Lesson 4: How have fish adapted to survive in the Duration: 50 minutes environment they live in? Suggested learning sequence Introduction How do fish swim? Bigger fish like sharks and – sharks have larger, longer tails to View footage on YouTube or other swim long distances. Internet sites to view different fish Colour swimming. Include footage of fast fish (sharks, barracuda), slower moving fish Brightly coloured reef fish blend in (seahorses, whale sharks) and with the reef (camouflage). examples of different body shapes and Bright colours can also be a colours (trigger fish, butterfly fish). warning to stay away. Some animals have dull grey Generate a discussion about four colours so they do not stand out or different fish body parts and how these can be hard to see in water. adaptations help the animal survive in Activity Create a fish – their environment. Show photos of different fish to guide the conversation. Explain to students they are to Examples include: draw a fish of their own design and explain their choice of adaptations. Mouth shape Whale sharks have very large Students will consider four main parts of mouths to open and filter as much the fish: mouth shape, body shape, tail water as possible in each gulp. shape and colour. Sharks have very sharp teeth and large mouths to grip and rip the Have pictures for students to view to flesh off their prey. get ideas of the different types of Parrot fish have strong beaks like shapes of the fish. (See web ‘Useful teeth to scrape and bite coral to links’ for ideas). remove algae. You could step through one fish first Body shape with the class to provide an example. Sharks have long, streamlined With drawing, students will need to bodies and are for speed to write an explanation of their choice of catch prey. each of the four main parts of the fish Slower moving animals like the and how these adaptations help the fish seahorse have a body shape that survive in their environment. helps them blend in and hide in their environment. Ask students to name fish and Tail shape share their design with the class. Display the fish designs. A lot of reef fish have short rounded tails for short bursts of Optional activity: Students could speed to escape from predators. create a 3D fish model of their drawing and display these in class.
Lesson 4: How have fish adapted to survive in the environment they live in? Duration: 50 minutes Suggested learning sequence Introduction – How do fish swim? View footage on YouTube or other Internet sites to view different fish swimming. Include footage of fast fish (sharks, barracuda), slower moving fish (seahorses, whale sharks) and examples of different body shapes and colours (trigger fish, butterfly fish). Generate a discussion about four different fish body parts and how these adaptations help the animal survive in their environment. Show photos of different fish to guide the conversation. Examples include: Mouth shape Whale sharks have very large mouths to open and filter as much water as possible in each gulp. Sharks have very sharp teeth and large mouths to grip and rip the flesh off their prey. Parrot fish have strong beaks like teeth to scrape and bite coral to remove algae. Body shape Sharks have long, streamlined bodies and are for speed to catch prey. Slower moving animals like the seahorse have a body shape that helps them blend in and hide in their environment. Tail shape A lot of reef fish have short rounded tails for short bursts of speed to escape from predators. Bigger fish like sharks and sharks have larger, longer tails to swim long distances. Colour Brightly coloured reef fish blend in with the reef (camouflage). Bright colours can also be a warning to stay away. Some animals have dull grey colours so they do not stand out or can be hard to see in water. Activity – Create a fish Explain to students they are to draw a fish of their own design and explain their choice of adaptations. Students will consider four main parts of the fish: mouth shape, body shape, tail shape and colour. Have pictures for students to view to get ideas of the different types of shapes of the fish. (See ‘Useful web links’ for ideas). You could step through one fish first with the class to provide an example. With drawing, students will need to write an explanation of their choice of each of the four main parts of the fish and how these adaptations help the fish survive in their environment. Ask students to name fish and share their design with the class. Display the fish designs. Optional activity: Students could create a 3D fish model of their drawing and display these in class.
Reef-Guardians-2016-Year-5-Animal-adaptations.docx