Science Department
TEACHING & LEARNING
FOSS Live Organism Ordering Instructions
(revised 8/19/16)
Below are the directions for ordering live organisms for your school. Please note that
orders must be placed electronically using the link on the Science in Oakland website:
http://science.ousd.org/liveorg.html. Someone from your school must also attend the Live
Organism Coordination Meeting. Additional details, dates, and deadlines are on the
website. If you have any questions, contact Brenda Tuohy at [email protected].
Order Delivery
Following the Live Organism Coordination Meeting, the requested organisms will be
delivered to the person and the location indicated on the order form. Most organisms
need to be removed from their shipping containers on the same day or they may die, and
some require immediate refrigeration.
Organisms that are not needed until later in the trimester, such as Painted Lady larvae,
crayfish, and earthworms will be delivered 3-5 weeks after the first distribution. Some
organisms, however, will arrive earlier than needed for some grades, due to the fact that
the same organism is needed by another grade early in the trimester.
Prepare Containers in Advance
Appropriate containers can be found in the FOSS kits. Directions for the preparations and
animal care can be found in the FOSS Teacher Guides, on our website, and at
http://www.fossweb.com.
Some organisms will not be bagged for individual teachers. Instead, schools will receive
the total amount in a single bag or box. For example, if there are three kinder and two 4th
grade teachers at a site, the school will receive one large bag with 64 aquatic snails (each
kinder teacher receives 8 and each 4th grade teacher receives 20 snails). There will be a
form in the box with your order indicating the numbers of organisms requested by grade.
Quantities Provided
The chart on the next page indicates the number of organisms you will receive per teacher
for each grade level. The prices are shown for reference. We are providing the organisms
at no cost to OUSD schools with an average value of $1200 per school.
Goldfish are the only organism not supplied because they do not ship well. They are
readily available from local pet stores at $1 for 10-15 fish. A list of local aquarium stores is
on the website.
Note that we have reduced crayfish numbers from 8 to 4 to allow more flexibility in
ordering. If teachers still want 8, order additional sets.
Organisms that are no longer needed can be sent home with students or returned to the
SMART Center, where they will be reused with other teachers. DO NOT release any
organisms into the wild. Email [email protected] to schedule a drop off time.
Goldfish (not provided)
Guppies
Aquatic Snails
Redworms
Nightcrawlers
Pill bugs
Sow bugs
Land Snails
Elodea
Seeds, alfalfa
Seeds, oats
Seeds, rye grass
Seeds, wheat
Mealworms
Milkweed Bug Eggs
Silkworm Eggs
Painted Lady Larvae
Seeds, brassica rapa
Crayfish
Seeds, bush bean
Seeds, lima bean
Seeds, pea
Seeds, popcorn
Seeds, sunflower
Tubifex Worms
Duckweed
Brine Shrimp Eggs
Delta
Cost per
Teacher
$37
$15
$14
$15
$32
$32
$31
$7
$7
$7
$7
$7
$18
$19
$17
$13
$20
$33
$7
$7
$7
$7
$7
$6
$12
$5
K
4
8
8
20
8
15
15
15
5
Grade Level
(quantity per teacher)
1
2
3
4
18
5
20
30
15
15
50
12
15
10
pk
pk
pk
pk
No Live Organisms
Organism Name
150
75
50
5
pk
4
pk
pk
pk
pk
pk
vial
jar
vial
Science Department
TEACHING & LEARNING
FOSS Live Organism Pre-Order Form (For site use only)
Use the form below to tally the quantity needed for each live organism prior to completing
the online order form. The final order must be completed using the link on the Science in
Oakland website: http://science.ousd.org/liveorg.html.
Indicate the number of class sets needed for each item at each grade. The number in
parenthesis indicates how many organisms are provided for each class set.
Note that we have reduced crayfish numbers from 8 to 4 to allow more flexibility in
ordering. If teachers still want 8, order additional sets.
New for 4th Grade (see SIRA Instructional Plan)
Instead of Gammarus, use Tubifex worms.
Instead of pill bugs or beetles, use only sow bugs.
Seeds are no longer needed.
All seeds for other grades will be provided.
Please help us conserve by only ordering what each teacher will use.
Kindergarten
Guppies (8)
Aquatic Snails (8)
Redworms (20)
Nightcrawlers (8)
Pill Bugs (15)
Sow Bugs (15)
Land Snails (15)
Elodea (5 stems)
1st Grade
Nightcrawlers (30)
Pill Bugs (15)
Sow Bugs (15)
2nd Grade
Mealworms (150)
Milkweed Bug Eggs (75)
Silkworm Eggs (50)
Painted Lady Larvae (5)
3rd Grade
Crayfish (set of 4, order
additional sets as needed)
Land Snails (12)
Elodea (15 stems)
4th Grade
Aquatic Snails (20)
Sow Bugs (50)
Elodea (10 stems)
Tubifex Worms (vial)
Duckweed (jar)
Brine Shrimp Eggs (vial)