EcoVenture Class: Fish Characteristics. Teacher Guide Overview and Resource Materials

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1 EcoVenture Class: Fish Characteristics Teacher Guide Overview and Resource Materials For more information contact: Allyson Bennett School Programs On-site Manager 725 East South Sandy, UT (801) 355-FISH (3474) ext. 206 Fax: (801) Or visit our website

2 What s below the surface? Why have an aquarium in the desert?...3 EcoVenture Class Overview Teacher s checklist Location of The Living Planet Aquarium Layout map of The Living Planet Aquarium...7 Teacher Outline and Core Connections Pre-visit Resources Post visit lesson materials Websites for Fun.. 23 Books to Use References Thank you!

3 Why Have an Aquarium in a Desert? After all, where else in the world is water so valued and respected? It s a precious resource that defines how we live in Utah. Because we re not surrounded by oceans and immense water habitats, we have fewer opportunities to experience, understand and appreciate the water environments that cover more than 70 percent of our planet. The Living Planet Aquarium brings animals to people who might not have the chance to see them or their water-based ecosystems in a natural setting. Our children are the future custodians of the environment. Yet, the majority of today s young people don t have the opportunity to understand the ocean nor their own waterdependent environments. The Living Planet Aquarium provides a living classroom, educating us all about our interdependence on the living planet s fragile ecosystems. The Living Planet Aquarium is a world-class organization that enriches lives through education outreach, dynamic exhibits and programs. The Living Planet Aquarium provides an entertaining learning experience and hands-on educational opportunities to help individuals understand and appreciate the water environments encompassing our planet, leading to an enriched personal life. Having this aquarium provides us with countless opportunities to understand and respect this precious resource and the living habitats it supports, both in Utah and in our planet s oceans. 3

4 School Visit Overview Thank you for choosing The Living Planet Aquarium for a school visit. We look forward to your arrival! This section of the Teacher Guide provides an overview of your visit and a checklist of things to accomplish before, during and after your experience with us. Utah State Core Connections Our on-site programs are designed to be an exciting complement to what you are teaching in the classroom. Our education team examined the Intended Learning Outcomes and Core Standards for each grade and created our presentation and activities to reinforce the ILOs and Standards. You will find a list of related ILOs and Standards later on in this document. EcoVenture Classes Each EcoVenture Class lasts approximately minutes. While the class is separate from your general aquarium visit, there is not an additional cost for the classes. To provide a quality and interactive experience for your students, we allow a maximum of 35 students per class. This means, we can present the same program several times back-to-back to accommodate larger groups. The EcoVenture Classes take place in our Sunken Ship classroom with one or two Education Presenters, depending on the class. There are also Education Presenters located throughout the aquarium to answer any questions you or your students may have. EcoVenture Start Times The contact teacher will receive an with a confirmation sheet. This confirmation sheet will list the school s arrival time and each group s EcoVenture Class start time. Please remind the chaperones to arrive promptly to the Sunken Ship classroom at their designated start time to allow the group to have the full classroom experience. "Give people facts and you feed their minds for an hour. Awaken curiosity and they feed their own minds for a lifetime." (Ian Russell) 4

5 School Visit Checklist The Living Planet Aquarium Pre-Visit Download from our website: This document (Teacher Guide) Student Research Document(s) for you to copy and bring with you on your visit Many of our documents are saved in PDF format. They require Adobe Acrobat Reader to open. If you do not have Acrobat Reader, you can download the program for free at: Please Educate the students and chaperones on behavior expectations; then sign the School Groups Behavior Expectations document and send it via or fax: (801) ; Attention: Allyson Bennett. Divide your students into smaller groups and assign each group a chaperone. Supply each adult chaperone with a Chaperone Guide. This guide includes the rules, tips to facilitate learning and an aquarium map. Day of Bring Student Research Documents if you would like your students to use them during their aquarium visit (optional). Remind the students and chaperones of the behavior expectations. Remind the chaperones of their EcoVenture Class start time and location. All groups must pay in one lump sum. Bring payment if your school is not a sponsored Title 1 or Head Start school. If your visit is sponsored, you do not pay for your students, but please remember the chaperone-to-student ratio. Any additional adults will be asked to pay. Have FUN and enjoy learning at the Living Planet Aquarium! Post-Visit This document contains post-visit materials. Other materials may become available as separate downloads in the future, so check our website often. 5

6 Location of Living Planet Aquarium 725 East South, Sandy Utah Phone: (801) Directions: From 1-15, take exit 293 Head east on S. (approx. 1 mile) The Living Planet Aquarium is on the northeast corner of S. and 700 E. 6

