Trout in the Classroom

Around this time of year, when I worked as a full time teacher, I would begin thinking about how I would make a classroom aquarium educational program called, Trout in the Classroom (TIC) something that my students would not easily forget. TIC is a fun science project that takes over 6 weeks to complete. It’s something I’ve enjoyed doing for many years now, and this will be my first year to miss out, thanks to that day which shall not be mentioned. Yes, Aunt Dorothy, the repercussions still echo in my daily life.

So it begins in December with a recruitment push by the California Department of Fish and Game and ends at a regional park, in my area Shadow Cliffs, to release the freshly hatched, healthy baby trout (aka: fry). Even the parent chaperones laugh and watch in delight as we all watch our little babies swim away, out into the world of the bigger, predatory trout, and the catch and release fly fishermen. It takes about 5 to 6 weeks from start to finish, but the educational opportunities are endless.  Teacher outreach with this program is popular because the project is easily shared with other classes. One year, I actually had a parent complain to me that he was extremely disappointed that I had switched my “buddy” class from Kindergarteners to 5^th Graders and that would disrupt the "trout" field trip for his family.  

I have planned for several different hands-on activities to go with the TIC program, for example: the obvious life cycle poster type science project.  But my absolute favorite lesson required the students to observe the life cycle, and literally interpret it into a poem - once a week.  My second graders and their Kindergarten buddies were creating such beautiful poetry and illustrations it even surprised me.  In fact, some of the poetry was so good we ultimately decided to make simply bound booklets to showcase our writing.  It also became the art project I chose to share at the District Office that year, and was a huge display at Open House. A little side note: The aforementioned parent who had complained was actually referring to this project and wanted his Kindergarten son and second grade son to be able to participate together. I still marvel at the memory, and wish I had samples to post here. There is a lot of letting go in teaching, yes?

Observing the proper habitat for the eggs, and eventually the hatchlings, is super important. In addition to not receiving too much light, there are pumps and filters (to keep the water moving like a river) and coolers (to keep the water at a constant cool temperature around 55 degrees). Because of this, the classroom aquarium becomes a way to allocate positive reinforcement. After exhibiting excellent behavior, many of the students were allowed special privileges, like being in the first group to view the fish when it came time to observe, or helping to scoop out the fry when it was time to leave for the field trip. Every year, there were a handful of students who simply could not stop themselves from being fascinated by the process. But more than anything, the TIC program provides the students with the opportunity to care for and learn about our environment and our water.