TOPIC KEYWORDS:
Fish
CONCEPT KEYWORDS:
Biology
GRADE LEVELS:
K, 1, 2
REQUIRED MATERIALS:
For each student:
- a fish to "read"
(use photos from Explorer's Guide animal fact sheets or from books, or provide live fishes to study)
- paper and drawing materials
- folder or large paper to make a journal cover
- paper for journal pages
INTERACTIVES
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OBJECTIVES:
Students will:
- Interpret how features of fishes can reveal information about them
- begin to develop a sense of the diversity of fishes
- learn to record their findings by starting a Fish Journal
ESTIMATED DURATION OF ACTIVITY:
60-90 minutes
(can be divided into several shorter time segments)
ILLINOIS SCIENCE STANDARDS:
Science
Goal 11
Goal 12
NATIONAL SCIENCE STANDARDS:
Language Arts
Applying Knowledge
Applying Language Skills
Developing Research Skills
Evaluation Data
Science
Life Science
Science and Technology
Science as Inquiry
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Teacher Procedure:
1. Arrange your students into small groups and provide each student with two fish to "read." To illustrate the idea that "a fish is still a fish" despite variances in shape, size, color, number of fins, etc., the fish should be varied. Use the fish from the Explorer's Guide or books, or provide live fishes to study. (The better the quality of the image, the more the children will be able to learn from it. For example, small black-and-white drawings will be much less helpful than large color close-up photos.)
2. Provide time for open-ended discussion in small groups, encouraging children to ask each other questions about their fishes. Get them started with general questions, such as, "What can you learn about your fish just by looking at it?"
Then ask them to address specific questions that they may or may not have covered. (You may choose to write the questions on the board, create a handout, or simply ask them verbally.)
- Why do you think your fish is colored the way it is? Does it want to hide, or does it want to be seen? Why?
- Look at its shape and coloring and think aboutwhere it might live. (On the bottom? In a cave? In seaweed? In a coral reef? In the deep?)
- Does the fish swim fast or slow? Look at its size and shape for clues.
- Look at the shape and size of its mouth. What do you think it eats?
- Does the fish have any weapons or defensive devices that you can see?
3. After your students have finished their small group inquiries, lead a discussion with the entire class, allowing each group to talk about their fishes and encouraging comparisons with the fishes other groups were studying. Don't expect accurate answers to all questions because your students' experience with the topic is limited. Rather, the goal at this point is to encourage inquiry and curiosity. (Why are some fish long and skinny and others short and fat? Why are some fish colored so brightly? Doesn't that make them easier to catch?) Because your students will probably not be aware of all the possibilities, you should act as a resource to provide additional information. For example, students may not be familiar with the fact that coral reefs are filled with nooks and crannies that make ideal hiding places for very thin, flat fishes such as the angelfish.
4. Have the children draw each of their two fishes on separate sheets of paper. These will serve as pages in their Fish Journals. You will want to decide on a format for the journal so that it can be consistent as the students add to it. For example, for very young children, you may simply want to have them draw a picture of the fishes they study and add the names. For older children, you may want to have them include more information, which could require that the do some research. In the end, each student will have his or her own "encyclopedia of fishes" as a reference. You will also want the children to create their own folders or covers for the journals so that their pages are not misplaced. This can be done as a separate activity as time requires.
Outside Resources
The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Fishes, Whales, and Dolphins.
New York: Alfred A Knopf, 1983.
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