Run, Salmon, Run!

Teacher Info

For Teachers----Concepts, Overview, Procedures & More

Story Link: In a river system, the land and water present specific challenges to living organisms. Changes in the river environment and its surrounding land affect the lifeforms which inhabit the river.

2. Overview: The life cycle of the Coho Salmon are highlighted in this board-game lesson which looks at the challenges a river environment places on lifeforms. Students each begin with 100 salmon. But as they travel up river to spawn the fish face various dangers and only a few make their way to the spawning grounds. For each that do so, 5 new salmon are hatched. These face further challenges on their way back to the ocean. Students then write about the results of their game and what implications there are for the salmon.

3. Key Concepts:

1. In a river system, the land and water present significant challenges to living organisms.
2. Changes in the river environment and its surrounding land affect the lifeforms which inhabit the river.
3. The river habitat involves complicated relationships between Salmon and its predators, a relationship which can be upset by intrusion of human created hazards.

4. Grade level: 3-4

5. Advance Preparation: Run off game boards. If possible enlarge boards to twice the size. Laminate if needed for long term use. Run off copies of salmon. Gather cups for unsuccessful or lost salmon. Run off copies of salmon markers for players. Make spinner or have students make the spinner (see below). Each player starts with 100 salmon (notice that some of the salmon markers are worth 5, 10, or 20 salmon, while others are worth 1). Game pieces are the smallest salmon. Run off diary worksheet.

6. Time: one class period to play, one to debrief the game.

7. Grouping suggestion: games groups of 3-5 students

8. Materials (per class) Game boards, salmon, salmon markers, spinners

9.Thinking Processes: Observing, comparing, inferring

10. Curriculum Connections: Math, Language arts

Procedures for playing the Game:

1.Run off a copy of the board for each student group (4-6 students depending upon seating choices) . If possible, enlarge the game board to double or more. The hazard cards are cut out and glued or taped together (one set per group).
2.Cut out salmon to be used for game pieces and put together spinner (see below for directions). Cut out salmon to be used for each student. Each student will need 100 salmon, a game piece, a plastic cup to put the fish in, and each group will need a game board and a salmon "Loss Cup", for the lost salmon.

Making the SPINNER: Cut out the spinner and arrow salmon. Use a paper clip by unwinding it and taping the flat part to the bottom of the spinner. The bent part should come up through the center. Before placing the arrow salmon on this spike, cut out two small pieces of paper and place these on the spike. They will act as bearings and the spinner will work more smoothly. The larger salmon are for the number of salmon (notice that some of these are worth more than one salmon). The larger salmon (a count of 100 per player to start) are placed into plastic or dixie cups. The smaller one can be colored and used as game pieces to be moved along the board.

3.Players spin for the highest number. The highest starts and play continues clockwise. All players start in the ocean with their game pieces. The hazard cards are shuffled and placed near the board with the fish side up (6 cards)
4.Every player draws one hazard card to start, since they are in the ocean. If one player draws the "commercial fishing" card they must double the ocean loss (2 x 10). Otherwise everybody takes 10 fish out of their cut, representing their loss of salmon to fisherman and sea lions in the ocean.
5.The first player spins and moves whatever number of squares counted. Whatever the number of loss fish (i.e.: L3 = loss 3) on that square are removed from their cup, and placed in the "Loss Cup".
6.If the square landed on has a rectangle around the loss number, that represents a special hazard for the salmon running upstream. The player must pick up a hazard card. If the hazard on the card matches the hazard square the player is on, the loss of salmon is doubled (L8 becomes L16 = 16 lost). The player must also read the description of the hazard to the group if there is a match.
7.If the player loses all of his or her salmon, they are still in the game, and will be given a second chance at the spawning grounds.
8.As the game is played, players note any hazards their own salmon face along the way (if they land on that square) on their Salmon Diary sheets. These will be used for graphing and sharing experiences later.
9.When the surviving salmon reach the spawning grounds, players count up the fish. Each surviving fish is worth 5 new fish. If they have more than 20 fish at the spawning grounds, they will get the maximum of 100 fish. If they have less, they must spin, with each spin worth 5 points, until they get up to 100 fish. But all players must spin at least three times while staying in the spawning ground area. This may allow others to catch up. After 3 spins, the player can leave the spawning pond only if they a) have 100 fish and B) spin a 1. Again, other players may have a chance to catch up. Players who have no fish reach the spawning ground, can start over with 100. They must not leave until after they have spun 1 twice after the three turns in the pond. Also at the end of the game they must deduct 10 extra fish from their total.
10.With the new young fish, the players can start there trip back to the ocean, following the same rules as before. The games ends when the first three players reach the ocean. The first player to reach the ocean receives an extra 5 fish, the second receives 3 and third receives 1 extra. Any players who haven't finished must deduct 10 fish from their total) after the third person reaches the sea to end the game.
11. All the salmon are counted (even for those who haven't finished). The winner is the player with the most fish.

Procedures after the Game:

1.have the class discussion (see below) in which students share there results, etc., and they should graph the number of fish who survived for each player to the spawning grounds and returned to the ocean.
2.Although this game has been played a number of times, it is still in draft form. Ask the students to consider whether the starting number should be changed to either a smaller or larger number. Likewise, should each surviving salmon give rise to a greater or lesser number of offspring.
3.During the discussion, information about human use issues can be discussed, and students should be told that the salmon die after spawning. It should also be explained to them that the reason why they had to remain in the spawning area for several turns was because it represented the time it took for the young salmon fry to grow old enough to return to the ocean.

After Game Discussion, Wrap Up & Reflections:
Have students write about their experience. Graph how many salmon made it to the spawning grounds, using the worksheet for data. Although averaging is not within the skill level for students, they can be asked what a "normal" or "typical" number would be. Did some students not have ANY salmon make it? What happened on their salmons journey--did they hit a lot of hazard areas? What are the implications of that. Do the students "feel" the plight of the salmon. Have them think of what is must be like to be a salmon. What about the trip to the ocean, when the fry had grown? How many of the salmon's problems of survival "natural" and how many are caused by intrusion of human enterprise or activity? How could some of the problems be lessened? Could they write from the salmon's point of view? These can be diary type letters with pictures, which can be sent to the California Fish and Game, or e-mailed to Cory Wisnia at cwisnia@mcn.org, who will post them at his site in Mendocino (http://www.mcn.org/ed/cur/cw/Salmon_Lesson.html) or at S.C.O.R.E.

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