Observing Fish Behavior
(Over Several Months)

Objective:

The student will be able to identify and explain the purpose of at least five different fish behaviors by observing one fish in the classroom aquarium over a period of time.

Materials Needed:

• Aquademics™ Science Worksheets #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, and #10
• Pencil and paper for each student
• A fully-operational Aquademics™ aquarium
• Notebook or folder for each student group
• Rulers (class set)
• Calculators (class set)

Activity:

1. Engage students in a brief discussion of behavior.  For example, read the definition in the dictionary and ask students to name some different behaviors that are common to children of their age.  To inspire creative discussion, let them imagine that they are being observed by aliens from the planet Zork.  What types of behaviors do the students exhibit that the aliens would be recording each day?  Make a list on the board.
2. Remind students that simple observations can provide them (as amateur scientists) with a great deal of information about the fish in the classroom aquarium.  Some of the observational data in this lesson include:  How are the fish adapting to their new environment?  Have  you noticed any changes in the behavior of an individual fish?  Is one fish behaving aggressively towards the others?  Has there been a change in the feeding habits?
3. Divide students into pairs or small groups.  Assign each pair/group a fish in the aquarium.  Each pair/group will be responsible for making regular observations of their assigned fish.  This procedure ensures that every student will be actively involved in the activity and that observations can continue to be made even if one student in the pair/group is sick.
4. Each pair/group should have a special folder or notebook to contain their fish observations and the worksheets for this lesson.  (Pieces of paper that are stapled together can make a perfectly acceptable notebook - just decorate the front piece with some fish art!)
5. Before observations begin, review fish classification and external anatomy using the background material in Aquademics™ Science Worksheet #4.  Have each group place this sheet in their notebook/folder.
6. Have each pair/group complete the Fish Information Sheet on Aquademics™ Science Worksheet #7. The background material on Worksheet #4, #5 and #6 will provide most of the information students will need.  If Internet access is available, have the students use the Tetra Virtual Aquarium (http://www.tetra-fish.com/virtualaquarium.html) to find information about their fish.  Set up a classroom aquarium library with reference books on tropical fish.  Have the students share what they have learned about their fish with the rest of the class.
7. Establish a program routine and share it with the students.  Each student pair/group will need to take turns at the aquarium for about 10 minutes every couple of days.  The students will gain a sense of ownership and responsibility for the classroom aquarium if they are a part of the process at every stage.
8. Explain to the students that it is not always easy to determine what the fish is doing and that sometimes the fish will perform many activities during the course of one observation session.  A behavioral observation is like a snapshot of the fish at a particular point in time.  What the students record should be exactly what they see regardless of how uneventful the behavior.   Select a fish in the aquarium and use it as an example to demonstrate how to observe and record properly.  Review the Behavioral Observations Reference on Aquademics™ Science Worksheet #8 to help the students learn the behaviors they will be observing.
9. The students are now ready to begin observing.  Have them use the Behavioral Observations Reference to help them complete the Behavioral Observations Data Table on Aquademics™ Science Worksheet #9 over a period of time.
10. Once a good quantity of data has been collected over a selected period of time (at least one month), have each student pair/group complete the Fish Behavioral Profile on Aquademics™ Science Worksheet #10.

Teacher's Note:

Have each pair/group keep their fish notebooks at school, as this material may get lost if students take it home.  Stress to the students the importance of keeping accurate and complete records for referral and analysis purposes.  After all, that's what real scientists require.

Result:

Discuss the results of this long-term observation lesson as a class.  Allow each pair/group to present their findings.  Ask each group to write down at least three new things they learned about their fish during the observation period.

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