Many teachers have taught many concepts involving trout.  Trout can be the focus of a lesson, an illustration of a concept, or just inspiration.  Having trout in your classroom inspires students to think more broadly about everyday topics and skills.  While there are some comprehensive trout lesson guides written, most teachers find it helpful to tailor lessons to their specific curricular requirements and tie in trout as appropriate for their classrooms.

Lesson Plans and Activity Ideas

Science
Social Studies
Language Arts
Math
Fine Arts
Physical Education
Field Days
Technology&Engineering

The lesson plans and activity ideas on the above pages are all shared by TIC teachers for the benefit of TIC educators everywhere; please feel free to use these ideas in educational settings and modify them to suit your needs. If you would like to publish these plans and activities elsewhere, please credit Trout Unlimited, in addition to any credits already noted on each activity plan.
 

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us.

---

The following curricula and activity ideas belong to other organizations, and have been used by TIC educators in their classrooms.

Complementary Programs

• Adopt-a-Trout (Wyoming)
• Adopt-a-Trout (New York)
• Leaf Pack
• Pacific Education Institute
• Leopold Education Project
• Project Learning Tree
• Project WET
• Project WILD
• The Catskills: A Sense of Place
• Coldwater Conservation Education Guide
• EE Week -- Water Resources

Spanish Language Resources

• Salmon and Steelhead curriculum aids, in Spanish and English, from the University of California, Davis.
• Anatomia Externa y Interna (by Obed Fulcar, NYC TIC teacher)

Other Lesson Resources

• Watershed of Ideas is a truly comprehensive curriculum guide for Virginia TIC
• Trout Time is the TIC curriculum developed by and for South Carolina TIC teachers.
• C&NN Connect is a great site for nature-oriented teachers, coordinated by the Children and Nature Network.
• Key to Macroinvertebrate Life in the River, and other great publications from the University of Wisconsin.
• Back the Brookie Education Module (by teachers and Trout Unlimited, with input from the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency)
• Salmon and Steelhead program guide, in Spanish and English, from the University of California, Davis.
• Wyoming Adopt-a-Trout guide is an example of a related program for non-TIC/SIC states, with applicable lesson plans
• Virginia TIC Site has a number of resources and links useful for teachers in all states.
• Trout in the Classroom Activity Guide and Reference for Teachers (Headwaters Initiative in New York, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Division of Fish&Wildlife, and NJ Chapters of Trout Unlimited)
• California Aquarium Education Project Publications (California Department of Fish and Game)
• Trout in the Classroom - Resources&Examples  (Nevada Department of Wildlife)
• Salmon in the Classroom Lesson Plan (Oregon State University National Science Foundation Rural Science Education Program)
• The Bay Backpack has a number of useful resources for teachers both in and out of the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
• Explore the Blue is fishing-related lessons in all subjects, for all grade levels, from Discovery Education and TakeMeFishing
• MinnAqua is the Minnesota DNR's collection of 39 aquatic lessons.
• Kids in the Creek (Cascadia Conservation District in Washington)
• 4H's 4H₂O and There's No New Water
• AFWA's Field Investigations and Project-Based Learning

To see if your state has a specific TIC curriculum,  visit our State-Specific Resources page.