Aquaponics: Farming Fish, Growing Greens (Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant / Purdue)

Summary

Aquaponics: Farming Fish, Growing Greens is a 10-lesson curriculum for grades 9–12 that teaches STEM through aquaponics — a water-based agricultural system combining aquaculture and hydroponics. It was developed by Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant (IISG), hosted at Purdue University's Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, as part of its Aquaponics in Schools program led by aquaculture economist Kwamena Quagrainie, Amy Shambach, Stuart Carlton, and collaborators (publication IISG24-SFA-EDU-034, 2024). The lessons — Introduction to Aquaculture, Anatomy of an Aquaponics System, Introduction to the Nitrogen Cycle, Measuring Nitrogen Levels, Nitrogen Cycle & Population Dynamics, Plants in Aquaponics Systems, Fish in Aquaponics Systems, Our Modern Food System, Troubleshooting Water Quality Challenges, and Building an Aquaponics Business — are designed to be delivered in sequence alongside an on-site aquaponics system but can also be used individually. The curriculum is aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards and the Great Lakes Literacy Principles. The core curriculum PDF is a free download (about 19 MB); supplementary slide decks are available on request from IISG. The surrounding program also lends water-quality test kits (Know Your H2O) to schools in Indiana and Illinois.

Guiding Principles

STEM Integration: Lessons integrate biology, chemistry, and environmental science, explicitly aligned to Science and Engineering Process Standards and NGSS.
Youth Empowerment: The Aquaponics in Schools program builds a K-12 workforce pipeline into aquaculture, with students collecting and analyzing real water-quality data and presenting system builds.
Food Sovereignty: The "Our Modern Food System" and "Building an Aquaponics Business" lessons connect classroom systems to local food production and seafood supply chains.

Learning Outcomes & Transferable Skills

Students build Systems Thinking by tracing nutrient flows through the fish–bacteria–plant loop; Water Chemistry via nitrogen-cycle measurement and troubleshooting; Biology through fish and plant modules; Data Literacy through water-quality monitoring with commercial-type test kits; Food Production skills from operating a real system; and Entrepreneurship from the closing business lesson. Teachers gain a ready, standards-aligned sequence plus access to a lending program for monitoring equipment.

How to Replicate or Build On It

Download the curriculum PDF directly from the IISG curriculum page (free).
Email iisg@purdue.edu (or the contact form on the page) to obtain the accompanying PowerPoint slide decks.
Sequence lessons as written, or lift individual lessons (e.g., the nitrogen-cycle pair) into existing biology or environmental science courses.
Pair the lessons with a small classroom aquaponics system; the IISG program recommends hardy species such as goldfish for classroom tolerance of variable water quality.
If located in Indiana/Illinois, apply for the KYH2O water-quality kit loan program and small equipment grants.

Considerations & Constraints

Cost: Curriculum is free; an on-site aquaponics system and water test kits add modest hardware cost.
Skill Level: Beginner-friendly for grades 9–12; no prior aquaculture knowledge assumed.
Space/Climate: Classroom-scale systems; climate-versatile indoors.
Tools Required: Aquaponics tank/grow bed, water quality test kits (loanable in IN/IL), projector for slide decks.
Ongoing Maintenance: Living system requires daily feeding/monitoring during the unit — Moderate.
Access Barriers: English only; slide decks gated behind an email request; kit loans region-locked to Indiana and Illinois.

Prerequisites

None. The curriculum is self-contained; a functioning classroom aquaponics system is recommended but individual lessons work without one.

Primary Source

https://iiseagrant.org/education/curriculum-activities/aquaponics-curriculum/ — official IISG curriculum page with the free curriculum download (publication record: https://iiseagrant.org/publications/aquaponics-farming-fish-growing-greens/).