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Welcome to HCOE’s California Aquairuim Education Program: Steelhead in the Classroom! We are so excited to have you join our program.
Our goal is to provide an exceptional learning opportunity for students. Our team will help you and your students set up an aquarium in the classroom, receive fish eggs under a special California Department of Fish and Wildlife permit, and observe the fish as they hatch and develop.
What is Steelhead in the Classroom?
Through a classroom experience of hatching fish eggs and coordinated activities, students experience first-hand the value of aquatic environments, the balance that must be met to maintain and preserve California’s fisheries and aquatic habitats, and how their personal actions affect these valuable resources.
Instructors and their students set up an aquarium in the classroom, receive fish eggs under a special California Department of Fish and Wildlife permit, and observe the fish as they hatch and develop. The unique learning experience culminates in a field trip to the local Blue Lake Fish hatchery where the fish are released. This is a hands-on, interdisciplinary project for grades K-12.
Video: Trout Dissection
Keith Lackey, lead aquatic biologist at Humboldt Redwood Company, leads us through the dissection of a trout.
Weekly Fish and Wildlife Curriculum
Week 1
Eggs go into the tank, Tank Time with Tom, Q&A with a biologist and more
Week 2
Eggs are hatching, we learn about alevin, silt and gravel, ask a biologist and more
Week 3
Anatomy of steelhead, Tank Time with Tom, ask a biologist and more
Week 4
What’s a rainbow trout, what’s a steelhead, Tank Time with Tom, ask a biologist and more
Week 5
Steelhead fry habitat, Tank Time with Tom, ask a biologist and more
Week 6
What you can do to keep your streams clean, Tank Time with Tom, ask a biologist and more
Week 7
Stream snacks, steelhead food and what it tells us, Tank Time with Tom, and ask a biologist
Week 8
Helping wild fish survive, Tank Time with Tom, ask a biologist and more
Week 9
It’s the big day Tank Time with Tom goes stream side to release our fish!
Week 10
TBD
California Fish and Wildlife Additional Resources
A Fry’s Eye View: Hatching Our Trout from Egg to Stream
By Ethan Rotman, CA Fish and Wildlife
This book gives your students an idea of what it would be like to hatch trout in their very own classroom.
A Fisheye’s View: Hatching Your Students into Trout Caretakers
By Ethan Rotman, CA Fish and Wildlife
This book gives teachers an introduction to CAEP. IT includes the benefits, challenging aspects, and personal experiences from this program.
Ask a Biologist
Do you or your students have questions about fish? Use these Youtube videos to learn about fish biology, needs, and habitat. If you have further questions use the Ask a Biologist link below!
Further Resources
Meet our Team:
Shannon Morago
Program Coordinator
smorago@hcoe.org
Jim Stemach
Steelhead in the Classroom Lead
Jstemach@hcoe.org
Thank you to our Sponsors:
