K-2

Fish Prints

Implement this lesson:

Use this lesson when discussing animal ecosystems, habitats, or other environmental TEKs. This lesson can be used as part of a larger local theme i.e. Oceans Week. It can also be used for a fish themed day. The duration of this lesson can vary based on student and teacher needs.

Learning Objective:

Students will be able to learn about local small fish in the wetlands. They will create an fish print art project using their knowledge.

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS)

Science TEKS 

K.10(B)  identify basic parts of plants and animals  

K.10(A)  sort plants and animals into groups based on physical characteristics such as color, size, body covering, or leaf shape 

1.9(B) analyze and record examples of interdependence found in various situations such as terrariums and aquariums or pet and caregiver  

1.10(A)  investigate how the external characteristics of an animal are related to where it lives, how it moves, and what it eats

2.10(A) observe, record, and compare how the physical characteristics and behaviors of animals help them meet their basic needs   

2.10(B) observe, record, and compare how the physical characteristics of plants help them meet their basic needs such as stems carry water throughout the plant   

 2.10(C) investigate and record some of the unique stages that insects such as grasshoppers and butterflies undergo during their life cycle 

ELA TEKS

K.3(B) use illustrations and texts the student is able to read or hear to learn or clarify word meanings

K.5(B) generate questions about text before, during, and after reading to deepen understanding and gain information with adult assistance 

K.5(E) make connections to personal experiences, ideas in other texts, and society with adult assistance 

1.9(D) recognize characteristics and structures of informational text, including: (ii) features and simple graphics to locate or gain information

1.6(C) make and correct or confirm predictions using text features, characteristics of genre, and structures with adult assistance 

2.6(B) generate questions about text before, during, and after reading to deepen understanding and gain information 

2.6(I) monitor comprehension and make adjustments such as re‐reading, using background knowledge, checking for visual cues, and asking questions when understanding breaks down

Overview:

Small Fish in Gulf of Mexico Bays

The bays along the Texas Gulf Coast and greater Gulf of Mexico are full of small fish species that play a big role in the health of the ecosystem. These fish are important as prey for larger animals, pest control, and nutrient recyclers. You’ll often see them in shallow waters, marshes, and seagrass beds.

Pinfish (Lagodon rhomboides)

  • Small, oval-shaped fish with spines on the dorsal fin
  • Silvery body with blue and yellow stripes
  • Common in grassy areas and around piers or docks
  • Feed on plants, small invertebrates, and detritus
  • Often used as bait fish for catching redfish, speckled trout, and snook
  • Can be found in schools along shallow bottoms

Mullet (Mugil spp.)

  • Slender, silvery-gray fish with a forked tail
  • Often seen jumping out of the water in bays and estuaries
  • Feed mostly on algae, detritus, and plankton, making them filter feeders
  • Found in schools along muddy or sandy bottoms
  • Important as forage fish for birds, dolphins, and larger fish
  • Valued in some areas for food and bait

Mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis)

  • Tiny fish, usually less than 2 inches long
  • Gray or brown with a rounded tail and upturned mouth
  • Often live in shallow freshwater or brackish ponds, ditches, and marshes
  • Feed on mosquito larvae, making them great for pest control
  • Used in mosquito management programs in Texas
  • Reproduce quickly and give live birth

Sheepshead Minnow (Cyprinodon variegatus)

  • Small, chubby-bodied fish with blunt noses and vertical bars
  • Adaptable to changing salinity—can live in fresh, brackish, or saltwater
  • Feed on algae, detritus, and small crustaceans
  • Common in salt marshes, tidal pools, and seagrass beds

Killifish (Fundulus spp.)

  • Long-bodied fish with a flat head and upturned mouth
  • Known for being tough and adaptable to low-oxygen and brackish water
  • Eat insects, worms, and small aquatic organisms
  • Important prey species for wading birds and bigger fish
  • Common in marshy shorelines and tidal creeks

Silversides (Menidia spp.)

  • Slender fish with a shiny silver stripe along each side
  • Found in schools near the water’s surface
  • Eat plankton and tiny invertebrates
  • Preyed on by larger fish, seabirds, and dolphins
  • Often seen darting around seagrass beds and sandy shallows

Role in the Ecosystem

  • These fish help:
    • Control insects (like mosquitoes)
    • Cycle nutrients through the water and sediment
    • Provide food for larger fish, birds, turtles, and marine mammals
  • Essential to food chains in estuaries and coastal wetlands

Fun Facts

  • Mullet often leap out of the water—scientists think it may be to avoid predators or clean their gills
  • Mosquitofish can eat up to 100 mosquito larvae per day
  • Pinfish get their name from the sharp spines on their dorsal fins
  • Killifish are used in scientific research due to their adaptability
  • These fish are often the first sign of a healthy bay or estuary

Possible Books:

  • There are tons of different fish books with content ranging greatly depending on the teachers focus.

Procedures: 

  1. Introduce small fish by asking what students know about them. Write what students say down in a possible KWL chart.
  2. Watch a video, read a book, or use slideshow to teach students about fish.
  3. Complete the fish print
  4. Read a book on fish
  5. Possibly finish KWL chart

Fish Prints:

  • 12×18 white paper
  • Tempra paint in a variety of colors
  • Small Fish- these can be obtained by cast netting in bays or asking fish houses for their discard fish in advance. In a pinch there are finger mullet that can be purchased. A parent fisherman will be a good resources.

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Reference Craft

Questions to Ask:

  • What do you know about fish?
  • Have you ever seen a fish?
  • How do fish move?
  • Do we have fish live nearby? 
  • Can fish harm us?
  • What ecosystem does a fish live in?
  • What is a fish habitat?
  • What does a fish need plants to survive in an ecosystem?
  • Is a fish living or non living?
  • What does a fish eat? What eats it?

Evaluations:

  • Student participation
  • Student-created craft

Extensions:

  • Students write a fiction or nonfiction story about a fish
  • Students create their own model of a fish using maker space materials
  • Students complete various fish worksheets and lessons
  • Students can read other books or research about other types of fish

Lesson by: Tanya Schilinger