IB Environmental Science students have been learning lessons hands-on this year. Mr. Montgomery teaches IB Environmental Science, and he has decided to do things a bit differently than usual.
At Field Elementary school, where Mr. Montgomery used to be a principal, some students volunteer to teach kids in each grade level, fit helmets, and practice riding bikes in general.
“It’s good for the environment if people ride bikes, and it was more IB service-learning, putting our learning into action,” Mr. Montgomery reports.
The class has also been raising trout in the classroom through a program called Trout in the Classroom. The tank is in the back of the room, covered in styrofoam to keep the water stable at around 50 degrees. In the spring, the trout will be released.
As of now, the trout have hatched, and they are still feeding on their egg. Later, they will be lowered into the water entirely. The Environmental Science students measure and test the levels of pH, ammonia, and nitrogen in the water and change and filter the water. It’s a bit easier than it sounds, though. There’s a device in the water that measures it automatically, even when no one’s at the school.
Mr. Montgomery is happy to have visitors see the fish from time to time, especially in the spring when he is not teaching a class in room 1335 near the North Gym.
