Barracuda Lesson Plans

Students explore oceanography by researching the great barracuda.  In this animal life lesson, students read several vocabulary terms dealing with ocean life and examine a drawing of a barracuda.  Students examine the many characteristics of the fish and add drawings to the existing work.

Students practice running and tagging. In this physical education lesson plan, students play a teamed game. The class is divided into two teams, sharks and barracudas, the sharks try to tag the barracudas. Once all students are barracudas, the game restarts.

Students participate in tag games to exercise. They are divided into two groups: barracudas and Nemo fish. Barracudas tag as many students as possible. Once tagged,t he students perform fish motions, in place, until a "Nemo" touches them. Students play the tag game while "Finding Nemo" music is playing.

Students examine different pieces of literature that have a similiar theme. They read an article about reusing ideas for television shows. They work together to create their own program proposals. They also create backstories for one of the characters in their program.

Fourth graders create a diorama of the habitat of the fish of their choice, along with a research paper. They research habitats, the factors which affect specific habitats, and how fish adapt to different habitats in order to meet their unique needs. They identify food chains as systems which facilitate the transfer of energy from one source into many others.

Pupils experience running and tagging. In this physical education activity, students divide into two teams and practice running and tagging their opponents.

Students explore the marine ecosystem and the importance of sharks. In this shark lesson, students look at photos of the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary and discuss the animals that live there. They discuss which animals are prey and predators and how each plays a role in the marine ecosystem. 

Fifth graders practice etymology skills. In this word origins instructional activity, 5th graders compare and contrast words of similar origins of different difficulty levels.

Students research a species of reef fish to determine its habitat requirements as both a juvenile and an adult. They use this information to create a pamphlet in the style of a real estate brochure that describe the habitat and food requirements of a particular reef fish species as adults and as juveniles.

Learners explain the main concepts of food webs and food chains. They describe the role of animals, plants, and other organisms in cycling energy and matter through a food web by creating mobiles. Lesson contains adaptations for all levels.