Fishing Outside the Box

Remember the good old days?  Attend the local spring fair, toss a ring, and win a prize: a goldfish!  Last week, students at Christ Episcopal School (CES) did not have to toss a ring, but were winners of their very own zebrafish.  Through Carnegie Institute for Science's Project BioEYES®, students in grades 3, 5, 7 and 8 spent a week studying and observing the zebrafish.

The goal of the BioEYES program is to provide students with a hands-on opportunity to learn about genetics and the life cycle of a vertebrate animal through direct observation and experimentation.  Students began the week-long program learning the history and habitat of zebrafish and their advantages and disadvantages as a model organism for scientific research.  Throughout the week, students observed zebrafish from the embryonic stage to the later developmental stages of a young fish.  7th grader Beyer Bullard summed up the experience, “This investigation really helped me understand genetics and realize how much fun it is." 

The connection with Carnegie Institute for Science and Project BioEYES was chosen because of the strong correlation to CES's LIFT: Learning Integration For Tomorrow curriculum delivery model.   In 2011, Christ Episcopal School and Johns Hopkins University's Center for Technology in Education developed LIFT to be a student-centered approach to learning that places students in strategic, high-performance teams to solve real-world problems.  "We feel LIFT is the best delivery model for a STEM education because today's job market demands the ability to collaborate and problem solve in teams," said Dr. Caroline Chapin, CES Head of School.

CES is dedicated to collaborating with renowned institutions to provide students with the best education possible.  For more information on Christ Episcopal School, please visit: CESrockville.org.  For more information about Project BioEYES, please visit: bioeyes.org