7 Layout of Living Planet Aquarium 7

8 Teacher Outline Fish Characteristics Duration of School Visit EcoVenture Classes (35 students max) are scheduled in 45-minute increments unless otherwise noted on your confirmation sheet. However, each EcoVenture Class is approximately 30 minutes. Please allow your group 2 hours for a three-class visit, or 2 hours and 45 minutes for a four-class visit. Currently, our facility does not have space for school groups to eat lunch. If weather permits, we recommend bringing your group to Lone Peak Park at S 700 E, Sandy, UT This park is 5 blocks north of the aquarium on 700 East and offers covered picnic tables, grassy areas, and a playground. Background for Teachers There are over 25,000 different species of fish in the world s waters and over 200 new species are being discovered every year! Fishes account for more than half of all the vertebrates on the earth! That is an amazing amount of variety and all passed on from parent to offspring. Each variation giving that particular organism its own unique set of tools to help it survive in its particular environment. Intended Learning Outcomes/Measurable Objectives Students will be exposed to the objectives listed from the core standards and by the end will be able to verbally and in writing relate adaptations to survival in a particular environment. Students will recognize the basics of fish design by identifying shapes or body forms as they relate to their particular niche. Also, they will understand how traits vary in offspring through a question and answer session about traits. to the Connecting Core Standards Here s where your EcoVenture Class connects with the Utah State Core Curriculum. The main intent of science instruction in Utah is that students will value and use science as a process of obtaining knowledge based upon observable evidence. 8

9 Science Benchmark All living things inherit a set of characteristics or traits from their parents. Members of any given species transfer traits from one generation to the next. The passing of traits from parent to offspring is called heredity and causes the offspring to resemble the parent. Some traits differ among members of a population, and these variations may help a particular species to survive better in a given environment in getting food, finding shelter, protecting itself, and reproducing. These variations give the individual a survival advantage over other individuals of the same species. STANDARD V: Students will understand that traits are passed from the parent organisms to their offspring, and that sometimes the offspring may possess variations of these traits that may help or hinder survival in a given environment. Objective 1: Using supportive evidence, show that traits are transferred from a parent organism to its offspring. c. Describe how a particular physical attribute may provide an advantage for survival in one environment but not in another (e.g., heavy fur in arctic climates keep animals warm whereas in hot desert climates it would cause overheating; flippers on such animals as sea lions and seals provide excellent swimming structures in the water but become clumsy and awkward on land; cacti retain the right amount of water in arid regions but would develop root rot in a more temperate region; fish gills have the ability to absorb oxygen in water but not on land). Objective 2: Describe how some characteristics could give a species a survival advantage in a particular environment. Benchmarks for Science Literacy - 3rd through 5th grade students: The EcoVenture Class and aquarium visit will contribute to the students development of skills and knowledge necessary to understand the following (per the American Association for the Advancement of Science, 1993): A great variety of kinds of living things can be sorted into groups in many ways using various features to decide which things belong to which group. Features used for grouping depend on the purpose of the grouping. Scientific investigations may take many different forms, including observing what things are like or what is happening somewhere, collecting specimens for analysis, and doing experiments. Investigations can focus on physical, biological, and social questions. Science is an adventure that people everywhere can take part in, as they have for many centuries. Clear communication is an essential part of doing science. It enables scientists to inform others about their work, expose their ideas to criticism by other scientists, and stay informed about scientific discoveries around the world. Doing science involves many different kinds of work and engages men and women of all ages and backgrounds. Science language students should use: Inherited, environment, species, offspring, traits, variations, survival, instincts, population, specialized structure, organism, life cycle, parent organism, learned behavior 9

10 Pre-Visit Resources The following pages offer pre-visit information you can use in the classroom before your visit to The Living Planet Aquarium. These resources correlate with material that will be covered in your EcoVenture Class or in post-visit materials. There may also be links to UEN s website for additional information. As a suggestion, if you have internet access for your class, you can visit our website to let the children investigate what we have to offer. Here is the link: 10

11 Name the Fish Parts mouth nostrils eye lateral line 1 st dorsal fin 2 nd dorsal fin caudal fin scales anal fin ventral fin pectoral fin operculum / gill cover gills 11

