These primary lessons (K-2) are intended to present background knowledge to students as they undertake the study of the Bull and Cutthroat Trout in the Blackfoot River. These lessons are intended to help the students gain an understanding of the world in which they live, the Blackfoot Watershed. Students will learn how to collect and analyze data. Students will be placed in the role of scientists as they investigate and observe natural phenomena. Students will acquire and apply critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

• Activities
• Extension Activities
• Benchmarks
• Materials & Preparation

Activity One:"One Fish, Two Fish"

• Students listen to the teacher read Dr. Seuss' One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish.
• Students are given paper and the three primary crayons (red, yellow, and blue).
• Students draw three fish and color them any of the three primary colors. (Ex: two red and one blue or three yellow)
• Students cut out their three fish in preparation for Activity Two.

Activity Two: Vertical Pictographs

• Students lay out a large sheet of butcher paper and draw three columns using a yardstick.
• Students paste cut-outs of red, blue, and yellow fish at the bottom of each column.
• Students draw a horizontal line above the three fish.
• Students paste one cut-out fish from Activity One in the appropriate column on the butcher paper.
• Students will discuss the results after the graph is completed. "Which color did most children choose?" , "What is the color picked by the fewest children?", etc.

Activity Three: Horizontal Pictographs

• Students lay out a large sheet of butcher paper and draw six rows with a yard stick.
• Students paste cut-outs of red, blue, yellow, orange, purple, and green fish pasted on the left side of each row.
• Students draw a vertical line after the fish.
• Students color, using their primary colors, over one of their fish, from Activity One, with a different crayon.
• Students leave the third fish its original color.
• Students paste their two fish in the appropriate row on the butcher paper.
• Technology option: Students could use software such as Graph Links, Kid Pix 2, or Graph Club to replicate their graphs.

Activity Four: The Gillygoofang

• Students will listen to the story The Gillygoofang by George Mendoza.
• Students discuss the plants and animals mentioned in the story.
• Students will group plants and animals according to their similarities and differences.
• Students list those plants and animals that would be found in the Blackfoot River
• Students draw pictures of the trout habitat

Activity Five: Fishy Story

• Students listen to the teacher read the book Swimmy by Leo Lionni.
• Students choose one of the fish to write about.
• Students should write about the environment that the fish lives in and tell what it eats.
• Students will draw an illustration of the fish they wrote about.
• Technology option #1: Students could use Kid Works to write and illustrate their story.
• Technology option #2: Students could use Kid Pix to write and illustrate their story. All students' stories and illustrations could then be put into a Kid Pix SlideShow.
• Wavy sentences: Students could write a descriptive sentence about the water environment in a wavy pattern , when handwriting their story.

Activity Six: Rainbow Fish

• Students will listen to the story Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister.
• Students will draw an outline of a fish.
• Students will cut scales out of colored construction paper and aluminum foil.
• Students will paste scales on their fish and draw the eyes and mouth.

Activity Seven: Adopt-A-Trout

• Students will adopt one of the radio transmitter trout from the Blackfoot River.
• Students will use the Internet to follow the progress their trout makes up the Blackfoot River.
• Students will follow the progress their trout by marking it on a classroom map.
• Students will create a graph that shows the miles their trout travels each day.
• Students will speculate about what causes the different progress on different days, after monitoring the progress of their trout.

Extension Activities

• One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish-This is a Venn Diagram activity associated with the Dr. Seuss book.
• Swimmy-This site contains many activities that children can do after reading Swimmy.
• Swimmy and the Deep Blue Sea-This is an online activity about sea creatures.
• The Fish Builder-At this site children will be able to create their own fish.
• Lake Trout-This contains a print-out of a lake trout.
• Montana's Trout-This site contains information on Montana's Bull and Cutthroat Trout.
• Adopt-A-Watershed-These are curriculum units for each grade level.

Benchmarks

• Examine, describe, compare and classify tangible objects in terms of common physical properties. (Science, Activity 2)
• Explain cause and effect relationships in living systems and non-living components within ecosystems. (Science, Activity 5)
• Create and use a classification system to group a variety of plants and animals according to their similarities and differences. (Science, Activity )
• Use the number system by counting, grouping and applying place value concepts. (Mathematics, Activity 2)
• Collect, organize and display data. (Mathematics, Activities 2 & 3)
• Construct, read, and interpret displays of data, including graphs. (Mathematics, Activities 2 & 3)
• Provide oral, written, and/or artistic responses to ideas and feelings generated by the reading material. (Reading, Activities 2 &5)
• Read and provide oral, written, and/or artistic responses to diverse perspectives, culture, and issues in traditional and contemporary literature. (Reading, Activity 6)
• Distinguish fact from opinion in various print and nonprint material. (Reading, Activity 4)
• Apply conventions of standard written English (e.g. spelling, punctuation, usage) appropriate for grade level and purpose. (Writing, Activity 5)
• Share and publish a legible final product. (Writing, Activity 5)
• Apply the elements of line, shape, form, color, space, value and texture to compose works of art and the principles of design-pattern, balance, contrast, rhythm, proportion, economy, movement, dominance. (Art, Activities 1, 4, 5 & 6)
• Develop basic skills and procedures needed to operate various technologies. (Technology, Activities 3 & 5)
• Develop and present a project using technology. (Technology, Activity 5)

Materials and Preparation

• One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish by Dr. Seuss
• The Gillygoofang by George Mendoza
• Swimmy by Leo Lionni
• Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister
• Crayons
• Butcher paper
• Writing paper
• Aluminum foil
• Colored construction paper