Participating Teachers
Each year teachers participate in local workshops and then co-teach BioEYES in their classrooms. All you need is an electrical outlet and a desk!
Participating teachers will receive:
Training in our zebrafish classroom experiments
A guarantee that we will visit your classroom during the school year
Free equipment and resources
A grade appropriate teacher manual with additional reading and math activities
Professional development credits from the school district
“What a great experience for my students! They can really enjoy science with hands-on activities and observations which can bring this part of science to life for them. I love the fact that Susan and Rob [BioEYES Outreach Educators] are there with the teachers in mind and they understand what we need to feel comfortable teaching about zebrafish and my limited expertise in this area.”
“I think it's great that these types of workshops, which are followed by real classroom lessons, is fantastic. I would love to attend future classes, help teach these types of classes, and even try to start a partnership with our school! Thanks.”
For more information about our teacher workshops or to join our mailing list please contact your regional outreach educator.
Curriculum Overview
A basic understanding of normal human development is a critical prerequisite to the understanding of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) and STEM careers. With this in mind, the objective of the elementary experiment is to familiarize students with vertebrate habitats, organ functions common to humans and fish, and different cell types. Students raise larval zebrafish to observe and discuss these topics.
The middle school experiment deepens students’ understanding of the need for medical research as well as providing a model for inheritance (e.g., If an albino female is crossed with a wildtype male zebrafish, will the offspring be pigmented?). The students mate fish on day 1 and subsequently observe embryo development, looking for the answer to the research question. By the last day, students observe pigmented melanocytes and discuss their understanding of dominant and recessive genes.
The high school biology and AP experiment covers aspects of Mendelian genetics (e.g., based on our F1 cross we expect that the phenotypic and genotypic ratio between wildtype to albino zebrafish will be ____?) and also addresses career opportunities in the biosciences. Students raise offspring and observe development and skin pigmentation. Use of the Punnett square and more sophisticated aspects of genetics are also covered.
“The most important thing I learned while completing this experiment is that life is bigger than the world around us.”
“The most important thing I learned while completing this experiment would have to be Punnett squares because now I learned how to do it and I think it’s cool how it helps us figure out the possible genotypes of our cross.”
Proudly partnered for the advancement of science education.
