Learning and Teaching Resources

Salmon Education Resources

Wild Salmon Center – interactive games, beautiful illustrations and coloring pages, fun facts, unique salmon life cycle diagrams and life stages images.

Thistle Theater offers a puppet theater performance at schools called “Big Tree Little Salmon” (grades 2-5) about the ecology of salmon runs in Washington and the historical and cultural relationship with the Suquamish people. Visit their website for more info and to register.

Survive the Sound – Long Live the Kings – this site offers lots of great lesson resources, as well as the annual “Survive the Sound” competition in spring. 

Videos

Younger Students

• Salmon Life Cycle Song; a simple, entertaining song about the life cycle (3.40 mins.)
• Sammy the Salmon; created by a young student using drawings and photos (6.39 mins.)
• The Salmon Song; a good laugh for young students (0.55 mins.)
• Pacific Salmon Song; a simple, entertaining song about Pacific species (3.11 mins.)
• Eggs hatching.

Older Students

• The Pacific Salmon Song.  The Lake and Park School choir conveys a greatly enhanced summary of the salmon lifecycle through this original song by teacher Andy Gregory.   Click “Show More” at the lower left to see the lyrics.
• Salmon Story; produced by 4th graders to explain the life cycle (5.11 mins.)
• Salmon Story; life cycle, hazards, and strong stewardship message narrated by a Native American story teller (6.49 mins.)
• Wild Salmon of the Pacific; produced by the Wild Salmon Center to summarize species, habitat, commercial and culture importance (3.40 mins.)
• Broken Fish:  Collapse of the Coho | 2018 Short Film.  From Seattle director Colby K. Neal, and Taiwanese producer Shihyun Kung, comes Broken Fish, a short “call-to-action” documentary film educating Seattleites about wild salmon habitat destruction, and how pollutants in Puget Sound impact tribal communities whose livelihoods depend on a healthy wild salmon.
• Salmon: a Miraculous Journey; from the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery through local waters and back (6.11 mins.)
• I am Salmon; from hatch to spawning; beautiful underwater footage (7.02 mins.)
• Whale Trail “Kid’s Cove” – While not directly about salmon, this set of videos talk about the importance of salmon to southern resident Orca survival (4.00 mins. each).
• The Cycle – Salmon Raised at West Seattle Elementary;  Follows the cycle from the hatchery to the returning spawners.
• Interactive tour of a Washington State hatchery (Minter Creek) – allows you to explore hatchery operation. There is an excellent video clip of eggs hatching from US Fish and Wildlife Service.

Also in your Teacher Handbook.

Carkeek Park Salmon Search: Seattle Public Utilities and IslandWood offer a FREE naturalist-led program in late fall at Carkeek Park.. The program is an introduction salmon ecology during a hands-on and interactive outdoor program that includes a salmon dissection and (often!) live salmon viewing in the creek. Space is limited and priority registration begins with low-income and Title 1 publIc schools. Contact celinas@islandwood.org for details.

Carkeek Watershed Community Action Project: This group offers tours and classes about returning salmon in the fall. In the spring, students have the opportunity to feed thousands of chum fry in imprint ponds. Both fall and spring programming may be customized in content and length. Email David Koon at salmonprograms@carkeekwatershed.org.

Salmon SEEson: Prepare your students for rearing salmon by seeing spawners during this most exciting phase of the salmon life cycle. This site includes locations to see spawning salmon, “taking action” suggestions, and many curricular and other resources from partners.

CREEK-O-SYSTEM FIELD STUDY: In partnership with Seattle Public Utilities, IslandWood offers 5th graders in Seattle Public Schools a FREE day-long field study aligned with Next Generation Science Standards. It is designed to enhance and localize the Amplify Ecosystems Restoration unit.

FRIENDS OF THE ISSAQUAH HATCHERY (FISH): FISH offers guided tours of the hatchery and a changing menu of other learning opportunities. To inquire, email education@issaquahfish.org.

CEDAR RIVER WATERSHED EDUCATION CENTER: This regional facility above the shores of Rattlesnake Lake in the Cascade foothills is a gateway to the watershed that provides drinking water for 70% of people living in the greater Seattle area. Visit the linked site for details about current learning opportunities.