Final Project by Ramona Brito
Unit Title: Unit of Study on Fish
Grade Level: Kindergarten
Due to the grade level of the learners some of the outcomes of the lessons will be work with
focus on pictures/ details in the pictures/ labels/ words and simple sentences.
Lesson groupings: Some lessons will require small group work (4 to 5 students in a group) or a
partnership (2 people in a group)
Standards
1. Identify, describe, and compare the physical structures of animals
2. Observe and compare the different structures that enable each animal to live and
thrive: Wings, legs, fins, eyes, nose, ears, tongue, skin, claws, etc. LE 3.1a
3. Make clear that nonliving things do not live and thrive LE 1.1c,d
4. Observe physical animal characteristics that are influenced by changing environmental
conditions such as: Coat thickness in winter, rabbits changing fur color, shedding of fur
LE 5.2e
5. Observe that some animal behaviors are influenced by environmental conditions: Nest
building, hibernation, migration LE 5.2fLE 3.1
Topic
Fish are living organisms and are a part of our natural world.
Curriculum Links
In our kindergarten curriculum we do a science unit of study called animals two by two. Study
fish is a major component of this study.
Objectives
Students will:




practice observing, collecting and communicating information about fish
Identify certain fish and their characteristics
Compare and Contrast two or more fish
Describe basic living requirements for fish
 Develop and awareness and sensitivity to fish as part of our natural world
Time
Duration of Unit depends on how many times a week your class will a lot to science. For this
project the duration would be about a month where science is set two to three times a week.
Scope and Sequence
1. Lesson 1- Brainstorm on what kinds of fish we know? –Classroom scavenger hunt for
books, material (shell, sand) related to our topic
2. Lesson 2- Observing Guppies- Drawing and labeling body parts and noticings
3. Lessson 5-Observing what fish need to survive?
4. Lesson 3 –Observing Beta- Drawing and labeling body parts and noticings
5. Lesson 4- Comparing Guppies an Beta
6. Lesson 6-Where can we find fish in our world? Class Trip to NY Aquarium
7. Lesson 7 –Where else do fish live in our world? (watch online video)/discussion
8. Follow up Lessons and Activities
Assessment
Lesson outcomes/products and student performance and participation will be a major
component of the assessment piece.
Lesson 1
Title: What Kinds of fish do we know?
Grade Level- Kindergarten
Duration
50 minutes
Objectives:
 Students will elicit background information to discuss the topic of fish
 Students will develop an awareness of fish as part of our natural world
Description:
In this lesson student will brainstorm fish they know to create a web. They will also participate
in a scavenger hunt for materials related to the topic of fish to create a fish study science
center.
Materials:
Fish picture cards, books on fish, shells, sponges, fish toys, magnifying lenses, Prepared index
cards where students are organized in groups of four (or in whatever management technique
works for you) for an activity later on in the lesson.
Have shells, cards, books, fish toys, magnifying lenses hidden (not too hidden they can’t find
them) around the room for scavenger hunt later on .
Arrange class in groups of four for a small group activity later on in the lesson.
Procedure:
1. Gather class in a meeting area and show them a picture of a fish.
2. Tell them they will be learning about fish for the next few weeks.
3. Discuss the question: Why should we learn about fish? (take some responses) Explain
how fish are part of our natural world
4. Create a web with the class titled Fish we know.
5. Fill in web with students responses jotting down the names of fish they tell you
(possible answers: goldfish, shark, dolphins, whales)
6. After the making the web tell the class you would like to create a fish study center in the
classroom so that anyone that comes to our room can see what we are learning about
and can go there to learn cool things as well.
7. Place students in groups of four and explain to them that their task is to search for
objects they think will be good to have in our fish study center and then bring those
objects to the center. Explain that you have hidden some things so they are going to
really have to look carefully around the room.
8. Activity: Students will be looking for books, toys, cards, shells, sponges, magnifying
lenses to bring back to the center.
Share:
After their scavenger hunt gather class at the science center to share and discuss their
findings. Class discusses some of their findings and why they think it belongs in our fish study
center.
Assessment:
Reflect on the following: Were students able to brainstorm fish they knew?
Were they actively engaged in the scavenger hunt? Did the items they find make sense for the
center? Were students able to share their findings and explain their reasoning?
