Task 3, Lesson 1: Fish Farm Proposal

AP Topics

Formative Assessment Opportunities

Fishing: Fishing techniques, overfishing, aquaculture, relevant laws and treaties / · Discussion of Salmon Farming video
· Notebook tool
Global Economics: Globalization, Tragedy of the Commons
Habitat Loss: Overuse, pollution, introduced species, endangered and extinct species Water Pollution: Types, sources, causes and effects (Saltwater), cultural eutrophication / · Notebook tool

Learning Objectives

Formative Assessment Opportunities

Students will learn about aquaculture methods and the growing need for farmed fish / · Discussion of Salmon Farming video
Students will learn about consequences and concerns of fish farming / · Notebook tool
· Material tool
Students will learn about salmon life cycle

Lesson Steps in Brief

Pacing

1: Framing In

/ 5

2: Intro: Our Island and the Salmon Proposal

/ 20

3: Read to Learn: Aquaculture Issues

(in class and assign for homework) / 45

4: Homework Application

/ 10

5: Preparing for Town Council Meeting

/ 45

6: Position Paper Draft

/ 15 + homework

7: Framing Out

/ 5

Total time: 155

Materials:

· Life Cycle of Salmon (Discovery Channel) (3:25) on YouTube

· Salmon Farming in BC (5:57) on YouTube

· Time: End of the Line (aquaculture): OA_T3_L1_The End of the Line_TIME.pdf

http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,2081796,00.htmlOCEAN_3_NatGeo_Fisheries

· National Geographic: Salmon Farming Gets Leaner and Greener (print from website)

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/03/140319-salmon-farming-sustainable-aquaculture/

· OA_T3_Material_Tool

· OA_T1_L2_Notebook Tool

Teacher Background and Planning Notes:

In this task, students evaluate the proposed salmon farm. In this first lesson, they learn about the aquaculture industry: what it is, who does it, and how it can affect the environment.

Students may not be familiar with the life cycle of salmon, the fish that will be raised in the proposed net pen farm. This is important to understand before they can evaluate the pros and cons of the proposal.

Once they have been introduced to aquaculture and their island’s specific product, they learn about a specific salmon farm operation in the nearby British Columbia. Many connections can be made between this example operation and the proposed farm.

Using the three lenses (socio-cultural, economic, and environmental), they can begin to analyze the salmon farm proposal and think about how it will impact their island community. They will work with their ally groups to form some preliminary arguments in response to this proposal.

The tools for thinking in this cycle (OA_T3_Material_Tool and OA_T1_L2_Notebook Tool) are intended to be revised repeatedly. Students should do this work accordingly, using pencil and/ or having multiple copies to track changes in thinking.

Lesson Steps in Detail

Step 1: Framing In

Now that we have a better understanding of our island’s ecology, lets begin to closely evaluate the two proposals. We will begin by looking in depth at Island Life Aquaculture’s proposed salmon farm. We will learn what is being proposed, what benefits and risks are involved, and decide on the best way to respond to the proposal at the town council. Opinions will differ among all of you and it is okay to change your position on the proposal as we learn more information. Be sure to consider the sources of information presented in this task when conducting your analyses.

Step 2: Intro: Our Island and the Salmon Proposal

Show students where the proposed salmon farm would be located. Have students take out the fish farm proposal distributed in Task 1. Have your students re-read the proposal and note any new details that stand out now that they have learned more about the ecology of the island and the coastal ecosystem. (e.g. They may notice the estuaries or marine reserves)
NOTEBOOK TOOL: Before beginning these lessons, have students set up new pages in their Notebook Tool for Task 3 (Aquaculture) using the same format they used for Task 1 and Task 2.
Discuss: What do students already know about salmon? What do they think they would need to know in order to evaluate the proposal? Begin to make a list of questions that can be added to later.
Many students may not be familiar with the life cycle of a salmon, so before showing how a salmon farm works, explain it to them. They need to know that salmon spawn (females lay eggs and males fertilize them) in streams. The eggs mature into small fish, which months or years later swim downstream to the ocean. Out in the ocean, salmon eat and grow large, anywhere from 2 pounds to 50 or more pounds. Then the mature fish swims back to its home stream and swims upstream to roughly the place where it emerged and begins the process again. Pacific salmon die after spawning (Atlantic do not). A clip that shows this nicely is: Life Cycle of Salmon (Discovery Channel) on YouTube (3:25).
Next, students need to understand what aquaculture is and how a salmon farm operates. Show them the YouTube clip by BCSalmonFarmers called “Salmon Farming in BC (5:57)” that explains what it is.
PURPOSE for viewing: Students should watch in order to learn:
· What are environmental, economic, and social/cultural reasons for aquaculture?
· What are the steps in the process of growing salmon
· What do workers at salmon farms do?
· What is done to prevent environmental damage?
· Who created the video and what was their motivation to make it? (i.e. what did they want you to get from this video)
You may want to list these questions on the board for students to keep in mind as they watch. After viewing, discuss their answers as a class and continue to add to the class list of questions – some of these may be answered by the lesson on wild fisheries, or students can research if they wish. Don’t give students additional information about potential environmental damage, as they will learn more very soon!

Step 3: Read to Learn: Aquaculture Issues

o Time: End of the Line (general aquaculture)
OA_T3_L1_The End of the Line_TIME.pdf
http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,2081796,00.htmlOCEAN_3_NatGeo_Fisheries
o National Geographic: Salmon Farming Gets Leaner and Greener
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/03/140319-salmon-farming-sustainable-aquaculture/
Have students read the Time article first, as it provides an interesting history of aquaculture and focuses on the benefits and risks of aquaculture generally. The National Geographic article focuses specifically on the salmon farming industry. Both articles have nice looping features that connect to the livestock issues in Food Systems and both articles touch on genetically modified fish.
It would be ideal to read the Time article in class because it provides important background concepts on aquaculture that are good discussion points and that will figure into students’ proposals.
Because the National Geographic article has a much more specific focus, it works well for homework – this is how this lesson is organized. Feel free to modify as needed.
ARTICLE #1
(read in class)
Time: End of the Line (general aquaculture)
o http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,2081796,00.htmlOCEAN_3_NatGeo_Fisheries
o OA_T3_L1_The End of the Line_TIME.pdf
PURPOSE: Read to learn why aquaculture is seen as necessary for ocean sustainability, and what benefits and risks come with fish farming (aquaculture).
Before reading: Hold a brief discussion on what students already think they know about fish farms, including rationale for having them, benefits, and potential problems.
Notebook Tool: Before you discuss the article, revisit the Notebook Tool and make a plan for distinguishing between positive, negative, and background information.
Students already know they will be recording evidence for each lens (environmental, economic, social/cultural), but it will get tricky to distinguish between positive, negative, and background information that is mixed up in a single lens category. Suggest students develop a class-wide annotation method. Here’s one suggestion:
o When recording a positive or beneficial impact of fish farming, annotate with a + sign (ex: it avoids overfishing wild stocks; environmental lens).
o When recording a negative or potentially harmful impact of fish farming annotate with a – sign (ex: spread of disease, effects of waste; environmental lens).
o Remember to include background information that can be used to inform their decisions. Not all information student will want to remember is clearly + or –.
During reading:
o Students read in pairs.
o Encourage students to mark benefits/advantages of aquaculture with a + sign and any risks/problems with a – sign.
o Also have them mark important background information about aquaculture regardless of the position they will take on their proposal (e.g. number of wild fish stocks being depleted)
o Students should also note any parts of the text that are confusing or raise questions (? annotation)
After reading: Discuss the following purposes for reading, and model recording important information into the Notebook Tool, using the annotation system you established.
o Why is aquaculture considered necessary?
o What are the benefits and risks of aquaculture?
o How does the information in this article compare to the information given in the Salmon Farming in BC video?
Notebook Tool: Engage students in a discussion about the far right column:
o What did you learn that is relevant to the island?
o What implications does this information have?
o Any initial thoughts about how the salmon farm proposal should be modified in order to protect the island’s resources?
ARTICLE #2
(read for homework)
National Geographic: Salmon Farming Gets Leaner and Greener
o http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/03/140319-salmon-farming-sustainable-aquaculture/
PURPOSE: Read to learn how the salmon farming industry is trying to increase the benefits of farming salmon by reducing the industry’s environmental impacts.
USE: In our next class, you will join an ally group of fellow islanders that share your current opinion about whether to support or oppose the salmon farm. The information you learn from this article will help you decide which group to join.
PROCEDURE: As you identify the benefits, risks, and important background information of salmon farming from this article, record them in your Notebook Tool using the annotation system you developed for the Time article (e.g. +/- /? system). Also write down any confusions or questions (?) this article raises for you (as an islander).

