SCUTES: Students Collaborating to Undertake Tracking Efforts for Sturgeon

June 23, 2020

Lesson plans to help you instruct and inform your students about Atlantic and shortnose sturgeon.

We have created a number of lesson plans to help you instruct and inform your students concerning Atlantic and shortnose sturgeon. The lesson plans are organized by subject and range from grades 3 through 12. The lessons are not labeled by grade, because they can all be adapted to fit your classroom's needs. Each subject list starts with the most basic (elementary-middle) lessons and ends with the most advanced (middle-high school) lessons.

Within each lesson plan you will find an overview of the lesson, objectives, background, necessary materials, procedures, conclusions, and the applicable learning standards.

Lesson Plan	Topic	Summary
1	Ecosystem in Danger	Students will be able to: • Identify that Atlantic sturgeon live in the ocean. • Explain several reasons why the ocean is in trouble and how we can help. • Create a concept map linking how humans, Atlantic sturgeon, and the ocean are connected.
2	Humans and Sturgeon: Great Debate	Historical human impact on sturgeon populations
3	Sturgeon Life Cycle	Students will be able to: • Recognize that Atlantic sturgeon go through predictable life cycles that include birth, growth, development, reproduction, and death. • Correctly order the stages of an Atlantic sturgeon’s life cycle. • Correctly label the stages of the Atlantic sturgeon’s life cycle. • Create a life cycle poster with the life cycle pictures in the correct order and accurately labeled.
4	Wampanoag Indians, MCAS Practice/Test Writing Strategies	Students will be able to: • Identify specific aspects of the Wampanoag way of life. • Use the strategy of context clues to figure out the meaning of certain vocabulary words within the text. • Answer multiple choice, short answer, and open response questions accurately using their knowledge of Atlantic sturgeon, the Wampanoag culture, and the included article. • Use Turn The Question Around (TTQA) to start their open response and short answer questions.
5	Commercial Fisheries Gear Types	Fishing methods: nets
6	Sturgeon Sampling Methods	Tagging, tissue sampling, and gastric lavage of sturgeon

Last updated by Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office on 07/30/2022