Inspiring the Next Generation: A Classroom Visit Exploring Marine Ecosystem Invaders

Authors

Declan Ridgeway, University of Central FloridaFollow
Madeline Cox, University of Central FloridaFollow
Lauren Mettke, University of Central FloridaFollow
Brittany Shirley, University of Central FloridaFollow
Morgan Vasser, University of Central FloridaFollow

Streaming Media

Files

Course Code

BSC

Course Number

4310

Faculty/Instructor

Dr. Linda Walters

Faculty/Instructor Email

linda.walters@ucf.edu

About the Author

We would like to thank Geneva Elementary School and Ms. Bough-Vonhagel for allowing us the opportunity to come and speak. Also, we would like to thank Ms. Bough-Vonhagel’s 5th grade class for being a great audience and for making us feel welcomed. Lastly, a special thank you to Dr. Linda Walters for providing us with this extremely valuable opportunity to gain experience in public outreach and education.

Abstract, Summary, or Creative Statement

We visited Geneva Elementary School and met with a class of fifteen fifth-grade students to teach them about marine invasive species in Florida. Our goal was to introduce them to a marine environmental issue that would inspire an interest in them for marine conservation. Our team created a presentation and activities for the class to better their understanding of the concept of invasive species. We created an outdoor game for the class, the point being to display how invasive species can outcompete native species using lionfish as an example. Two students were sharks, three students were lionfish, and the rest of the students were reef fish. The objective was to see who could capture the most fish, lionfish, or sharks. The lionfish were given an unfair advantage over the sharks and thus showed the students how lionfish outcompete native predators. We also gave the students a lionfish-themed take-home item, made an invasive species photo frame for photo opportunities, a take-home wanted poster that they could design and write facts on that they learned, and a pre- and post-test to gauge how much the students learned. This experience was invaluable in teaching us how to communicate scientific ideas to a broader audience in an engaging and meaningful way.

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.

Keywords

public education; community engagement; leadership; teamwork; conservation; scientific communication; environment; invasive species; lionfish; mussel; barnacle

Recommended Citation

Ridgeway, Declan; Cox, Madeline; Mettke, Lauren; Shirley, Brittany; and Vasser, Morgan, "Inspiring the Next Generation: A Classroom Visit Exploring Marine Ecosystem Invaders" (2023). High Impact Practices Student Showcase Fall 2023. 41.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/hip-2023fall/41