Evaluation:
See Lesson Plan Evaluation Rubric
Lesson 2
Title:
Observing Guppies
Grade Level- Kindergarten
Duration:
50 minutes
Objectives:
 Students will observe, collect and communicate information about guppies
 Students will identify, draw and label body parts of guppies
Description:
Students are seated in tables and in groups of four and five on each table. Each table will
have a fish bowl or fish tank with two or three guppies for them to observe as a group. They
will also have magnifying lenses available at their tables.
Materials:
Fish bowls/tanks at each table with two to three guppies or more!
Magnifying lenses
Paper/pencils/colored pencils
Extra Help: you might need an extra pair of hands to help you set up the fish tanks at each
table while you are holding the lesson in your meeting area
Procedure:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Gather students at meeting area
Ask them if they have seen a alive fish before
Tell them that today they will be looking at guppies
Show them a fish bowl with the guppies
Tell them these guppies will be living in our room and we will be learning how to take
care of them but today we will be real scientists and we’ll be looking at them really
carefully
6. Tell them their job today is to notice everything they can and then to draw everything
they see on their fish on the paper at their tables.
7. Send table groups off to observe the guppies at their tables
8. Circulate and notice student observations, encourage them to observe more, to look
even more, to use magnifying lenses
9. Remind students to be careful with fish bowls (not to put anything in or take anything
out of it for it can hurt the fish)
10. Remind student to begin their drawing. Encourage them to draw everything they see.
Share:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Gather students in meeting area
Draw on chart paper a large drawing of the shape of the fish in your classroom (guppies)
Ask class to tell you what they noticed about their fish
Draw the body parts they tell you about- Help them name and label each part: head,
eyes, mouth, tail, fins, gills
5. Write down any noticings they tell you about under the drawing i.e. Fish can swim fast,
They move their tails as the swim, they open and close their mouth etc.
6. Ask class to return to their drawing and add any new findings we’ve learned about in
the share ( students may add labels for the body parts or write any new information
they’ve learned)
Assessment:
Students have created a fish study portfolio to keep all their work on this study. They will
place this lessons work in the portfolio.
Evaluate their fish drawing- did their drawing include basic fish body parts? Did it include
labels? Did they add to their drawing/labels/sentences?
Name_______________________________________
My Fish Observation
Lesson 3
Grade Level- Kindergarten
Title: What do fish need to survive?
Duration:
50 minutes-may also carry on to another session to finish
Objectives:
 Students will observe basic living requirements for fish
 Students will describe what basic requirements fish need to survive
Description:
As a whole class students will observe and discuss what fish need to survive.
Later on they will create posters on how to take care of your fish.
Materials:
Fish bowl/tanks with guppies/ fish food/ plants/ poster size chart paper/ markers
Prepare a bag with everyone’s name on a post it or piece of paper, fold it and place it inside
the bag.
Arrange class in groups of four for a small group activity later on in the lesson.
Procedure:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Gather students at meeting area and show them one fish bowl/tank with guppies
Ask them what do they think our guppies need to stay alive
List answers on chart paper (possible answers: water, food, plants)
Have a class discussion on how and why fish need water, air, food and plants to stay
alive.
Discuss how often the water needs to be cleaned and how much food is appropriate
Explain to class how we are all responsible in caring for our guppies but we will choose
two monitors to make sure our fish are always taken care of.
Call on a volunteer to choose two names out of a bag. These will be our fish monitors.
Place students in groups of four. Tell them that their job today is to create a poster that
will teach our new monitors how to take care of our guppies. They can use picture,
symbols and words to show their work. And each member of the group is responsible
for adding something to the poster that will teach our monitors how to take care of our
guppies.
9. Hand out poster size chart paper and markers for each group.
Share:
Groups share with class their posters.
We display posters around the classroom for monitors to refer to.
Assessment:
Observe student work and participation in creating their poster.
Each student is responsible for adding something to the poster that will teach our monitors
how to take care of our guppies.
Are the posters clear? Do they make sense? Do they teach to the topic?
Do they reflect what we’ve learned and discussed in the lesson?
