Teacher Procedure:
1. Begin your study of fishes by asking your students what they know about fishes. Ask such questions as: Where can fishes be found? How do they move? How are they like/unlike us? What color are fishes? What do they eat? Ask them to draw a picture of their idea of a fish. This should be done from memory without models so that you can determine their preconceptions. Keep a record of their answers and drawings as a preassessment.

2. Arrange your students in small groups and provide each with a fish. Place the fish on the newspaper or plastic and wash gently with soap and water to remove the mucus covering. Give students some time to share ideas with each other and touch the fish if they are willing. You might ask some of the same questions as listed in procedure 1 as well as: What do you think this fish eats? How fast does it swim? How does it breathe? With what is its body covered? How are its scales different from our skin?

3. Distribute paper for each child and the paint (a small amount of each color on separate paper plates) and small rollers or paint brushes for each small group. Each student takes a turn making a print by rolling the roller in the paint or using the brush to apply his or her choice of colors to the fish. Fins might need to be stretched out or pinned down in order to get a good print. Before printing, students should be sure that the fish is fully covered with paint and that there is no paint on the surrounding surface.

4. Students then place the fish squarely on top of the paper, being careful not to move it once it has touched the paint. After pressing down on all areas of the paper to make sure every part is printed, the fish can be lifted by slowly pulling up one. The fish will then need to be washed off or wiped clean before the next student applies paint.

5. After the paint has dried, hang the fish prints in the classroom (you may want to keep them up throughout your study for reference) and lead a discussion about how each type of fish is the same or different. Although it is not visible, include the backbone as an essential element of a fish.

6. Since each group has a different fish, ask the children to do a simple sketch of the fish they printed. Have them work together in their groups to label all the parts of the fish that you discussed. To review at a later time, you might also ask them to label their fish prints.

7. Through this initial activity and discussion, the children should come away with a preliminary understanding of the characteristics that make a fish a fish: