Fish Anatomy
OBJECTIVE
Students will learn fish anatomy
Students will be able to use descriptions of fish anatomy to identify local fish
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
What foods are important to my community?
What are some local varieties of fish?
MATERIALS NEEDED
- Sets of “Fish Parts” cutouts of different parts of fish anatomy (1 per small group)
- Guess That Fish Worksheet (1 per students)
PROCEDURE
Before the lesson, cut out the different parts of a fish from “Fish Parts”. Write the name of each part on the back of the part. For example, you should cut out the tail and on the back, write caudal fin
Introduction
Begin the lesson by asking your students if they have gone fishing. What kinds of fish are native to this area?
Activity
Explain that you are going to learn about the parts of a fish by building one of your own! Put students in small groups and distribute a set of fish parts to each group. Explain that each group will have enough pieces to build their very own fish. Give the students a couple minutes to put together the pieces to make an accurate fish.
As the groups finish up, draw the outline of a fish on the board. Ask your students to flip over one of their pieces and then tell you what the part is called and where to label it on your drawing.
Collect the fish parts (leave your drawing on the board or erase it if you want to make the next part of the activity more challenging).
Explain that the class will now use the terms they just learned to identify fish that can be caught off the coast of Massachusetts. Distribute the Guess That Fish worksheet to each student (or groups again). Explain that you are going to give clues about a fish, and then the students will have to identify which fish you are describing.
Wrap Up/Assessment
Go over the correct answers as a group or write them on the board. Discuss any connections students have to these varieties of fish. Has anyone caught any of them or eaten them?
FOLLOW UP & EXTENSIONS
MA CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS
3.LS.1.1 Use simple graphical representations to show that different types of organisms have unique and diverse life cycles. Describe that all organisms have birth, growth, reproduction, and death in common but there are a variety of ways in which these happen.