Evaluation
See Lesson Plan Evaluation Rubric
Lesson 4
Title:
Observing Beta Fish
Grade Level- Kindergarten
Duration:
50 minutes
Objectives:
 Students will observe, collect and communicate information about beta fish
 Students will identify, draw and label body parts of beta fish
Description:
Students are seated in tables and in groups of four and five on each table. Each table will
have a fish bowl or fish tank with one beta fish for them to observe as a group. They will also
have magnifying lenses available at their tables.
Materials:
Fish bowls/tanks at each table with one beta fish
Magnifying lenses
Paper/pencils/colored pencils
Extra Help: you might need an extra pair of hands to help you set up the fish tanks at each
table while you are holding the lesson in your meeting area
Procedure:
1. Gather students at meeting area
a. Tell them that its been so exciting learning about guppies and today we will look a
a new fish coming to live in our classroom
2. Tell them that today they will be looking at beta fish
3. Show them a fish bowl with a beta ask them if they have seen them before (chances are
some of them know a lot of information about beta fish that they can share with the
class)
4. Tell them their job today is to notice everything they can and then to draw everything
they see on their fish on the paper at their tables.
5. Send table groups off to observe the fish at their tables
6. Circulate and notice student observations, encourage them to observe more, to look
even more, to use magnifying lenses
7. Remind students to be careful with fish bowls (not to put anything in or take anything
out of it for it can hurt the fish)
8. Remind student to begin their drawing. Encourage them to draw everything they see.
Share:
7. Gather students in meeting area
8. Draw on chart paper a large drawing of the shape of the fish in your classroom (Beta)
9. Ask class to tell you what they noticed about their fish
10.Draw the body parts they tell you about- Help them name and label each part: head,
eyes, mouth, tail, fins, gills
11.Write down any noticings they tell you about under the drawing i.e. Fish can swim fast,
They move their tails as the swim, they open and close their mouth etc.
12.Ask class to return to their drawing and add any new findings we’ve learned about in
the share ( students may add labels for the body parts or write any new information
they’ve learned)
Assessment:
Students have created a fish study portfolio to keep all their work on this study. They will
place this lessons work in the portfolio.
Evaluate their fish drawing- did their drawing include basic fish body parts? Did it include
labels? Did they add to their drawing/labels/sentences?
Name_______________________________________
My Fish Observation
Lesson 5
Title:
Comparing Guppies and Beta Fish
Grade Level- Kindergarten
Duration:
45-50 minutes
Objectives: Students will compare and contrast two fish they are familiar with by identifying
similarities and differences among these.
Description: Students will be observing guppies an beta fish and then discuss and make note
of any similarities and differences.
Materials:
Fish bowls/tanks at each table with two to three guppies and Beta fish
Magnifying lenses
Paper/pencils/colored pencils
Extra Help: you might need an extra pair of hands to help you set up the fish tanks at each
table while you are holding the lesson in your meeting area
Arrange class in partnerships to work in pairs later on in the lesson.
Comparing Guppies and Beta worksheet
Procedure:
1. Gather class at meeting area
2. Tell them that today they will be looking at both of their fishes (Beta and Guppies) at the
same time and they will notice how they are the same and how they are different.
3. Ask them if anyone has noticed already one thing that is the same about these two fish
(possible answers: they live in water, they have a tail) and one thing that is different
(possible answers: their color, size).
4. Show class how to record these findings on the worksheet at their tables.
5. Send students in pairs to observe our two fish and record their similarities and
differences.
Share:
Choose two partnerships to share there work with the class.
Create a large comparing and contrasting worksheet similar to the one the students worked
on and fill it in with the noticings from the share.
Assessment:
Students have created a fish study portfolio to keep all their work on this study. They will
place this lessons work in the portfolio.
Evaluate their partnership work, engagement and participation in today’s lesson.
Evaluate their worksheet. Did they find three or more similarities and three or more
differences.
Evaluation- See Lesson Evaluation Rubric
Name________________________________________________
Comparing Guppies and Beta
Same
Different
Lesson 6
Title:
Where can we Find Fish in our World?
Grade Level- Kindergarten
Duration:
2-3 school days
Objectives:
 Students will observe, collect and communicate information about fish in an aquarium
habitat
 Students will develop an awareness to different species of fish
Description:
Students will participate on a class visit to the New York Aquarium.
They will engage in pre and post trip activities.
