Ocean acidification is here (SoI-GR-600)
Author: Panagiota Bali, English primary school teacher
School/Organisation: 1st Primary School of Sykies, Greece
Introduction
The learning scenario was implemented during the English lesson under the topic of “Our Environment” found in the sixth grade English book. Although environmental problems like atmospheric and water pollution are addressed in the chapter, nothing is mentioned about the alarming problem of ocean acidification and students had never been aware of the concept before the project. The students showed a particular interest in the topic, since they live in a city by the sea and they could relate the knowledge they acquired to their surroundings. I used resources from Europeana to introduce the topic and students later used these resources to create a video. The class consists of eighteen 11-year-olds (8 boys, 10 girls) who worked all together and practiced their written production of English and their ICT skills using diverse web 2.0 tools, Artificial Intelligence and coding to create a game. They also took part in science experiments to understand ocean pollution and its impact on marine life. By the end of the implementation carried out in four 45-minute lessons the pupils had understood what ocean acidification is and why it happens and they learned how to mitigate it using and creating fun and interactive activities. STEM education, Computer literacy, collaboration, critical thinking and interdisciplinary education were some of the learning objectives and they were clearly promoted through innovative and engaging hands-on activities that brought the reality of ocean acidification to life. Moreover, inclusion in the project was succeeded since everyone contributed and gained knowledge. The final products of the implementation include an AI generated song and video and an interactive online game.
Stages of Implementation
Introduction to Ocean Acidification through experiments
I began the first 10’ of the lesson by showing interactive videos about the ocean in order to attract the students’ interest. They had to pay attention to answer my embedded questions. After getting familiar with the topic, the pupils were exposed to resources from Europeana through a gallery curated by me. They were asked “what sea life can you identify?” and “what are the implications for the people living close by?”. A discussion followed during which ideas like economy, tourism, health and food supplies came up. The first teaching hour concluded with two experiments. The first introduced CO2 and water acidity to the class. With the use of red cabbage, which I had boiled the previous day to make a natural pH indicator, straws and plastic containers students observed the change in the colour of the red cabbage liquid once they blew CO2 into it making it more acidic. They related this information to how ocean acidification decreases pH levels. The second experiment explained why decreased pH levels in the ocean harm underwater life. We used small seashells, jars, vinegar and salty water. The pupils placed a shell in a jar with salty water and other shells in different jars containing vinegar to simulate acidic conditions. They kept all the jars in their classroom and made hypotheses as to what might happen to them, i.e. the shells will dissolve and disappear. I asked them to observe them every day and explained that the final conclusions would be drawn by the end of the project. For the last 5’ I presented the class with a quiz to sum up what they learned in this first hour.
Image 3: Shells experiment day 1 (CC-BY)
Image 6: online quiz (CC-BY)
Creation of a video and a song using Artificial Intelligence
The second teaching hour began by reading this story from Europeana. The pupils learned about the importance of coral reefs and the symbiosis of ocean species. Inspired by the story they created an AI generated video which they adorned with pictures from Europeana. Fascinated by the potential of Artificial Intelligence, with which they had no previous contact, they moved on to create a song using vocabulary they came across the story they had read previously. The hour concluded with a Google experiment. This time the students helped scientists to detect sounds in various ocean parts of the world and determine if coral reefs are healthy or damaged.
Students’ Ocean pledge
The third teaching hour started with the students making the final observations on the shell experiment. After 48 hours they were astonished to find that the only shell that survived was the one placed in the jar with the salty water. The shells in the vinegar jars were damaged beyond repair or just disappeared completely. The pupils made logical assumptions as to what happens to marine creatures with hard shells and how this impacts on the ocean and on earth. They discussed ways to prevent ocean pollution by changing everyday habits. With this in mind I presented them with facts about the ocean and the climate and asked them to write on a digital board what fact made the biggest impression on them and also make a personal pledge to protect the ocean. Finally, I assigned an online quiz to assess their understanding of what they had learned so far.
Coding a Cleanup Game
The final hour of the project consisted of students creating a coding Scratch game which they disseminated to the whole school to play. They had previous experience of coding in Scratch environment and they collaborated in groups of four to finalize their creation. The game is about a diver getting points every time rubbish that is found in the ocean is picked up.
Assessment
In this learning scenario every activity has some sort of discussion or quiz that can serve as an opportunity for the teacher to conduct Formative Assessment and to check students’ understanding. A final Summative Assessment was assigned to the students to complete at home posted on the teacher’s blog for easy access.
Outcomes
The LS theme was interesting and students were able to benefit from connections to their daily life. The experiments and the coding game kept things playful and immersive while reinforcing the educational content including a mix of observations, reflections and creative activities. As the final assessment showed, students left with a hands-on understanding of ocean acidification, its causes and simple actions they can take to protect marine life. They also promised to talk to family members and disseminate their knowledge to the community for the benefit of the planet. Even weaker students showed dedication and evaluated the project as one of the best school experiences. They all loved the experiments, and the coding game and all of them learned how to protect marine life effectively. The vast resources found in Europeana make it easy for me as an educator to introduce diverse topics and document them. The fact that I can create my own galleries is practical and time efficient. I am very pleased with the impact the project had on my students and the feedback I got from the final assessment proves the knowledge and satisfaction they gained.
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PDM 1.0: the featured image used to illustrate this article has been found on Europeana and has been provided by the Nationalmuseum Sweden.