Project 1: "Fish Friends"

  General Information

  Project Overview

The students will be part of the "Fish Friends" project sponsored by the Atlantic Salmon Federation. The goal of the Fish Friends project is to increase awareness of conservation challenges and to make the right decisions on the use of the land, water, air, and the well being of all living things that depend for their survival on a healthy environment.

The "Fish Friends" project allows the class to hatch 100 salmon eggs in the classroom in an approved fish tank. The hatched salmon fry are released in the river in June. It is hoped that the students will have a lifelong commitment to the conservation of our recreational and commercial fish and the environment in which they live.

Students will interact with other students involved with the Fish Friends Project in the Atlantic Provinces via the Internet.

  Curriculum Connections

Social Studies:

1. The life cycle of the salmon
2. Concept of location of inland waterways, rivers, and oceans
3. How the people of Labrador depend on the salmon as a source of food and income

Science:

1. Living things in the classroom
2. Controlling water temperature in the classroom
3. The importance of keeping water clean for fish
4. Observing the hatching of fish eggs
5. Incubation of fish eggs

Language Arts:

Skills:

• Reading
• Online communication
• Interpreting the effects of environmental influences on salmon survival through recalling significant details
• Participate in discussions
• Analyze and summarize information

Math:

Skills:

• Measurement
• Numeric

Learning Outcomes:

1. Accumulation of factual information about the salmon life cycle, salmon habitat, and rate of survival.
2. Students will interact with another site via the Internet. This community will have salmon as one of its resources. In particular a Labrador community.
3. Students will study the concept of habitat.
4. Students will study the interactions and dependencies of living things in fresh and salt waters.
5. In the salmon life cycle, students will study the process of change over time.
6. Students will understand that complex interrelationships exist in the natural world.
7. Students will produce online reports, graphs, and project comparisons.

  Resource Connections

• The STELLAR Schools Internet Connection to communicate with other communities involved in the "Fish Friends" Project.
• The Atlantic Salmon Federation Website.
• "On The Rise" - A quarterly publication of the Atlantic Salmon Federation that is available to students.