Walter B. Howard Elementary’s third grade classes finished a six-week Crayfish Unit last month that culminated in the release of the crayfish into the creek.
Teachers Mrs. Jubie and Miss Cook shared what students learned during the unit:
• The students learned about humane treatment and came up with rules for how we will treat the crayfish.
• We also learned about the marshy pond habitat and set up their habitat in a tank in our classroom which will provide them with what they need to survive.
• We studied the behavior of the crayfish. The students offered various stimuli to the crayfish to see how they respond and find out which senses they have. We also classified some traits as acquired and some as inherited (born with).
• We observed the shed exoskeleton of a crayfish. Then we discussed the ability of crayfish to regenerate lost parts. The students conducted an experiment to find out what the crayfish eat.
• We tested to see if the crayfish can smell or taste food they can’t see. We also came up with the procedure we would use and controlled some of the variables so that we would get accurate results.
• We observed water currents around the crayfish which indicated how water is moved over the crayfish’s gills as it breathes.
• We identified male and female crayfish.
There was a lot of excitement on release day when the students released their crayfish into the creek behind the school.
So what did students have to say?
“My favorite part was when we put two crayfish together to see how they would react.” – Jason Allgood
“It was great! Some of the crayfish were really big!” –Lora Acquario
“I really liked it because it was fun to investigate the crayfish and learn more about them.” – Kai Dowdle