The I FISH NY program was developed by the NYSDEC with the primary goal of increasing fishing participation in New York State.
I FISH NY welcomes teachers and educators to an online resource for lessons on fishing, fish and aquatic science. Lessons are intended for formal or informal education settings for learners in grades 3-12. All lessons are aligned with the New York State Common Core Standards.
Link for digital version of petri dish: https://nicksard.github.io/perch-phenology-lab/
Subject: Biology, Environmental Science, Ecology, Data Science
Grades: 7-12
Time Allotment: 2-3 class periods
Central Question: How do shorter, warmer winters—a key consequence of climate change in the Great Lakes region—affect the reproductive cycle and survival of New York's Yellow Perch populations in Lake Erie?
Learning Objectives: By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
Define phenology and explain its importance for the survival of ectothermic (cold-blooded) organisms.
Measure and analyze physical and digital data to connect environmental conditions to reproductive outcomes.
Construct and interpret graphs (scatter plots, bar charts) from a pooled class dataset.
Synthesize evidence to form a conclusion about the cascading effects of climate change on a fish population.
Collaborate in a small group to collect, pool, and analyze scientific data.