General Information Project Overview Curriculum Connections Learning Outcomes Resource Connections Evaluation

  General Information

  Project Overview

The Atlantic Salmon Federation is an international, non-profit organization that promotes the conservation and wise management of Atlantic salmon and its environment.

The Atlantic Salmon Federation has designed the Fish Friends program for use in elementary schools. Students hatch salmon in the classroom and release them to natural rivers and streams at the end of the school year. Communication and sharing is encouraged among the teacher sponsors and approximately 200 classes that participate in this project in the Atlantic Provinces.

Students will communicate their experiences and data collection with other students participating in the project. They will establish a web page on the Stellar Schools project to share this information.

  Curriculum Connections

Social Studies

Th textbook, The Atlantic Edge, has themes on conservation, ecology and the ocean and fishing in the Newfoundland economy. Students will use geographic representations, tools and technologies to acquire, process and report information.

Language Arts

Students will develop their skill in journal writing, descriptive writing, research and poems. They will develop skills in reading/interpreting, information literacy skills and online communications.

Science

The environment, technology and conservation are themes developed in the Science program. Students will learn about the habitat, life cycle and conservation of Atlantic salmon and the influence humans have on the environment.

Technology Education

Students will:

1. use communication tools to access, evaluate and select appropriate information, and to create, modify and disseminate information.
2. collaborate with distant students, teachers and resource personnel on how their project is progressing.
3. appreciate how salmon farmers use technology to solve problems and maximize their production.
4. explore careers and occupations in fish farming.
5. understand the role of technology to enhance the learning process, use technology as learning tools, and develop active learning strategies to employ technology for lifelong learning.
6. recognize the effect of resource limitations on choice of communications tools.

  Learning Outcomes

Students will:

1. Develop an attitude of environmental awareness.
2. Learn to monitor and raise salmon responsibility.
3. Increase their knowledge of the salmon habitat.
4. Analyse the changing patterns in the salmon habitat.
5. Develop an appreciation of the factors affecting and the role humans play in the present and future of the salmon ecosystem.
6. Learn research skills in preparing reports.
7. Learn to record, collect and interpret data over a period of time.
8. Prepare maps, charts, graphs and tables.
9. Become a more responsible global citizen.
10. Write stories and poems about their experiences with salmon.

  Resource Connections

The Stellar Schools Internet connection is essential to the success of our project and will enhance this project by permitting several students to go online concurrently.

Now, there is only one computer connected to the Internet making it very time consuming for each student to surf the web collecting information.

Resources include a networked computer laboratory with 26 computers, one printer, one scanner and one modem. Other resources include resources located in the school classroom and resource centre including books, magazines and videos. The school has a theme developed by ASF, a fish tank and salmon eggs and food provided by an Atlantic salmon farming enterprise in the province.

  Evaluation

Students will be evaluated on the Learning Outcomes listed above, anecdotal records and observation by teachers participating in the project. Students will collect, organise, present and evaluate information on the Atlantic salmmon individually and in groups. They will be evaluated on their ability to organize and stay on track during the project. Their awareness and concern for the salmon and their environment and their published report will be a major component in the evaluation. This is a continuing yearly project.

We believe that this project will create an awareness of the of the importance of technology in communications, the conservation of salmon in our environment, the role of the environment in our future and the value of becoming global citizens.