Introduction:

Students will develop an understanding of how the history, geography, and ecology of a region are interrelated and affect the population dynamics in a region. This unit will be taught at grade 7 as an interdisciplinary adventure between the science and social studies departments.

Class periods are 40 minutes long. The depth and breadth of this unit of study will depend on how flexible the seventh grade schedule can become in order to accommodate our need for an extended block of time.

Goals/Standards:

Unit Goals

1. Students will identify methods used by various ethnic groups in southern China to manipulate the environment in order to meet their need for food.

2. Students will analyze techniques used to cultivate terraced rice paddies and make aquaculture an integral part of these farming ecosystems.

3. Students will design and construct a rice paddy that supports fish and rice (aquaculture)

4. Students will assess the positive and negative effects this agricultural manipulation has on the ecosystem (including humans).

5. Students will manipulate factors in their rice paddy environment in order to measure productivity based on variables such as nutrient load.

6. Students will understand that when resources are limited choices have to be made to insure that humans have the adequate resources to meet their basic needs.

7. Students will understand that land-use opportunities are governed by geography, climate, natural and economic resources, and available technology.

Connecticut State Department of Education Standards for Science and Social Studies

Science Standards

#3 Living Things and Their Environments: Students will understand that all organisms in the biosphere are linked to each other and to their physical environments by the transfer and transformation of matter and energy.

# 8 Water : Students will understand the water cycle including energy transfers, the distribution and characters of water, and its influence on human activity.

Social Studies Standards

# 12 Human and Environmental Interaction: Students will use geographic tools and technology to explain the interactions of humans and the larger environment, and the evolving consequences of those interactions.

#13 Limited Resources: Students will demonstrate that because human, natural and capital resources are limited, individuals, households, businesses and governments must make choices.

www.state.ct.us/sde/dtl/curriculum/

Objectives:

Essential Questions

• How are developing nations working to improve peoples’ lives?
• What effects will aquaculture have on the minority populations of Yunnan Province?

Student Task

Your team has been asked by the Minister of Agriculture to investigate the introduction of aquaculture to Yunnan Province. Your team will investigate the following:

• What is aquaculture and how can it be integrated into existing rice paddies?
• Which areas in Yunnan Province would be most suited for aquaculture? Explain your choices in terms of: topography, climate, population density, availability of appropriate fish stock.
• What financial, ecological, and/or nutritional benefits are there to the integration of aquaculture into the existing rice monoculture?
• What are the financial, ecological, and/or nutritional drawbacks to converting existing rice paddies into coexisting aquaculture ponds

Materials:

*Resources listed are for entire unit of study.

Class size: 24 students

Technology: 12 computers (one per pair of students)

Texts:

• World Explorer: Eastern Hemisphere, Heidi Hayes Jacob, Prentice Hall. (2001)
• Life Science, Holt Science and Technology, (2001)

These are the texts used in our 7th grade. You may be able to find the same material in texts by other publishers.

Internet Resources

Teacher Resources

These resources will serve as valuable background for the instructor. They will not be assigned as student reading. We have left all resources in their original form, including the numerous misspellings noted.

Because all the information is obtained from web pages posted on the internet for the general public, we are not aware that we need to get permission to refer our students and the instructors to these resources.

The web address is included with each of the following articles. The text of the articles are included for the convenience of the instructor.

www.fao.org/DOCREP/003/AB412E/ab412e19.htm Overview of Aquaculture in China (resource for teacher rather than students). See Appendix I: Overview of Aquaculture in China.

Student Resources

The web address is included with each of the following articles. The text of the articles is included for the convenience of the instructor.

Because all the information is obtained from web pages posted on the internet for the general public, we are not aware that we need to get permission to refer our students and the instructors to these resources.www.idrc.ca/nayudamma/ricefish_32e.html Rice/fish culture is good introduction to the process and benefits etc of rice-fish farming.

See Appendix II: Laboratory Resources: Keep in mind that this is an interdisciplinary lesson shared by the social studies and science departments. You may not have the room, or the resources for as many set-ups as we are planning.

