After discussing the different threats, I explained to the students that they would be working as scientists and engineers that day. We were going to use the Engineering Design Process to engineer a scientific solution to one of the threats that sharks face. I let each student choose the threat that they would like to explore further. They had opportunities to research more if they needed to, ask me any questions (we often researched together based on based on our conversations!), and have lots of creating, testing, improving, and sharing. We used LEGOs as our prototyping material (in the presentation I have digital Plus Plus blocks for my remote learners) and created so many cool things!
Some of the solutions that students came up with:
- Nets with small holes that could be used to gather trash in the ocean
- Increased garbage collections on beaches
- Mechanical filters that could be placed in different areas in the ocean and would collect trash and automatically transport it to a garbage or recycling facility.
- Signage along shorelines and piers where fishermen dock their boats about the penalties of shark finning as well as facts about the consequences of finning
- Distributing custom trash pickers to all ocean boaters so they can pick up trash as they find it when they are out and return the collected trash when they return from their boating trip
- Planting seaweed in areas where the habitat has been destroyed
- Relocating fish from destroyed habitats to healthy ones
- Tasers, lots of tasers ?