Learning Outcomes

Oh Salmon! What does a salmon need to survive? Come and play Oh Salmon! and find out! You'll need to get on your feet with the rest of your class! Count off in fours. All the ones, twos, threes, and fours go to their own separate areas. All the ones line up along one line. Everyone else line up along a line parallel to the ones' line, about 10 metres away. All of the ones become "salmon." They are looking for food, shelter, and space. When a salmon is looking for food, it clamps its hands over its stomach. When a salmon is looking for shelter, it holds its hands above its head. When it's looking for space, it should hold its arms slightly out from its body. The twos, threes and fours become food, shelter, and space. When a habitat component is being food, it clamps its hands over its stomach. When a component is being shelter, it holds its hands above its head. When it's being space, it holds its arms slightly out from its body. Components of Habitat Everyone individually chooses which habitat component they are looking for or representing at the beginning of each round of the activity. Players are not allowed to change their component until the next round (each player chooses again at the beginning of each round). The game begins with all players lined up on their respective lines (salmon on one side; habitat components on the other side) - with their backs to the students in the other line. Teacher asks students to make their signs. Once everyone is making their sign, count to three and each line of students turns to the other. When the salmon see the habitat component they need, they are to run to it; and take the player representing food, shelter, or space back to the salmon side of the line (this player now becomes a new salmon). This represents the salmon successfully meeting its needs and reproducing as a result. Any salmon failing to meet its needs dies, and the player becomes part of the habitat. Teacher records the number of salmon at the beginning of the game and at the end of each round. Play about 15 rounds at a brisk pace, each round representing one year. If the population of salmon becomes too high, the teacher states at the beginning of a round that a dam has been built, a log jam has occurred, or the river has flooded; killing a certain number of salmon, who then move over to the habitat line. Discuss the activity with the students, encouraging them to talk about what they experienced and saw. Post the data recorded during the game in a graph like this: Ask the students during a discussion: What do salmon need to survive? What are some of the "limiting factors" that affect their survival? Are wildlife populations static, or do they tend to fluctuate as part of an overall "balance of nature"? Is nature ever really in "balance" or are ecological systems involved in a process of constant change? Top of page.