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More
than fishing, students learn ecology, anatomy and identification
with new IDNR course
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[OCT.
1, 2004]
SPRINGFIELD
-- Students from Springfield's Ridgely Elementary School are the
first participants in the new "Fish With IDNR" initiative created by
the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.
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"The Fish With IDNR program was
developed so that students could learn about aquatic species and
their habitats," said Joel Brunsvold, director of the Department of
Natural Resources. "The DNR staff will be available during the
course of the school year to help teachers with the curriculum and
to help them with fishing opportunities in their area."
Fishing is just one facet of the
program. This supplemental educational unit was developed by using
the Illinois Learning Standards as its foundation and can be applied
to grades K through 10. Students receive classroom instruction in
aquatic ecology, fish anatomy, fish identification and fishing
techniques. In addition, students develop an inquiry-based project
for which they collect data during their fishing visit. Project
completion and assessments occur in the classroom.
Educators receive a packet of aquatic
resources information, including the department's "Aquatic Illinois"
CD-ROM. Each item is accompanied by suggested uses and its
correlation to the Illinois Learning Standards. Students are given
materials to aid in their classroom and field studies.
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column in this article] |
"The resource materials provided are
just a small portion of those available for educators from the IDNR.
These classroom-ready, standards-based items can easily be
incorporated into any existing curriculum," said Jeff Vose,
administrator of the IDNR Division of Education Administrator. "This
curriculum is available to any teacher in the state."
"Fishing provides a lifelong sporting
activity that everyone can enjoy," Brunsvold said. By participating
in Fish With IDNR, we want our young people to experience fishing,
learn about their environment and become good stewards of our
natural resources."
For more
information about the program, contact Jeff Vose at (217) 524-9505
or
jvose@dnrmail.state.il.us.
[Illinois
Department of Natural Resources
news release] |
