Classroom Visit at Compass Outreach and Education Center
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
October 5, 2023
Overview
On Thursday, October 5th, 2023, The International SeaKeepers Society’s education team visited Compass Outreach and Education Center in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Compass is a micro-school founded by a mother of 5 and strives to “cultivate a community of lifelong learners by providing personalized educational experiences designed to fit the lifestyles of our families”. SeaKeepers visited the K-5 students at Compass to give a marine biology lesson focused on fish physiology. Our Education Manager, Toni, gave a presentation to the students about the five different zones of the ocean, the Epipelagic, Mesopelagic, Bathyalpelagic, Abyssopelagic, Hadalpelagic. We discussed the different types of ecosystems that exist within these zones and the type of life they support. The students were shown a few different types of fish, including a pufferfish, a sailfish, a whale shark, and a lionfish. The students were asked to identify the possible advantages and uses of their physiology to adapt to their environment and diet. For example, we compared the teeth of all these various organisms and analyzed what it indicates about their diets, as well as slow and fast-moving fish, and how their body morphology contributes to their speed. After learning about some physiological traits, the students put their knowledge to the test with a fish physiology version of the game “Pictionary”. Toni described a mystery fish’s environment, diet, and speed in ways that hinted at what the fish looked like, and the students were all encouraged to draw the fish they imagined. After a few rounds of this, we finished our day with a Kahoot quizzing them on their knowledge, and we were very impressed by their passion and excitement about marine science. It was a pleasure to visit Compass Outreach and Education Center, and we look forward to working with them in the future!
Outing Goal
To give K-5 students an introduction to marine science and the concepts of physiology and ecology.
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