12 Common Fish Characteristics Study Guide Name: Date: 1) Mouth: Part of fish that allows it to eat. Its shape and location are determined by what it generally eats. On bottom or pointed downward for bottom feeders; upward for surface feeders; pointed for getting food from crevices; etc. 2) Nostrils: Part of fish's organs for smelling 3) Eye: For fish's sight. Many are positioned on side of head, which gives the fish a wider range of sight. Most bony fishes have both "rods and cones" which indicate that they probably see colors. 4) Lateral line: A series of fluid-filled sensory organs running along each side of the fish. Help fishes find prey and avoid predators by sensing small vibrations in the water. 5) Dorsal Fin: Vertical fin on back. Provides stability and keeps the fish from rolling. 6) Caudal Fin: In most fishes this is the fin that helps propel and steer. Forked ones are for speed and rounded ones give more maneuverability. 7) Scales: Small plates that cover most fishes. Laid from head to tail, they reduce drag in the water as well as give protection. Usually covered with a slimy layer of mucus. Like a tree, each year a new ring is laid down on a scale. 8) Anal Fin: Located near the rear of the belly. Provides balance and stability while swimming. 9) Ventral Fin: Located on the belly near the head. Provides stability and balance. 10) Operculum: Hard plate that covers and protects gills. Not all fish have an operculum. Some, like sharks and stingrays have gill slits in their tissues that open and close to let water into the gills. 11) Pectoral Fin: Pair of fins located on each side of the fish behind the gills. Help with changes in direction, fine movements forward and backward and remaining stationary. 12) Gills: The fish equivalent of your lungs. Gills help them get oxygen from the water like you get oxygen from the air. Just think about it They live in an ocean of water and you live in an ocean of air! 12

13 Common Fish Characteristics (Crossword)

14 Common Fish Characteristics (Clues) ACROSS 4. Provides stability and balance for fish, (located on the underside of the fish). 8. Used for feeding. 9. Provides stability and keeps the fish from rolling. 10. Reduce drag in the water and provide protection for fish. 11. Usually positioned on the side of the head to provide a wider range of sight. 13. On the back of all fish, also called the caudal fin. DOWN 1. Fluid-filled sensory organs that allows fish to sense vibrations in the water. 2. Fish use them to breathe. 3. Fish use them to smell. 6. Covers and protects the gills, not present in all fish. 7. Allow fish to change directions or remain still in the water. 12. Used by fish to steer and move forward. 14. Where is the fish s brain?. 14

15 Common Fish Characteristics (Answer Key) 1 L 2 G 3 N A I 8 M O U T 14 H 7 P 13 T A I L S E 11 E Y E L T A C R 10 S 12 C A L E S R D T A A I O L U L R - D 9 D 6 O R S A L - F I N A L A P L I L E - N - R F E F C I I U N 4 V E N T R A L - F I N U M 15

16 Now, you re off to the Living Planet Aquarium Remember to use your checklist to help you on this day. You should take some time to share copies of the Chaperone Guide with each adult leader as well as the aquarium layout map. Remember that teachers are free and you get one additional adult free for every 10 students. Any adults above this 1:10 ratio will need to pay a fee upon arrival. All entrance fees must be paid in one lump sum. 16

17 Post Visit Resources 5 th Grade: Classroom Camouflage The following lesson materials are intended to help you extend learning from your EcoVenture Class back in the classroom. Curriculum Tie: Science 5 th Grade Standard V Objective 2 Back Ground: Natural selection is the manner in which organisms survive and reproduce in an environment that the organisms are well adapted to. This is where we get the term Survival of the fittest. If there are organisms that are less adapted to a specific area, these organism are more likely to have a higher rate of mortality. The adaptation used to hide or blend an animal in with its surroundings is called Camouflage. The special shapes, patterns, or colors that are displayed through camouflage give an advantage to an animal hiding from a passing predator or lying in wait for its prey. Summary: This activity uses paper fish, colored and cut out by your students, to demonstrate how an animal can survive in its environment. Students color their fish to match different surfaces in the class room. The students then attach their fish to the surface that they were matching, and another group, the predators, goes hunting for them, thus replicating natural selection. Materials: Markers, colored pencils, or crayons Scissors Photocopies of the fish for each student Transparent tape Preparation for Teacher: 1. Make a photo copy of the fish for each student in the class room. 2. Prepare several fish by camouflaging them to look like different surfaces in the class room and then hide them to demonstrate the effectiveness of camouflage. 3. Arrange for another 5th grade class to do the same activity and each hunt the other s fish. 17

18 Procedure: 1. Begin the class with a quick discussion about what natural selection is and remind student that certain adaptations make some organisms better suited to their environments than others. Introduce the activity to the students by having them assume the role of predators, such as a big mean shark, and have them hunt for the fish you have camouflaged and hidden throughout the room while in their seats. Keep the hunt short (30 sec-1 min) to pique their interest. 2. Collect the fish you made after you have given them some time to hunt for them, and discuss the features that made some easier to find than others. 3. Divide the class into groups of Hand out the materials to each group, making sure that each group has something to color with, scissors, tape, and several copies of the fish. 5. Tell your students that they will camouflage their paper fish using colors and or patterns to blend them in with different surfaces in the classroom. 6. Have your students place their camouflaged fish on various surfaces around the room using the tape. Remind students that they are not allowed to hide or cover up their fish. The goal is for their fish to blend in. 7. Discuss the features that make some fish more visible than others and how camouflage enables various animals to survive in different environments. Review the concept of survival of the fittest and ask students to relate that concept to the activity. 8. Leave the fish in place and exchange groups to be predators and let the hunt begin. Assign a time limit for the hunt (1-2 min) and have an area set aside to collect the captured prey. Perhaps post the winners (fittest) on the board for all to see. 18

19 Fish Pictures for previous activity 19

20 Form, Function, and Fish! Presented by Jennifer Liu Recommended Grades Upper elementary (5th and 6th) or 7th grade. General Description What do all those fins do on a fish? Why are some fish colorful and some aren't? Why do fish look the way they do? As with most things in life, fishes' form follows their function. Fishes' tail symmetry, fin structure, scale type, and color, among other things, can all tell us a great deal about how the fish works, where it lives, what it eats, and what time of day it comes out into the open, if ever. In this lab, students will learn what different parts of a fish help it do, they will be detectives in determining everything they can about an unidentified fish (this will vary with available materials), and they will design their own version of the best predator and prey they can think of. Concepts to be Learned This lesson is designed around the interesting things you can learn about something just by looking at and studying it. Observation is a very important tool in doing science; it is the very first step in the scientific method, it gives us information to ponder, and it sparks our curiosity as to why something is a certain way. This lesson will promote the students to ask questions about the specific morphology of fish, and will (hopefully) drive them to investigate other odd fish such as seahorses, sting rays, pufferfish, etc. Also, this lesson will teach students a fair bit of anatomical vocabulary, applicable to many creatures, including humans (for example, pectoral fin). This lesson should take approximately one hour with activities. List of Materials The information on this page will be needed. Also, for examining an unidentified fish, you can bring an aquarium fish of your own, you can bring pictures of neat fish from a scuba diving or marine magazine, or you can order fish (like dogfish shark) from a supply company (like Carolina Biological Supply). Personally, I would try to get someone's aquarium fish (so the students can study a LIVE fish) and then if you can't, get pictures so the students can see live fish interacting with their environment. Ordering a specimen to dissect is least preferred simply because this lab deals with the external anatomy of fish (however, it will work). Teacher's (Lecture) Notes The function of various fish parts listed below was taken from Fish: An Enthusiast's Guide by Peter Moyle, and Fishes: an Introduction to Ichthyology by Peter Moyle and Joseph Cech. These are great books and I suggest you read what they have about external anatomy. Specific parts of fish and their functions are listed below, but of course, ask the students what they think a certain part does before you tell them. As with most things in life, fishes' form follows their function. Fishes' tail symmetry, fin structure, scale type, and color, among other things, can all tell us a great deal about how the fish works, where it lives, what it eats, and what time of day it comes out into the open, if ever. Think about how form follows function in body shape. What will a predator look like in its shape? Fat? Thin? Many predators, as common sense will tell you, are streamlined and have a pointed head. Why? 20

21 So they can swim fast and catch their prey. This particular type of predator is what is called a rover-predator. Other predators like to ambush their prey. What would these fish look like? They are torpedo shaped and have big mouths so they can dart out from their hiding place and capture their prey. These are called lie-inwait predators. Some fish have small bodies with upward turned mouths and flat heads. These guys, surfaceoriented fish, do just that; they eat things like insects on the surface of water. Other fish have flat bodies and live mainly at the bottom of the water (bottom fish). Deep-bodied fish are flat from side to side, which helps them with maneuverability. How about scales? What do you think they do? Protect. Fish do have to worry about trade-offs, though; those fish with thicker scales cannot move as fast as one with thinner scales. It's like having armor. Fins are used for a number of things. The paired fins - the pelvic and pectoral fins - are used for fine movement. Rover-predators have paired fins which are separated widely and are located low on the body for stability. Other fish have these fins higher on the body and have them oriented more vertically, to give a higher degree of maneuverability. (You can sketch a generic fish here, to show the students where the pelvic and pectoral fins are. Point out the caudal fin, also.) The caudal fin (tail fin) is used for propulsion. A fish with a quarter-moon shaped tail with a narrow peduncle (the part that connects the caudal fin to the rest of the body) tends to be extremely fast. Fish with forked tails use them for continuous movement, either as rover-predators, or fish which live in regions with fast currents. Spines make a fish look "bigger, and harder for a predator to bite and swallow. These spines are often poisonous. The size of the eyes can help us determine when a fish is active. Bigger eyes usually indicate that a fish is active in the day. Fish that are active at night fish tend to have smaller eyes because of the lack of their use in poor lighting. Fishes' mouths tell us how a fish makes its living. A big mouth with sharp teeth tells us that the fish is a predator of other fish and animals. Bony lips (the type most of us think of when we think of fish lips) work like an eyedropper to suck in small pieces of food. Basically, the smaller the mouth, the smaller the prey. Color can be used for camouflage. Silvery fish tend to be active in the day where their shininess blends in with sunlight. Red fish have the advantage of being the least visible in water (the color red is filtered out through water). "Poster colored fish," such as those found in the Great Barrier Reef, can have bright colors to either match their colorful environment, or to serve as a warning to other fish concerning its toxicity or some other danger. 21

