Sockeye Scents

Method
Students participate in a map and simulation exercises that help them understand the migration of the sockeye salmon.

Objectives

 * Trace and label the migratory route that sockeye salmon take from the ocean to an upstream lake
 * describe one theory about how salmon can find its birth stream
 * explain how adaptations enable some species to survive and maintain their populations

Vocabulary

 * migration
 * spawning

Materials

 * map of the Columbia River system in Oregon
 * pencils
 * crayons
 * markers
 * 40 paper cups
 * paper towels
 * 40 rubber bands
 * 25 (indoors) to 75 (outdoors) yards of blue ribbon or chalk
 * four sample scents such as garlic, mint, chocolate, and anise
 * cotton balls

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