Salmonids in the Classroom - Primary

A Teacher's Resource for Studying the Biology, Habitat and Stewardship of Pacific Salmon

This learning resource, which focuses on salmon, biology, and stewardship, encourages an ecological approach, integrating science with social studies. Knowledge of salmon biology and habitat are viewed as building blocks toward a stewardship ethic. Stewardship means "making informed decisions and taking appropriate actions to protect and conserve all plants and animals who share our planet." And stewardship is one of the building blocks of a sustainable community where the economy, the environment and society are all taken into consideration when decisions are made. In short, this resource is about teaching kids how to "take care in our own lives so that salmon thrive!" 
Whether small or large, class projects based on salmon have the potential to engage students in stewardship and sustainability. Studying a local creek, raising salmon in an incubator, or touring a watershed, are just a few of the projects that your class or school can undertake to make a difference for salmon and for us all!

Unit 1. Building Vocabulary And Knowledge

Material Available for Downloading

• Complete lesson plan in PDF format 
• Suggested Activities
  - Know, Wonder, Learn 
  - Building Vocabulary
• Handouts
  - Know, Wonder, Learn
  - Learn Salmon Words
• Wrap-up 
  - Building Vocabulary and Knowledge
  - Salmon Incubation

Overview

The class reviews what students know about salmon and prepares for activities to learn more.

The Big Idea

Students learn basic vocabulary necessary for studying salmon, and identify what they know, wonder and want to learn about salmon.

Key words

For definitions refer to "Appendix 8: Glossary".
Basic: salmon, fish, egg, alevin, fry, smolt, adult, spawner, life cycle

Unit 2. Life Cycle And Habitat

Material Available for Downloading

• Complete lesson plan in PDF format 
• Background - Life Cycles
• Suggested Activities
  - Life Cycles
  - Life Cycles of a Bean
  - Life Cycle Needs
  - Changing Environment 
• Handouts
  - Salmon Life Cycle
  - Bean Life Cycle 
• Wrap-up - Life Cycle & Habitat

Overview

The class reviews the life cycle of familiar plants and animals to identify their life cycles and to see how organisms relate to their environment at different stages in their life cycles.

The Big Idea

All living things have a life cycle that is related to their needs and their habitat.

Key words

For definitions refer to "Appendix 8: Glossary".
Basic: alevin, air, water, food, life, bean seed, egg, salmon, root, stem, leaf, life cycle, stage

Unit 3. Salmon Anatomy

Material Available for Downloading

• Complete lesson plan in PDF format
• Background - Salmon Anatomy
• Suggested Activities
  - Parts of a Fish
  - Fish Shape
  - Scales and Skin
  - Gills and Lungs 
• Handouts
  - Parts of a Salmon
  - Salmon Scales 
• Wrap-up - Salmon Anatomy

Overview

The class identifies the body parts of a fish and compares them to human body parts. They see how fish shape, skin, scales and gills help salmon live in water.

The Big Idea

Fish, which are physically different from human beings, are suited to their watery environment.

Key words

For definitions refer to "Appendix 8: Glossary".
Basic: head, mouth, eyes, nostrils, gills, body, fins, tail, skin, scales
Advanced: pectoral, pelvic, dorsal, anal, adipose, lateral line

Unit 4. Salmon Eggs

Material Available for Downloading

• Complete lesson plan in PDF format
• Background - The Egg
• Suggested Activities
  - Where Do Eggs Come From?
  - Parts of an Egg
  - The Redd
  - Protecting the Eggs
• Handouts
  - Salmon Eggs
  - Salmon and Chicken Eggs 
• Wrap-up 
  - Salmon Eggs
  - Salmon Incubation

Overview

The class examines the parts of a bean seed and a chicken egg, and compares them to a salmon egg. They use the poster and an information sheet, and make a model of a redd to identify what salmon eggs need to survive.

The Big Idea

The egg contains a developing salmon. It needs certain elements in a protected environment to survive.

Key words

For definitions refer to "Appendix 8: Glossary".
Basic: redd, yolk, egg white, hatch, gravel, shell, stream, oxygen

Unit 5. Salmon Alevins

Material Available for Downloading

• Complete lesson plan in PDF format
• Background - The Alevin
• Suggested Activities
  - Bag Lunch
  - Where Does an Alevin Come From?
  - How Do Alevins Live?
  - Protecting Alevins
• Handouts - Salmon Alevins
• Wrap-up 
  - Salmon Alevins
  - Salmon Incubation

Overview

The class compares a bean seed and a bag lunch with the yolk sac of an alevin. They use the poster and an information sheet to identify what salmon alevin need to survive and how people affect alevin habitat.

The Big Idea

An alevin hatches from the egg and continues to grow by using food from the egg yolk.

Key words

For definitions refer to "Appendix 8: Glossary".
Basic: alevin, yolk sac, hatch, egg wall, wiggle
Advanced: embryo

Unit 6. Salmon Fry

Material Available for Downloading

• Complete lesson plan in PDF format 
• Background - The Fry
• Suggested Activities
  - Where Do Fry Come From?
  - Fry Find Food
  - The Swim Bladder
  - Salmon Fry Camouflage
• Handouts
  - Salmon Fry
  - Salmon Fry Camouflage
• Wrap-up 
  - Salmon Fry
  - Salmon Incubation

Overview

The class uses the poster and an information sheet to identify where salmon fry come from and how they get food. The students test how air helps fry float in water and how protective colouration helps them hide.

The Big Idea

Fry swim and search for food in their stream or lake habitat.

Key words

For definitions refer to "Appendix 8: Glossary".
Basic: fry (note that the plural is also fry), Parr marks, camouflage
Advanced: predator, swim bladder

Unit 7. Salmon Smolts

Material Available for Downloading

• Complete lesson plan in PDF format 
• Background - The Smolt
• Suggested Activities
  - Where Does a Smolt Come From?
  - Salt Water and Fresh Water
  - People and Smolts
  - Predator Game
• Handouts
  - Salmon Smolts
  - People and Smolts
• Wrap-up - Salmon Smolts

Overview

The class uses the poster and an information sheet to identify where salmon smolts come from and how they live in an estuary. The students act as predators and prey to simulate survival and test how salt water affects cells.

The Big Idea

Smolts migrate to the estuary before leaving to swim in the ocean.

Key words

For definitions refer to "Appendix 8: Glossary".
Basic: salt water, fresh water, smolt, ocean, logs, dams, dyke
Advanced: hazard, polluted, estuary, factory

Unit 8. Adult Salmon

Material Available for Downloading

• Complete lesson plan in PDF format
• Background - The Adult Salmon
• Suggested Activities
  - Where Does an Adult Salmon Come From?
  - Fishing
  - Predator Game
  - Smelling the Way Home
• Handouts
  - Adult Salmon
• Wrap-up - Adult Salmon

Overview

The class uses the poster and an information sheet to identify where adult salmon come from and where they travel in the ocean. The students simulate fishing and the impact of predation on salmon, discuss salmon migration and test scent as a means of identifying a home area.

The Big Idea

Adult salmon travel long distances in the ocean. People fish for salmon in different ways; some people catch many salmon, while others catch fewer. Surviving salmon return to their home rivers.

Key words

For definitions refer to "Appendix 8: Glossary".
Basic: adult, ocean, school, fishers, fishing boats, home stream, scent 

Unit 9. Salmon Spawners

Material Available for Downloading

• Complete lesson plan in PDF format
• Background -  Salmon Spawners
• Suggested Activities
  - Where Does a Spawner Come From?
  - Appearance Changes
  - Making a Redd
  - Recycling Salmon
• Handouts
  - Salmon Spawner
  - Making a Redd Observation Page
• Wrap-up 
  - Salmon Spawners
  - Salmon Incubation

Overview

The class uses the poster and an information sheet to identify how spawners leave the ocean and return to their home stream or lake. They examine changes of appearance in people and salmon, test how a redd protects eggs, and recycle paper salmon.

The Big Idea

Spawners travel upriver to their home stream or lakeshore. Females lay eggs and males fertilize eggs. Salmon die after spawning and their carcasses return essential nutrients to the water and forest ecosystems.

Key words

For definitions refer to "Appendix 8: Glossary".
Basic: spawner, redd, female, male
Advanced: fertilize

Unit 10. Salmon Life Cycle Goes On

Material Available for Downloading

• Complete lesson plan in PDF format
• Suggested Activities
  -   Salmon Life Cycle Review
• - Salmon Life Cycle Game
  - Stewardship
• Handouts
  - Life Cycle Game
  - Life Cycle Game Rules
• Wrap-up - Salmon Life Cycle Goes On

Overview

The class uses a game to review the salmon life cycle and discusses activities they can undertake to help more salmon survive.

The Big Idea

If people make careful decisions and satisfy their needs without taking away from future generations, they will help take care of salmon.

Unit 11. Salmon Habitat Studies

Material Available for Downloading

• Complete lesson plan in PDF format
• Background -  Salmon Habitat Study
• Suggested Activities
  - Rules for Salmon Habitat Study
  - If I Were a Salmon
  - What to Look For
  - Field Trip
  - Debrief in Class
• Handouts
  - Rules for Salmonid Habitat Study
  - A Healthy Salmon Habitat
  - Salmon Habitat Study No. 1
  - Salmon Habitat Study No. 2
  - Salmon Habitat Survey
• Wrap-up 
  - Salmon Habitat Study

Overview

The class researches features that make a stream or lake attractive to salmon and describes what they would expect to see on a field trip to a salmon habitat. They take observations on a field trip and discuss whether or not salmon would like the site.

The Big Idea

A stream or lake may be a salmon's home for part of its life cycle. Streams and lakes with certain features are attractive to salmon.

Key words

For definitions refer to "Appendix 8: Glossary".
Basic: stream, streambed, stream bank, lake, gravel, riffle, pool, habitat
Advanced: polluted, garbage

Appendices

Material Available for Downloading

• All appendices in PDF format
• Introduction: Science Instruction and Assessment
• Appendix 1 - Observation Page 
• Appendix 2 - Daily Observations
• Appendix 3 - Comparison Chart
• Appendix 4 - Classroom Salmon Science News
• Appendix 5 - Assessment Observations
• Appendix 6 - Assessment Review
• Appendix 7 - Self-Assessment
• Appendix 8 - Glossary