New curriculum teaches middle schoolers about lake sturgeon
Analyze an ear bone. Design a decoy. Predict future fish populations. These are just some of the fun activities that kids can do as part of Wisconsin Sea Grant’s newest curriculum about the state’s beloved big fish, the lake sturgeon.
Developed as a companion to Rebecca Hogue Wojahn’s middle-grade book, “Saving our Sturgeon: Protecting Wisconsin’s Ancient Fish,” the four lessons teach kids about the unique anatomy, history, and cultural importance of lake sturgeon in Wisconsin — a fish that nearly went extinct in the early 1900s.
Wisconsin Sea Grant librarian and education coordinator Anne Moser served as a consultant on the book and helped write the curriculum alongside student education assistant Dela Anderson and Sea Grant colleagues Titus Seilheimer and Ginny Carlton. Moser wanted to give teachers a resource to help kids engage more deeply with the book, which chronicles how everyday people worked together to bring the sturgeon back.
“This story is so uniquely Wisconsin and a powerful example of ordinary people coming together to protect something they care deeply about,” said Moser. “It reminds kids that their voices and actions matter, and I hope it empowers them to believe they can make a difference, too.”
The four lessons blend art and science with units on information literacy, primary and secondary stories, and environmental stewardship. Moser’s favorite activity is exploring the StoryMap, which visually tells the story of the sturgeon through maps, images, and text.
“The story of sturgeon is rooted in place,” she said. “With the activities connected to the StoryMaps, the students not only learn the geography of the fish but also how to read a map and geographic vocabulary and concepts.”
Dela Anderson, who recently graduated from UW–Madison with majors in environmental studies and life sciences communication, helped develop the curriculum and draft lesson plans. They said it was fun to imagine what middle schoolers might find interesting about these prehistoric fish.
“I hope [the lessons] will have a positive impact on students and spark their curiosity for a species outside of our own,” said Anderson. “We have more in common with a living dinosaur than you might think, and these creatures deserve to be protected.”
Educators can find the curriculum and additional sturgeon resources on the Wisconsin Sea Grant website.
The University of Wisconsin Aquatic Sciences Center administers Wisconsin Sea Grant, the Wisconsin Water Resources Institute, and Water@UW–Madison. The center supports multidisciplinary research, education, and outreach for the protection and sustainable use of Wisconsin’s water resources. Wisconsin Sea Grant is one of 34 Sea Grant programs supported by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in coastal and Great Lakes states that encourage the wise stewardship of marine resources through research, education, outreach, and technology transfer.