Lesson Plan

"Fishy Business"                        Don't Let It Loose: 5-8th Grade

Download Lesson Plan
Students study a freshwater habitat
Grade Level:
Fifth Grade-Eighth Grade
Subject:
Aquatic Studies, Conservation, Marine Biology
Duration:
45 mins
Group Size:
Up to 36
Setting:
indoors or outdoors
National/State Standards:
Next Generation Sunshine State Standards:
5th MA.5.A.4.2 SC.5.L.15
6th MA.6.A.3.6  SC.6.N.1.1
7th SC.7.E.6.6

National Science Standards grades 5-8:
Life Science: NS.5-8.3
Personal and Social Perspectives: NS.5-8.3
Keywords:
Exotic, native, food chain, predator, prey, ecosystem, Survival, Fish

Overview

Students will examine the effect of exotic species on an ecosystem by role-playing both a healthy food chain and one that has been impacted by Mayan cichlids. Students will also be able to discuss a basic food chain, define and give examples of exotic species, and discuss how exotic species can disrupt a food chain.

Background

Our "Don't let it Loose" unit is broken into seven lesson plans, each taking 45 minutes to 4 classroom periods to complete, and targeted primarily at middle school students. A class needn't complete every lesson in the unit, though some lessons do refer to one another. However, each lesson comes with its own set of objectives and resources.

 

Additional Resources

www.nps.gov/ever/forteachers/dlil.htm

 

Vocabulary

exotic, native, food chain, predator, prey

Last updated: April 14, 2015