Hooks and Ladders

Essential Question
TBW

Objectives

 * Describe how some fish migrate as part of their life cycles
 * Identify the stages of the life cycle of one kind of fish
 * Describe limiting factors affecting Pacific salmon as they complete their life cycles
 * Generalize that limiting factors affect all populations of animals

Introduction & Student Background
Many fish migrate from one habitat to another during their lives. Both the Atlantic and Pacific salmon are examples of fish that endure a spectacular migration.

The life cycle for Pacific salmon begins when the female deposits 1,000 to 5,000 eggs in her freshwater spawn. The eggs are deposited in a shallow gravel depression that she digs by flapping her tail from side to side. Once the eggs are deposited, the male fertilizes them; then both fish nudge the gravel back over the eggs to offer as much protection as possible.

Vocabulary

 * life cycle
 * limiting factors
 * population
 * migration

Materials

 * Large playing area (approximately 100 feet x 50 feet)
 * 500 feet of rope, six traffic cones, or masking tape (boundary marking)
 * two cardboard boxes
 * 100 tokens (notecards, poker chips, etc.)
 * jump rope

Lesson Plan
See attachment for full lesson plan.



How it Fits to Standard

 * Heredity and Adaptation (4-5): Ecosystems change. Organisms that can adapt to these changes will survive and reproduce in higher numbers.
 * Changes in Ecosystem (2-3): Changes in ecosystems affect living populations and the non-living elements of a defined area.

Follow Up
TBW