Living Classrooms

Academic Programs –> Living Classrooms Foundation Boat Trip –> National Organization of Concerned Black Men

Living Classrooms Boat Trip

This program introduces students to an aquatic food web. The highlight is a boat trip on the Anacostia and Potomac Rivers conducted by Living Classrooms. During this trip students catch and identify fish, dissect clams, and use a microscope to examine plankton - all while enjoying stunning views of their city! Students prepare for the trip with classroom activities that teach them to distinguish carnivores from herbivores, describe the characteristics and role of plankton, and explore the interconnected nature of an aquatic food web. While on the boat, students also learned about buoyancy by building small boats.

Future surgeons? Two students learn the inner workings of a clam during a dissection. (top left)

Students use special equipment to test the pH level of the river's waters.. (top right)

While the trawl net skims the bed of the river, students perform the "jellyfish dance" to scare up the fish!. (left)

Big catch! A student holds a catfish as a Living Classrooms educator helps identify its parts. (below left)

Students study a navigation map of the Potomac River as they attempt to find their current location. (below right)