• Six (4 students per container) plastic containers at least 4’ x 2.5’ x 1’ deep. The size of these containers can vary slightly. The best type of container will be plastic storage containers (under-the-bed variety or storage tubs). (six total for a class of 24)
• Floodplain soil (from the banks of the Connecticut River…you may use your own fertile soil).
• Germinated rice plants (you may germinate these in vermiculite). Use whatever Asian rice you can obtain readily and cheaply.
• 6 Aerators (the kind you would use in a fish tank)
• 12 goldfish per container (these fish can be obtained from a local pet store at a cost of 12/$10.00 or thereabouts. You can use fewer fish per pond, as long as each pond has the same number of fish to begin with.
• Fish food flakes (get whatever is the cheapest…these are goldfish).
• Chemical kits that measure pH, nitrate levels, phosphate levels, ammonia levels, and dissolved oxygen of the water. These kits are made by LaMotte, or Hach, and may be obtained from any science supply catalog, pet stores specializing in aquarium supplies or a pool supply store. The dissolved oxygen test may be eliminated in all paddies if you have proper aeration.
• We are growing our "fishbowls" in a greenhouse. If you do not have a source of light (a window will do), we suggest you have a source of artificial UV light nearby all containers.

Resources:

Students have already done the following in previous lessons in this unit:

• Read the background material in the texts, on the internet, and in the handouts we prepared.
• Identified topographically suitable regions for aquaculture in Yunnan Province
• Students have explored the history and socioeconomic significance of aquaculture in China.
• Students have evaluated the benefits and drawbacks of aquaculture.
• Students have compared the different methods of aquaculture, including but not limited to: ditch farming, pond farming, and mud flat farming.

Inquiry Lesson:

Day 1

In their assigned groups of four, students are asked to brainstorm the best way to construct a rice paddy with the materials provided by the teacher. (see part II of lesson).

Students will prepare a carefully labeled diagram of their proposed rice paddy, drawn to scale.

Students should calculate the area allotted to rice cultivation and the area allotted to fish cultivation.

Day 2

Students should consider all rice paddy plans and agree on one design to emulate in each of their containers.

Students review what variables they will control in their paddies, such as: amount of water, amount of soil, location of soil, number of plants, location of plants, location of aerator, temperature, sunlight.

Students review the independent and dependent variables they will study.

Independent variable: The number of fish in each paddy (4-12)

Dependent variable: Survival of the fish, mass of the fish, and the affect of the fish on the rice growth in individual paddies.

Day 3

Students will arrange the materials in their paddies according to the master design.

Mass of soil, mass of rice, and volume of water will be recorded at start.

Each group of students will get a different number of fish. Students will draw numbers from a hat to determine how many fish each group will get.

No fish will be added today.

Day 4

Students will determine what monitoring is needed in order to assess the ecological effect of the fish in the rice paddy. Tests will include nitrogen level of the water, phosphate level in the water, pH of the water, ammonia levels in the water, and the dissolved oxygen of the water.

Students will do baseline chemical testing of the water and record the data in their Fish Farming Journals.

Add fish to the paddies and feed each paddy with fish.

In order for this to be a controlled experiment there should be one paddy without fish. The teacher should build the paddy sans fish so all of the students can have the excitement of fish farming….they are 7th graders after all.

Day 5 until conclusion:

Students will monitor water chemistry, length of rice, qualitative observations, such as the apparent health of the rice and fish, color of water, turbidity, etc. Water will be added as needed.

At harvest:

Rice will be massed

Fish will be massed

Water chemistry will be evaluated

Conclusions will be drawn about optimal conditions for the healthy fishbowl rice paddy.

Recommendations for improvement on the design of the experiment.

Students will prepare a report back to the Minister of Agriculture encouraging the government to support "Fishbowl Farming" in Yunnan Province.

Assessment:

Designing the Assessment Tool(s)

In the construction of tools with which you can gauge students' progress, it is important to remember that you are evaluating students based on the extent to which they have achieved the specific objectives of your lesson. (In order to reinforce your specific objectives for the lesson, you can distribute copies of your assessment tools to the students at the beginning of the lesson.) In the assessment process you must first collect evidence, which might include participation in a discussion, responses to quiz or test questions, or the physical product of an activity (a map or model), for example. Second, you must design a system (often a rubric) for measuring understanding and/or skills. In doing so, you might want to ask yourself, "What does an "Outstanding" outcome for this lesson look like or sound like?" or "How do I know that a student's performance is "Satisfactory" rather than "Unsatisfactory" or "Outstanding?" Be sure that students have had the opportunity to practice doing what you are assessing them for. (For example, do not assess their understanding of a political idea based on their responses to a political cartoon it they have never been asked to evaluate a political cartoon before.) In developing your assessment tool(s), you may find it helpful to consult some of the many websites on the subject, some of which are listed on the Web Resources page. Please describe your plan for assessment below.

