Fish and Marine Life

By: Maureen Moriarty Literature Focus Unit

EDU 315

Literature SelectionOne Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish By:

Dr. SeussRainbow Fish to the Rescue! By: Marcus

PifsterOcean Fish School By: Bob ReeseThe Ocean Alphabet Book By: Jerry PallotaIsland of the Blue Dolphins By: Scott O’Dell

Theme StudyStudents will take part in a thematic unit on

fish and marine life. This unit will integrate reading and writing with social studies, science, mathematics, art, music, and physical education.

Students will develop an understanding of the marine life and fish, different types of sea life, and different areas around the world.

Language Arts: Reading ActivitiesStudents will read various fiction and non-

fiction books and poetry about fish and marine life through silent reading, partner reading, guided reading, reading aloud, and reader’s theatre.

Students will share their papers on their life as a fish

Students will share poems they wrote on marine life

Teacher will read aloud from Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell

Language Arts: Writing ActivitiesStudents will write a one to two page paper

about life as a fish. They will include where they live, what they eat and etc.

Students will write a concrete poem about marine life or fish

Students will list and discuss good and bad things about the marine life environment

Students will write personal reflections about their interactions with fish and marine life

Language Arts: Speaking ActivitiesStudents will discuss advantages and

disadvantages about the marine life environment.

Students will trade off reading out of Island of the Blue Dolphins

Students will share the stories that they wrote with other peers in front of the class

Language Arts: Listening ActivitiesStudents will listen to the different types of fish

and marine life presented by the teacherStudents will listen to the other students in their

class’ stories. Students will listen while teacher gives out other

information on marine life and fishStudents will listen to readings from Island of the

Blue DolphinsStudents will listen to different types of poetryStudents will listen to guest speaker: marine

biologist

Language Arts: Viewing ActivitiesStudents will view photographs I show them

from my home town where there are tide pools

Students will view a power point with pictures, video clips, and list the several different types of fish and marine life and where they live

Students will view videos and magazines on National Geographic portions for fish and marine life

Language Arts: Visually Representing ActivitiesAt the end of the unit teacher will show the

movie Finding Nemo to the class and eat popcorn.

Students will present their poems in an artistic way

Students will create a fish bowl mural in their room of the rainbow fish they make.

Science ActivitiesStudents will take a trip down to the river or a pond near

by to test the ammonia, pH, D.O., and Nitrate of the water with test kits.

Students will learn different types and kinds of fish and research them on the internet

Students will understand marine life areas such as tide pools, estuary's, etc.

Students will locate the different marine life environments on the globe around the world

Students will learn the food chain for fish and other marine life

Students will listen to a marine biologist who will come into the classroom and discuss their job and about marine life

Mathematics Activities Students will survey who has been or seen different

marine life outside of the state.Students will mark down how many different states

each classmate has been to and discuss with the class at the end

Students will measure the water from the pond or river for the test kit

Students will count the different marine life animals or amphibians and list them

Discuss the important math has on science and explain the reasoning for math in scientific jobs, etc.

Social Studies ActivitiesStudents will locate on the map the different

areas of the world that have a marine life environment or habitat

Have students list and locate all of the major oceans on the planet

Students will make travel brochures or vacation brochures on places with unique fish or marine life (Galapagos Islands, Monterey Bay Aquarium, etc)

Music and Art ActivitiesStudents will listen to different noises and sounds made

by marine life (technology oriented, power point, you tube video clips)

Students will create a rainbow fish, decorate it, and paste it on top of a large class watercolor mural in the classroom which will be the ocean

Students will make their own rain sticks and it will represent the sound of the water one the rocks of the tide pools.

Students will use their rain sticks during music timeStudents will make a frog and tell the name, where they

live, what they eat and hang it on the ceiling above their desk

Physical Education ActivitiesStudents will take a field trip to a pool and

have a swimming partyMermaid vs. Merman relay, students will hop

in a sack like a mermaid with no legs around the cone and back with split ups groups.

Have a jellyfish balloon toss in the gym or playground.

Play a “fish toss” game with plastic fishPlay Sharks and Menno’s

Technologyhttp://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/http://marinebio.org/Show audio clips via http://youtube.com on

exciting marine life clipsShow Finding Nemo and other audio facts

movies about marine lifeShow digital photography of my pictures

from back home as exampleshttp://classroomclipart.com/cgi-bin/kids/imag

eFolio.cgi?direct=Animals/Marine_LifeNational Geographic’s

Language Arts StrategiesActivating background knowledge: students will share what

they already know about marine life and fish in beginning discussion

Brainstorming: students will think of advantages and disadvantages of living near a marine life environment

Discussion: students will get the change several times to discuss with each other the different types of marine life , what they know and don’t know

Connecting: students will connect this unit to their lives as they write stories and poetry about it

Visualizing: students expand their creativity by doing the art projects and viewing the pictures and video clips to open up there mind and teach them about the different parts of the world

Language Arts SkillsList: students will decorate with color the

different vocabulary associated with this unit in the beginning

Language: Students will apply different skills in each of the subjects areas

Charting: students will learn how to track data and record it

Grouping PatternsLarge group: students will engage with their

classmates on fieldtrips and whole class activities

Small groups: students will learn to work with partners or a couple of other students to test water, participate in relay, etc.

Individual: students will write papers and poems

Calendar (for one week)Monday Tuesday Wednesd

ayThursday Friday

Language Arts

*Intro conversation *Discussion on the advantages and disadvantages about marine life *Students write a short reflection on their experiences with marine life and fish

*Finish personal reflections*Go over poetry *Students write a concrete poem on fish or marine life

*View power point of pictures from my home*Read stories and show magazines and clips from National Geographic

*Write a story about for their “rainbow fish” and research and write where the fish is from, what it eats, what he/she likes to do, etc

*Watch Finding Nemo and discuss different marine life and fish shown

Art/Music *Listen to different noises and sounds made by marine life*Start day one of making rain sticks

*Complete rain sticks*With rain sticks the class will sing to songs with the beat and noise of their rain sticks

*Begin making rainbow fish

*Finish rainbow fish

*Show and tell in front of class your rainbow fish and his or her story about them and hang them above desk’s

Math *Survey the students who have been out of state and what states and make a graph

*Students will list different marine life and fish into categories and count and chart them

*Discuss how math relates to science for jobs, etc.

*Measure the water and pH when they are on their field trip

*Graph the different areas around the world with their marine life and fish , and compare

Science *Students will learn facts about marine life and fish Discussion , power point, and clips of different places with different marine life and fish

*Internet research in the school library about three specific marine life animals or fish

*Guest speaker Marine Biologist will come in and discuss what he does

*Field trip to the river or pond to test the water and look at marine life and fish

*Discussion on the food chain and complete the worksheet

P.E. *Plastic fish toss

*Play Sharks and Menno's

*Mermaid vs. Merman re lay

*Jellyfish water balloon toss

*Take a field trip to a pool for a swim party

Assessments Poems and stories will be handed in for gradeScience results and data sheets will be

turned in after testing waterPortfolio artwork will be handed in for

teacher to put up in the classroomWalking around and observing during group

work and activity will help me determine if the students are conveying the message or not