Student slideshow: English | Spanish

Teacher printout: English & Spanish

Readings from Newsela are free with registration. They can be adjusted for reading level. A writing prompt and quiz questions are available for each reading.

• Fish eat algae, but what happens when there’s too much of it? Read about one kind of problem algae that clogs river water with “rock snot.” (Grade 6)

• A look at the worldwide ecosystem and the many relationships it contains. (Grade 5)

Set up a cold-water aquarium for your classroom: A fish tank can be a great source of learning and pleasure. If you have the opportunity to add one to your classroom, these videos will help guide you. They show how to prepare a simple, cold-water tank, suitable for keeping a community of goldfish. Instructions on maintaining the tank, as well as choosing and caring for both the fish and their environment, are included.

• How to prepare a cold-water fish tank (3:55)

• How to choose and care for goldfish (3:40)

• How to add new fish to your fish tank (3:10)

• How to clean and maintain your fish tank (3:33)

Make a seaweed salad! Fish eat algae…and people do, too. Give your students a chance to get to know edible algae.

• Did you know there were algae in your chocolate milk? This lesson, from the Smithsonian], lets students discover what common foods contain algae.

• For a more in-depth exploration of edible algae, check out this website, from the California Academy of Sciences, with everything from lesson plans to recipes for seaweed salads.

• For even more on different kinds of edible algae and how healthy they can be, check out this site.

You can elaborate student learning and engagement with Mystery Science mini-lessons.

• Why does it matter if an animal is endangered? In this mini-lesson students explore how endangered animals are connected to and affect their ecosystems.

If you are in an NGSS state, this mini-lesson supports the DCI LS2.A: Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems