teacher KEY ............................................................................................................................ 54
Handout: Calculating Carrying Capacity & Pump Load .................................................................................... 56
Handout: Drafting Your Aquaponics System ........................................................................................................ 58
Handout: Constructing Your System ........................................................................................................................ 60
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Lesson 3: Cultivation and Maintenance .................................................................................. 63
Key Words .................................................................................................................................................................. 63
Preparation ................................................................................................................................................................. 64
Setting the Stage: Fish .............................................................................................................................................. 64
Activity 1: Testing Your Water ................................................................................................................................ 66
Aquaponics Check ...................................................................................................................................................... 67
Setting The Stage: The Nitrogen Cycle ................................................................................................................. 67
Activity 2: Testing for the Nitrogen Cycle and pH .............................................................................................. 70
Assessment ................................................................................................................................................................... 71
Setting the Stage: Plant Cultivation ........................................................................................................................ 72
Activity 1: The Life of a Seedling ........................................................................................................................... 73
Setting the Stage: Decomposers ............................................................................................................................. 73
Setting the Stage: Balanced Ecosystems ............................................................................................................... 74
Activity 2: Online Ecosystem Lab ............................................................................................................................ 74
Setting the Stage: System Maintanence ................................................................................................................ 75
System Maintanence: Fish ......................................................................................................................................... 75
System Maintanence: Plants ..................................................................................................................................... 76
System Maintanence: Water Quality .................................................................................................................... 78
System Maintanence: Mechanics, Plumbing & Electrical ..................................................................................... 79
System Maintanence: Documentation ..................................................................................................................... 81
Final Options ............................................................................................................................................................... 81
Handout: Nitrogen Cycle and pH Videos Worksheet ........................................................................................ 83
Nitrogen Cycle and pH Videos Worksheet Teacher KEY .................................................................................. 84
Handout: The Life of a Seedling ............................................................................................................................. 85
Handout: Online Ecosystem Lab .............................................................................................................................. 87
Handout: Adjusting Water Chemistry .................................................................................................................... 88
Handout: LED Aquaponics Lighting ......................................................................................................................... 89
LED Aquaponics Lighting Teacher KEY ................................................................................................................... 91
Lesson 4: Water Careers .......................................................................................................... 92
Key Words .................................................................................................................................................................. 92
Preparation ................................................................................................................................................................. 92
Activity 1: Exploring Green Career Pathways .................................................................................................... 93
Setting the Stage: Exploring Green Career Pathways ...................................................................................... 94
Setting the Stage: Water Careers ......................................................................................................................... 97
Activity 2: Skills Assessment and Job Research .................................................................................................... 99
Assignments ............................................................................................................................................................... 100
Assessments ............................................................................................................................................................... 100
Setting the Stage: Social Media and Career Development ............................................................................ 100
Setting the Stage: Applying for Jobs .................................................................................................................. 102
Activity 3: Resume Writing & Cover Letter ......................................................................................................... 102
Extension .................................................................................................................................................................... 103
Assignments ............................................................................................................................................................... 104
Assessments ............................................................................................................................................................... 104
Handout: Skills Assessment Worksheet ................................................................................................................ 105
Handout: Skills Assessment Matrix ........................................................................................................................ 106
Handout: Cover Letter and Resume Writing ....................................................................................................... 108
Handout: Cover Letter Outline .............................................................................................................................. 110
Sample Cover Letter for Requesting an Informational Interview ................................................................... 111
Handout: Resume Outline ....................................................................................................................................... 112
Handout: Sample Resume ....................................................................................................................................... 113
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Handout: Career Informational Interview & Shadowing Questions ............................................................... 114
Handout: 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
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Aquaponics: Design, Build & Sustain
Lesson 1: Fundamentals of Aquaponics
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.
Lesson 1 Overview
KEY WORDS
Estimated Time
5 class periods (225 minutes)
Aquaponics: A method of combining conventional
Standards Covered
aquaculture with hydroponics in a recirculating,
NGSS: HS-LS2-2, HS-ESS3-1, HS-ESS3-4, HS-
symbiotic, constructed system (raising fish and plants
ESTI-1, HS-ESTI-3
CCSS: Math N-Q, F-LE in a closed-loop system)
ELA: Reading for Informational Text 7-9,
Reading for Literacy in Science and Technical Aquaculture: The farming of aquatic organisms such
Subjects 3, 4, 7, 9 as fish, crustaceans, mollusks, and aquatic plants; also
CTE: Agricultural & Natural Resources B4.2,
known as aquafarming
B4.3, C2.0-2.4, E1.1, E1.5, E2.6, E6.0, E6.4,
G3.4 Energy, Environment & Utilities A6.0 Hydroponics: A method of growing plants using
mineral nutrient solutions, in water, without soil
Objectives: Students will be able to:
• Compare and contrast aquaponics to Scarcity: Short supply of a limited resource
traditional agricultural and fish production
methods
PREPARATION
• Evaluate and explain the benefits of
aquaponics
Ø Gather the basic materials needed for the
• Demonstrate the nitrogen cycle
construction of the infrastructure of your
graphically
aquaponics system (see Introduction for materials
• Develop a website
ordering matrix)
Prep Time
• ~2 hours for reviewing the lessons, § If you are interested in using a small
background information, and assembling desktop system for this project, visit:
or ordering materials
https://www.ecolifeconservation.org/prog
rams/san-diego-village-aquaponics/eco-
Handouts
• 1.1 Aquaponics Project cycle-aquaponics-kit/
• 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
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Aquaponics: Design, Build & Sustain
Lesson 1: Fundamentals of Aquaponics
!
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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Aquaponics: Design, Build & Sustain
Lesson 1: Fundamentals of Aquaponics
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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Aquaponics: Design, Build & Sustain
Lesson 1: Fundamentals of Aquaponics
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 Uses less water Business opportunities
Cleaner environment Uses less land Creates jobs
Feed a growing population Uses less fossil fuels Plants grow faster
Grow in many areas: urban No harmful chemicals Efficient use of space
areas, roof tops, indoors
Sustainable way to raise fish Combines fish and produce
Local food production business potential
Utilizes fish waste
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.
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