Lower Elementary has been studying vertebrate animals in science. We began by investigating fish. Our model animal for this unit is the zebra fish, or zebra danio. We looked at two kinds of zebra danio, wild-type (with the typical horizontal stripes) and Casper Fish, a strain of zebra fish which have no pigment in their scales.
We observed both kinds of fish, looking at their fins, scales, eyes, gills and other external features. Casper fish have clear scales, so we were able to peek at their internal anatomy as well as their external parts. We watched their hearts beating and located food inside the outline of their digestive system. Students made sketches and diagrams, discussed how zebra fish are adapted to their environment, and compared and contrasted fish with other types of animals.