Step 4: Homework Application

This is an important opportunity to address questions students have before they use evidence from the article in support of their opinion in the ally group discussion.
· Have students work in pairs or small groups to review the notes they took on the homework (Salmon Farming Gets Leaner and Greener) and the notes they took on prior article (End of the Line). Hold a class discussion clarifying understanding of information and analysis.
· Then, have students individually mark (with a circle, star, or highlighter pen) the 2-3 pieces of information that they think provide the strongest evidence for how they feel about the salmon farm proposal at this point.
Using that evidence, have each student write a short statement explaining why he/she supports or opposes the salmon farm.

Step 5: Preparing for Town Council Meeting

The first time students meet in groups, they should do the following to identify their position (later, they can move between groups as their thinking changes):
Based on the Homework application statement completed for Steps 4, have students choose which of the following position statements best represents their current thinking:
1. I strongly support the fish farm proposal
2. I mostly support the fish farm proposal but need more information
3. I am undecided about whether to support or oppose the fish farm proposal
4. I mostly oppose the fish farm proposal but need more information
5. I strongly oppose the fish farm proposal
Use these 5 position statements to form groups. There should not be more than 3-5 students per group. Some popular positions will need to be sub-divided into more than one group.
To think about how the groups will present their strongest arguments to the town council, students will use the OA_T3_Material_Tool as a template for a group poster. This will be displayed in order to get community feedback, but is intended to be a working document, rather than a final product.
Each group will use their Notebook Tools to inform their arguments recorded on the poster. They will need to evaluate each argument in terms of island sustainability, the town mission statement, and quality of scientific evidence. Before students create the posters, explain each part of the template and how it will ultimately support their final position papers.
See example below…
As you circulate among the groups, use what they write as formative assessment data (to see what they are understanding about aquaculture). Let them know they will revisit this tool as they learn more. Post each group's tool; this will help the community see how other groups are thinking and be able to develop counterarguments.
NOTE: Students are able to change ally groups if their opinion changes over time.
Pass out the directions and rubric for Task 5 and have students begin drafting their personal position paper with the response to the salmon farm. It is very important that students get used to making a claim and using evidence to back up that claim. They should also explain how the evidence supports their claim. Students can refer to both the Material Tool poster and Notebook Tool. For this reason, stress to students that the Notebook Tool should be continually revisited and updated as group members bring new ideas to their attention.

Step 6: Position Paper Draft

Pass out the directions and rubric for Task 5 and have students begin drafting their personal position paper with the response to the salmon farm. It is very important that students get used to making a claim and using evidence to back up that claim.
They should also explain how evidence supports their claim. Students can refer to both the Material Tool poster and their Notebook Tool. For this reason, stress to students that the Notebook Tool should be continually revisited and updated as group members bring new ideas to their attention.

Step 7: Framing Out

Now that we have a better understanding of what aquaculture is, we will learn why aquaculture is increasingly being used as a strategy for commercial fish production.

Teacher Notes on this lesson:

Oceans, Task 3, Lesson 1: Fish Farm Proposal