Sea Grant Illinois-Indiana

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Education

Curricula and Activities

To prepare students to be responsible decision-makers and future leaders, IISG has developed education programs that engage students in experiential practices to promote a sustainable society. Our education projects feature interdisciplinary lessons and activities that help educators teach Great Lakes Literacy Principles.

Aquaponics: Farming Fish, Growing Greens

This curriculum is a 10-lesson curriculum that teaches STEM through aquaponics, a water-based agricultural system that combines aquaculture and hydroponics. The 9-12 grade curriculum was designed to be used along with an onsite aquaponics system. Curriculum topics include an introduction to aquaculture, fundamental parts of an aquaponics system, the nitrogen cycle, water quality, population dynamics, our modern food system, and more.

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Grand Calumet River Area of Concern Virtual Reality Experience

The Grand Calumet River Area of Concern (AOC) has experienced significant environmental degradation resulting from historical activities. An immersive experience was developed that allows users to travel along a segment of the Grand Calumet River in Northwest Indiana. The experience features degraded areas as well as sites that under the voluntary Great Lakes Legacy Act program have completed contaminated sediment remediation and habitat restoration to improve the aquatic and upland environment for fish, wildlife, and people.

A complementary Next Generation Science Standards aligned curriculum is currently being pilot tested for middle and high school students. You will be able to use it alongside the VR headset or web-based platform experiences.

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The Incredible Shrinking Cup

This activity provides a real-world way to teach students about the impact of pressure on volume (i.e., Boyle’s Law) by shrinking styrofoam cups in the depths of the Great Lakes. You’ll send us decorated cups, then we’ll sink them in a Great Lake and send them back to you. Students will see firsthand the effects of increased water depth on pressure and volume—their cups will be a fraction of the original size!

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Freedom Seekers

The Freedom Seekers curriculum leverages Environmental Justice Education approaches to K-12 teaching. Through cross-curricular connections, the focus is on increasing awareness of local issues and history in the Great Lakes region. Curriculum topics include maritime connections to the Underground Railroad, Harriet Tubman, how to conduct historical research, how race and historical U.S. Census data connect to the Underground Railroad, and famous Black scientists and inventors.

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The Medicine Chest

The Medicine Chest is a series of lessons on the issues surrounding pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCP) that end up in Great Lakes and other waterways. These lessons give a thorough understanding of PPCP disposal issues. Stewardship activity ideas are also available to inspire action.

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Lake Michigan by the Numbers

Lake Michigan by the Numbers uses real-time buoy data as a teaching tool about Lake Michigan conditions and current issues. The five lessons are data-driven and interdisciplinary.

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Aquaculture Family Coloring Book

This print-your-own coloring book provides a fun and active way for children and adults to learn about the many kinds of aquatic animals that are raised on aquaculture farms.

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Helping Hands: Restoring Great Lakes Habitat

Helping Hands engages upper elementary and high school students in Great Lakes environmental stewardship. It is designed for schools located in Areas of Concern that are undergoing cleanup and restoration, but the curriculum can apply to any Great Lakes community.

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