Holistic Scoring

Rubric is based on a four point scale:

4: Outstanding
3: Meets goal
2: Meets minimum standards
1: Fails to meet minimum standards

Score point 4:

• Exhibits high level of competency in understanding the concept of aquaculture as evidenced in their planning on day one and two of the lesson. Variables include accurate measurements for the following: amount of water, amount of soil, location of soil, number of plants, location of plants, location of aerator, temperature, sunlight.
  
• Clearly understands how aquaculture can be integrated into existing rice paddies. Accurate understanding of the significance of conducting all of the chemical tests in order to assess the ecological effect of the fish in the rice paddy. Tests include nitrogen level of the water, phosphate level in the water, pH of the water, ammonia levels in the water, and the dissolved oxygen of the water.
  
• Exhibits a strong understanding of the connection between the environment and human adaptation. Students exhibit high levels of understanding of the history and socioeconomic importance of aquaculture in China as evidenced by their recommendations to the Minister of Agriculture in China (See Appendix I).q Demonstrates strong understanding on how location helps to determine areas most suited for aquaculture. Students accurately identified all topographically suitable regions for aquaculture in Yunnan Province

Score Point 3:

• Exhibits competency in understanding the concept of aquaculture as evidenced in their planning on day one and two of the lesson. Variables include reasonable measurements for the following: amount of water, amount of soil, location of soil, number of plants, location of plants, location of aerator, temperature, sunlight.
  
• Demonstrates understanding of how aquaculture can be integrated into existing rice paddies. Accurate understanding of the significance of conducting the majority of the chemical tests in order to assess the ecological effect of the fish in the rice paddy. Tests include nitrogen level of the water, phosphate level in the water, pH of the water, ammonia levels in the water, and the dissolved oxygen of the water.
  
• Demonstrates an understanding of the connection between the environment and human adaptation. Students exhibit acceptable levels of understanding of the history and socioeconomic importance of aquaculture in China as evidenced by their recommendations to the Minister of Agriculture in China.q Demonstrates an understanding on how location helps to determine areas most suited for aquaculture. Students accurately identified a majority of the topographically suitable regions for aquaculture in Yunnan Province

Score Point 2:

• Exhibits minimal understanding the concept of aquaculture as evidenced in their planning on day one and two of the lesson. Variables include measurements for the following: amount of water, amount of soil, location of soil, number of plants, location of plants, location of aerator, temperature, sunlight that may contain some errors.
  
• Shows minimal understanding of how aquaculture can be integrated into existing rice paddies Accurate understanding of the significance of conducting some of the chemical tests in order to assess the ecological effect of the fish in the rice paddy. Tests include nitrogen level of the water, phosphate level in the water, pH of the water, ammonia levels in the water, and the dissolved oxygen of the water.
  
• Demonstrates minimal understanding of the connection between the environment and human adaptation. Students exhibit some understanding of the history and socioeconomic importance of aquaculture in China as evidenced by their recommendations to the Minister of Agriculture in China.q Demonstrates minimal understanding on how location helps to determine areas most suited for aquaculture. Students accurately identified few of the topographically suitable regions for aquaculture in Yunnan Province

Score point 1:

• Exhibits very little understanding the concept of aquaculture as evidenced in their planning on day one and two of the lesson. Variables include measurements for the following: amount of water, amount of soil, location of soil, number of plants, location of plants, location of aerator, temperature, sunlight that contain multiple errors.
  
• Demonstrates limited understanding of how aquaculture can be integrated into existing rice paddies. No accurate understanding of the significance of conducting the chemical tests in order to assess the ecological effect of the fish in the rice paddy. Tests include nitrogen level of the water, phosphate level in the water, pH of the water, ammonia levels in the water, and the dissolved oxygen of the water.
  
• Demonstrates very limited understanding of the connection between the environment and human adaptation. Students exhibit little understanding of the history and socioeconomic importance of aquaculture in China as evidenced by their recommendations to the Minister of Agriculture in China.
  
• Demonstrates very limited understanding on how location helps to determine areas most suited for aquaculture. Students identified only one or two of the topographically suitable regions for aquaculture in Yunnan Province