Introduction

• Subject: Science
• Topic: Salmon Life Cycle
• Grade Level: First
• Student Lesson Page URL:ctap295.ctaponline.org/~kangell/student/

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Standards Addressed

SCIENCE
2. Plants and animals meet their needs in different ways. As a basis for understanding this concept, students know: 

a. different plants and animals inhabit different kinds of environments and have external features that help them  thrive in different kinds of places. 
b. plants and animals both need water; animals need food, and plants need light. 
c. animals eat plants or other animals for food and may also use plants or even other animals for shelter and nesting.

Organization and Focus (Grade One)
1.1 Select a focus when writing. 
1.2 Use descriptive words when writing.

Penmanship (Grade One)
1.3 Print legibly and space letters, words, and sentences appropriately.

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Instructional Objectives

1. Students will create a life sized salmon.  They will cut out the stages of the salmon life cycle and then places the stages in the correct order on the salmon.
2. Students will brainstorm how salmon are built for life in the water.  Students then create a model of a salmon showing fins, mouth, gills, scales, tail, eyes and body shape.
3. Students will listen to books about salmon life cycle and will brainstorm the needs of each stage of the life cycle.
4. Students will draw a picture showing that stage in the salmon's life cycle.  The drawing should include what the salmon look like, what they eat, where they live and habitat requirements.  They will also write a paragraph explaining that stage of the life cycle.  Make sure they show where they live, what they eat, what might eat them and anything else that helps them stay alive.
5. Students will recreate their drawing using Kid Pix and type in the paragraph.
6. After typing paragraph students will read their paragraph on their Kid Pix page.
7. Students will choose a class project to help protect salmon and complete the project.

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Student Activities

Enabling Activities
1. Show overhead presentation about salmon life cycle.  Students cut out life cycle stages and life-size salmon.  The middle section of the salmon is accordion folded into 6 sections.  Students glue each stage in the correct order; one stage in each section of the accordion fold mid-section.  Find worksheet at: http://cybersalmon.fws.gov/wksht.html
2. Ask students to brainstorm what they know about what how salmon look.  How many fins do they have?  What shape are they?  Where are there eyes?  Where is the mouth?  Do they have ears?  what is their body covered with?  Which way does the tail face?  Use this link to find out more about the external features of a salmon: http://www2.northstar.k12.ak.us/schools/upk/chena/salmon/exterior.html
3. Read salmon literature to your class.  Have them listen to find out what salmon need to live at each stage of their life.
4. After reading several books about the salmon's life cycle ask students to brainstorm what they know about each stage.  List their responses on chart paper or use one 12"X18" piece of construction paper.  Students will be using this information for their reports later, so keep them in a safe place.  This is a fairly tedious process, so you may want to take 2 days to complete this.
5. Give students a take home internet search homework.  Students may use this site to connect  to other site to learn information.
Students can use these worksheets independently to learn more about salmon:
crossword.pdf
dot2dot.pdf
fill^in.pdf
fishrod.pdf
fishspot.pdf
frymaze.pdf
hid^alev.pdf
hid^smlt.pdf
jigsaw.pdf
lineladder.pdf

Click on this website to find more links:

http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/fil/pages/huntsalmonmr3.html

Culminating Activity
1. Have class share what they know about each stage.  Record their results on a chart
 

2. Post the chart where everyone can see it.  Ask students to choose one stage and question to answer.
3. Have students write a paragraph (or several sentences) and draw a picture to match.  This will be used as a rough draft for their drawing on the computer.
4. Using Kid Pix or a drawing program, have students reproduce their picture on the computer and then type the paragraph.  If you are using Kid Pix, have students read their text into the computer.
5. The teacher may choose to put these pictures into a slide show  or train several students to load the pages into a slide show.

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Assessment

Use this rubric to grade the Kid Pix page your students will produce.

Score
4	3 - 4 sentences Spelled correctly Capitals correct Proper punctuation ( .  !  ? ) Writing matches the picture
3	2 sentences Most words spelled correctly Most capitals correct Some proper punctuation ( .  !  ? ) Writing matches the picture
2	2 sentences Most words spelled correctly Most capitals correct Some proper punctuation ( .  !  ? ) Writing doesn't match the picture
1	1 sentence Some words spelled correctly Some capitals correct Some proper punctuation ( .  !  ? ) Writing doesn't match the picture
0	1 sentences Many words spelled incorrectly Capitals used incorrectly Few punctuation ( .  !  ? ) marks used correctly Writing doesn't match the picture

 Click here to view final Power Point presentation

Introductory Activity Materials
Chart paper to record student responses.

Enabling Activity Materials
Teacher materials - fish anatomy and stewardship
http://www.kidfish.bc.ca/main3.htm
photos of each stage, click on salmonid life cycle
http://www.newberg.k12.or.us/ey/html/trout.html
photos of eggs
http://www.sf.adfg.state.ak.us/region2/iande/html/snapshot.cfm
Life Cylce worksheet
http://cybersalmon.fws.gov/wksht.html
External Features of a salmon

crossword.pdf
dot2dot.pdf
fill^in.pdf
fishrod.pdf
fishspot.pdf
frymaze.pdf
hid^alev.pdf
hid^smlt.pdf
jigsaw.pdf
lineladder.pdf

http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/fil/pages/huntsalmonmr3.html

http://www2.northstar.k12.ak.us/schools/upk/chena/salmon/exterior.html
I found these books on Amazon.com:

The Salmon (Life Cycles)
    by Sabrina Crewe, Colin Newman (Illustrator). Paperback (September 1998)
Magic School Bus Goes Upstream : A Book About Salmon on Migration (Magic School Bus Series)
    by Joanna Cole, Bruce Degen (Illustrator). Paperback (June 1997) 
Down to the Sea : The Story of a Little Salmon and His Neighborhood
      by Jay Nicholas (Illustrator). Hardcover (November 1999)  I loved this book, but it is over the heads of most first graders.  Read it over several days so you can stop to discuss and answer questions.
Ebbie & Flo
      by Irene Kelly. Hardcover (May 1998)
A Salmon for Simon
       by Betty Waterton, Ann Blades (Illustrator). Paperback (June 1998)
Salmon Boy : A Legend of the Sechelt People
      by Donna Joe, Charlie Craigan (Illustrator). Paperback (December 1999)
The Big Fish : An Alaskan Fairytale
      by Marcia Wakeland, Sasha Sagan (Illustrator). Hardcover

Culminating Activity
Students were sent home with an optional homework assignment to find out about salmon to share with the class for the slide show.