Kokanee Karnival
Classroom Fish Dissection
What Teachers Can Expect
The classroom fish dissection project educates students about internal and external fish anatomy, and the functions of each body part. Prior to the arrival of the presenter(s), students should be paired, as one fish is provided per two students. Teachers may want to cover desks with newspaper or similar material to make clean-up easier. The session starts with a 20-25 minute overview of fish anatomy by the presenter, usually with the aid of a fabric salmon. Questions by the students are encouraged at this time. The next step is to distribute the trout. Paint trays to contain the fish during dissection and scissors are provided by the presenter. Teachers may want to provide latex gloves to students. The presenter then leads the students through an organized dissection of the trout, which takes approximately 45 minutes. When the dissection is completed, the fish are disposed of in a garbage can liner provided by the teacher. Students then assist in washing of scissors and clean-up of desks, which takes approximately 10 minutes. The total project should be completed in approximately 75-90 minutes. Before leaving, the presenter can provide review materials to the teacher if desired.
For more information on Fish Dissection email Tom “Doc” Walker at gutz@kokaneekarnival.org.
Also, consult Chapter 7 in the Kokanee Karnival Youth Education Program manual available in DOWNLOADS.