22 Activities Break the class up into two groups (this is ideal). One group will do the first activity while the other does the second. After about 15 minutes, they will switch. The below activities are listed individually at the end of this lesson. Detective Work! Have the children get into groups of two or three and have them answer the following questions: 1) What do you think this fish eats? 2) Where do you think it lives? 3) Do you think it's a predator or a prey? 4) Do you think it's poisonous? 5) What do the colors tell you about this fish? 6) What is the strong point of the fish (what do you think this fish does better than other fish)? It is good for you to know the answers to these questions (you can do some studying on the net or in the library), but if you don't, make your own best guess with the students and make sure the students are being logical about their answers. Designing Predator and Prey In this group, the students will draw the best (most efficient) predator and prey they can think of in an environment that they choose as a group, taking tradeoffs (such as balance for maneuverability and thick scales for speed) into consideration. They can color these and compare them to other students' work. If you can, get butcher paper from the teacher and have the students draw on one big piece. They can hang it up later (and add the environment) as their depiction of the environment they chose (an ocean or lake, etc.). At the conclusion of the activity, post up both groups of drawings, point out the different parts of the fish (on various students' fish), and have the students tell you what function they perform. Ask them also what that part of the fish is called (anatomically). Possible Follow-Up Activities Leave some pictures of "odd fish" like pufferfish, seahorses, hammerhead sharks, sting rays, etc. (or have them go to the library to pick one out of a book or magazine) and have the students think about why these fish developed that way. What are the strong points of their form? They can make a poster board with the picture of the fish attached and their guesses. They can then look up the actual information about where it is found, etc. and see exactly how far off (or close) their guesses were. 22

23 Web Sites for Fun All links are suggested resources only. The Living Planet Aquarium does not specifically endorse any of the following sites or organizations. If a link does not work you can try copying and pasting the URL into your web browser. U of U Genetic Science Learning Center NOAA Year of the Ocean Web site Oceanography This site is packed with exciting ocean facts and information from the Office of Naval Research. Planet Ocean Discover what it takes for amazing ocean animals to survive this underwater world. Secrets@Sea Help track down ocean pollution in this mystery game. Designed for students in grades 4 to 7. Requires shockwave Flash and Java. Jason Project Visit this site to explore ocean facts. From the makers of the Blue Planet series of videos Wide array of resources not only on the ocean but on all areas of science. Also offers fun educational online games. Benchmarks For Science Literacy On Line Ocean Planet on-line exhibit by the Smithsonian Institution 5th Grade Science Skills 23

24 Books to Include Big Blue Ocean By Bill Nye Ages 8 & up Coral Reef By Barbara Taylor Ages 7 & up Ocean (Eye Wonder book) By Samantha Gray - Ages 7 & up Sign of the Seahorse By Graeme Base Ages 8 & up What Do You See Under the Sea By Bobby Kalman 6 & up What Makes an Ocean Wave? By Melvin and Gilda Berger Ages 8 & up 24

25 References The following resources were used in the development of these materials and or field trip presentations and were not among those cited in the text body. Smithsonian Institution Press (1996) Sea Life A Complete Guide to the Marine Environment Duxbury and Duxbury (1994) An introduction to the World's Oceans, Wm. C. Brown Publishers,4th edition: Dubuque: Iowa. Pinet, Paul (1998) Invitation to Oceanography, Jones and Bartlett Publishers: Sudbury, Massachusetts. 25

26 Thank you for bringing your class. We look forward to serving you again! 26