Fred the Fish

OVERVIEW: Through a simulation activity, students will apply cause and effect relationships to water pollution in a stream. The original Fred the Fish activity, from which this was adapted, was published in Water, Stones, & Fossil Bones and was written by Karen Lind, National Science Teachers Association, 1991, ISBN 087355101X.

Students will accompany Fred the Fish as he travels downstream and be participants in the simulation of a stream becoming polluted. As the simulation plays out, different items are added to Fred's water habitat to represent various pollutants. The pollutants come from numerous real-life sources ("cause"), resulting in an increasingly polluted environment for Fred ("effect").

OBJECTIVE: Students will identify cause and effect relationships pertaining to water pollution.

MATERIALS: (and procedures for setting up the simulation)

Script: Download the script and cut into strips for students to read

Fred Activity Sheet: Download the Fred Activity Sheet for students to fill in throughout the activity

Fred and his water habitat:

	Light colored sponge
	Thin, permanent marker to draw a face on Fred
	Thin fishing line
	Needle with a large eye
	Weight, either a washer or small lead sinker work well
	Pencil (with flat sides) or a tongue depressor, longer than the mouth of the container
	Tape
	Clear gallon jar or container
	Water
	Paper towels

Preparation Before Activity:

	Cut a small fish shape from the sponge. Draw a face for Fred
	Cut a piece of fishing line approximately 60 cm long. (This will depend on the size of your container.)
	Thread the line onto the needle and draw the line through the fish shape. The line should stick out below the belly of the fish, as well as above the fish.
	Fill the container with water, allowing some space at the top. Tie the weight to the line below the fish.
	Tie the line above the fish to the middle pencil or tongue depressor. You will need to adjust the line so Fred is suspended in the middle of the container.

"Pollutants":

	Long-handled spoon or stick to stir the contents
	3 plastic spoons
	Two sets of Index cards, numbered 2-9, One set folded so they will stand in front of the pollutants, the other set for 8 children who will add that pollutant to the container
	Garden soil - "eroded soil" (Script card 2)
	Powdered milk - "fertilizer" (Script card 3)
	Cooking oil - "car oil" (Script card 4)
	Rock salt - "road salt" (Script card 5)
	Small pieces of foil, plastic wrap, paper, etc. - "trash" (Script card 6)
	Liquid laundry detergent - "factory stuff" (Script card 7)
	Red food coloring - "sewage" (Script card 8)
	Green food coloring - "hazardous waste" (Script card 9)

Set-up:

	Arrange the "pollutants" beside Fred's habitat.
	Put the corresponding numbered index cards in front of the containers.
	Put plastic spoons in the soil (#2), fertilizer (#3), and road salt (#4).
	Have paper towels nearby for possible messes!

PROCEDURE:
The teacher will introduce the activity by introducing Fred. This can be done in various ways. A possible introduction might read: "Students, I would like you to meet a little friend of mine named Fred. Fred is a fish who spent most of his life in a clean, mountain lake, until one day he decided to venture from his lake, downstream. He's lucky, and so are you, because he lived to share his adventure with you. Are you ready to hear about his adventure?"

1. Pass out the script cards to ten students, and the index cards to 8 students who will be dumping in the pollutants. Explain that the number corresponds to the script.

2. Begin reading the script cards and adding the pollutants to Fred's habitat. After the script is read, the student with the corresponding number will dump in the pollutants.  The question, "HOW IS FRED?" should be used to initiate class discussion after each pollutant is introduced to Fred's habitat.

3. Students will draw/color Fred and write a description of how he is doing each time a pollutant is dumped in.

4. Continue reading the script and dumping the pollutants in until you reach the end.

5. Some post activity discussion/assessment could include:

• Exploring means of preventing the problems before they occur
• Solutions to the problems that water pollutants pose to the river
• Organisms that depend upon the river for survival.

CARE SHOULD BE TAKEN WHEN DISCARDING THE WATER USED IN THIS ACTIVITY. THE CONTENTS SHOULD BE POURED THROUGH A STRAINER SO THE SOLID MATERIALS AND OIL DO NOT CLOG THE DRAIN.