By sharing here what we have learned about the "nuts and bolts" of raising salmon successfully in a classroom aquarium, we hope to make it easier for educators to set up and maintain their own salmon in the classroom program.

Our teacher resource material provides a step-by-step approach to aquarium set up; care and feeding of the salmon. It includes a guide for diagnosing and solving fish and aquarium problems. It is also a teacher resource for helping to plan and conduct an age-appropriate field trip for elementary students- complete with worksheets- so they may release the salmon fry and learn about the stream habitat.

In the Renton School District, we believe strongly that children learn Science best by doing it, not just by reading about it. To support active student learning, these pages provide a teacher resource for those interested in having students raise salmon in the classroom.

Salmon in the Classroom has been part of the Renton School District's science curriculum since 1987. It is an integral part of three of our adopted science units: Salmon (grade 5), Electric Circuits (grade 5) and Endangered Species (grade 4). Funds for the development of these teacher resource pages were provided by a King County Watershed Action Grant from the King County Department of Natural Resources in Washington state.

Acknowledgments

Our sincere thanks to the following for their help over the years and for their technical and collaborative assistance in the development of our Salmon in the Classroom Program and this website:

• The Students and Staff of the Renton School District
  
• King County Environmental Laboratory
  
• King County Department of Natural Resources, Water and Land Resources Division
  
• Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife
  
• University of Washington School of Fisheries