Fish Lesson Plans

Students participate in a simulation using M&M's that highlights Garrett Hardin's concept of the "tragedy of the commons." They use the activities to study sustainability issues in the fishing industry.

Learners participate in a role-playing "fishing game" to discover how over-harvesting can eliminate a resource. In the second round of the game, learners are told they can only fish in their assigned territories. Learners explain the differences and similarities between the two rounds using economic terms such as property rights and incentives.

Students explain why fish are in their usual location from the perspective of a worker on a fishing boat. They use clues clues, research, and a fake letter from their friend in North Carolina to determine the cause is El Nino.

Students analyze and record major events that occur in the development of medaka fish eggs from fertilization to hatching. In small group, students describe the processes involved, creating a timeline of the major events in the development process.

Students survey and dissect as many fish as possible. They count nematodes, cestodes and crustaceans on the fish, fill out autopsy reports, and transfer data to a chalkboard data table. Students graph the results of the entire class and explore coevolution.

Learners utilize a dichotomous key to identify 8 common Great Lakes fish families based on their characteristics. In small groups learners use a diagram to determine the differences between fish and place them into their proper families.

Learners explore quantities and the concept of half. In this counting lesson, learners begin by counting the number of fish in a pond as the teacher adds one at a time.  Then the teacher folds one of the fish in half to demonstrate the concept of half.  To conclude this lesson, learners play "London Bridges."

This lesson has 1st graders solve problems, choosing strategies and tools, explaining their reasoning, making calculations, and checking results. They are told that they are going to make fish for a class fish tank using different shapes.

Students discuss nutrition and diet. They look at copies of Tetra's Daily Nutrition Pyramid for Tropical Fish. They compare the fish feeding pyramid to the pyramid for human nutrition. Students examine a can of fish food.

In this lesson students identify and explain various fish behaviors through observation. Over several months, they watch one fish in the classroom aquarium and record its behaviors in notebooks. They visit a virtual aquarium Website to find information about their fish.