Trout Journals

Raising trout in your classroom will provide many opportunities for students to use their observation skills. It will also generate opportunities for recording, measuring, formulating and answering questions, writing, illustrating, hypothesizing, and drawing conclusions. Journaling is a natural way for students to record their findings about trout. Suggest students purchase a loose-leaf notebook to use as their trout journals.

Encourage them to write in the journals daily, focusing on notable events—from setting up the aquarium to the release day. Descriptions of changes as the trout grow, drawings of them at various stages, observations about trout behavior, and completed hand-outs should be included in journals.

Below are some questions you might pose to students as they observe the trout during different stages of development.

Alevin

Describe the alevin.           

− What color are they?

− Do they have fins?

− What is most interesting about them?

− How well do alevin swim?

− What do alevin do when light shines on them?

− How might this reaction help them to survive

in the wild?

Fry

Observe how the fry move.

− How many fins are there? Draw the fish. Draw

and label the fins.

− Describe the motion of each fish. What is the

direction and range of movement?

− Do paired fins move together in the same

way? Are some fins used more than others?

− What happens to the fish’s fins when it is still?

Color

− What colors can you identify on the fish?

− Are the back and stomach the same color?

Why do you think the fish are colored this

way?

− Which is easier to see, a fish swimming near

the top of the tank or near the gravel?

Senses

− Do you think fish have good eyesight? Why?

− Can fish hear? How do you know?

− Can you see the lateral line? What purpose

does it serve?

Behavior

− What do fish do when they are startled? Why?

− Do the fish move as a group? What is this

called?

− Are all the fish the same size?

− How do the fish interact with each other?

− Do individual fish have established areas of

the aquarium that they stay in?

− What do fish do at feeding time? Do they all

get the same amount of food?

NOTES ON KEEPING A TROUT

JOURNAL

To the student:

A field journal is essential to a scientist's fieldwork. As you observe the trout you will make sketches and record all your observations, thoughts and questions in your field journal. Your field journal will be unique to you, reflecting your personal style. There is no “right” way to keep a field journal. Some scientists will sketch simple pencil drawings, and others will paint colorful, detailed images. You can use whatever tools work best for you. Try working with pens, pencils or watercolors to capture an image.

Some people record their observations in charts, list and labels, while others will write long, detailed descriptions. Here are some questions that may help you get started:

− What do I see?

− Do I see anything that surprises me?

− How have the trout changed since the last time I observed them?

The answers to these questions, along with all your observations, interpretations, and data will be a valuable source of information as you complete your trout study. Did you know that scientists share their field journals? Their journals are a permanent record of their work and are kept in libraries for scientists to study in the future.