Materials:
What do we expect to see at the Aquarium work sheet
Pencils/Clipboards
Arrange class in pairs (partnerships)
**Arrange parent volunteers to help chaperone trip
Procedure:
Pre Trip Activity
1. Discuss what they might expect to see at the aquarium
2. Create a checklist with their responses to use later on at the aquarium
During the trip
Class looks at the different exhibits at the aquarium
Handout clipboards with worksheets and pencils to partnerships
Partnerships check off they see on their list and make any noticings.
Post trip Activity
Whole class discussion on what we saw at the aquarium
Class creates mural on what they saw at the New York Aquarium displaying pictures of the
different type of fish and other animals they saw.
Share:
We display our mural in the school hallway for everyone to admire.
Assessment:
Students have created a fish study portfolio to keep all their work on this study. They will
place this lessons check list in the portfolio.
Evaluate their fish checklist- did they check off the fish we saw at the aquarium did they add
any noticings or more fish to the checklist?
Evaluation:
See Lesson Plan Evaluation Rubric
Possible Checklist for Aquarium Visit
Names of
Partnerships________________________________________________
At the aquarium I might expect to see:
o Sharks
o Sting rays
o Clownfish
o Jelly fish
o Octopus
o Sea turtles
o Dolphins
o Star fish
o Crabs
o Penguins
o Seahorses
Other Fish
I noticed
Lesson 7
Title:
Fish in our Natural World
Grade Level- Kindergarten
Duration:
45-50 minutes
Objectives:
 Students will observe, collect and communicate information about fish in their natural
habitat
 Students will observe and develop an awareness and sensitivity to fish living in their
natural habitat.
Description:
Students will watch a video on fish living in their natural habitat. Later on they will discuss and
write about what they saw.
Materials:
Online access
http://video.kids.nationalgeographic.com/video/player/kids/animals-pets-kids/fish-kids/rivercatfish-kids.html
http://video.kids.nationalgeographic.com/video/player/kids/animals-pets-kids/fish-kids/fishsymbiosis-kids.html
http://video.kids.nationalgeographic.com/video/player/kids/animals-pets-kids/fishkids/molas-kids.html
http://video.kids.nationalgeographic.com/video/player/kids/animals-pets-kids/fishkids/clownfish-kids.html
paper , markers
Procedure:
1. Gather students in meeting area where there is visual access to a computer.
2. Have a discussion- remind students how we have been learning about fish, we’ve seen
them living in our classroom and at the aquarium. Ask them where else do you think
fish live? (possible answers: ocean, pond, lake etc.)
3. Tell them that today we have a special treat we will be watching some video clips of
different fish living in their natural habitat. For some their natural habitat will be the
ocean for others it will be a river or a lake.
4. Tell them that after they watch the video clips they will draw and write about their
favorite one.
5. Show class video clips on catfish, molas and clownfish.
6. Stop after each clip to talk about what they saw
Share:
1. Discuss what they liked about the videos
2. Hand out paper and markers for students to draw and write about their favorite fish.
Assessment:
Students have created a fish study portfolio to keep all their work on this study. They will
place this lessons work in the portfolio.
Evaluate their fish drawing. Did they draw a fish related to the lesson. Did the drawing include
details/ labels/ important findings?
Evaluation-
See Lesson Plan Evaluation Rubric
Possible Follow up Lessons and activities
1. Visit a local fish market with your class and purchase a fish. Take it back to the
classroom to study. Students identify its body parts. They research (with help) what
kind of fish it is and then can make oral presentations of their fish to other classes.
2. Visit the Milstein Hall of Ocean Life at the American Museum of Natural HistoryStudents appreciate and see the diversity of life in the ocean. They can also compare
this exhibit to the ones they saw at the museum.
Lesson Evaluation Rubric
Score of 1
 Most students are
unclear about the task
they were asked to do
 Most students are not
actively engaged
 Students
performance/product is
unclear and not related
to the lesson
Score of 2
 Some (about half of the
class) students are clear
about the task they
were asked to do
 Some students are
actively engaged in the
lesson activities
 Some students
performance/ product
is clear and related to
the lesson
**You want your lesson to score a 3
Score of 3
 Most students are clear
about the task they
were asked to do
 Most students are
actively engaged in the
lesson activities
 Most students
performance/ product
is clear and related to
the lesson