My K-12 Project is has been a development of curricular units that focuses on fish biology, behavioral ecology, and invasion biology, all pulled together within the framework of my own research. During the spring of 2000, I worked with Judy Inouye's sixth and seventh grade classes and Raedelle Miyake's eighth grade class at Kawananakoa Middle School. We finished the Spring 2000 semester with two mini-projects, developing some of the skills required for inquiry work. 

The eighth graders conducted a three-week session on fish biology and diversity. Their ultimate goal was to apply what they learned about natural selection and fish morphology to develop and implement their own fish classification schemes. This session included dissection of a ta'ape (Lutjanus kasmira, the blue-lined snapper), observations on fish morphology and diversity at the Waikiki Aquarium, and use of dichotomous keys to identify common Hawaiian fishes. 

The sixth and seventh graders conducted a three-week session on behavioral ecology. Their ultimate goal was to generate a class graph of the effects of different variables (which were selected by the students) on aggression in guppies. This session included a discussion on the ethics of using laboratory animals, observations on behavior of tidepool animals at Makapu'u, and basic observation skills. 

This year at Kawananakoa we are planning a field activity for the entire 7th grade! The students will be working as research teams and visiting different sites in the Manoa-Makiki-Palolo watershed to answer the question: Is there a place left on Oahu for O'opu and other native creatures? The trip has two goals: for the students to practice their observation and writing skills, and to learn about some of the different factors that contribute to stream health, and to quantitatively test and analyze those factors. We will be examining things like pH, dissolved oxygen, nitrate and phosphate levels, salinity, flow rate, turbidity, temperature, and coliform bacteria levels. 

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