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Colorado Fish Jigsaw Puzzles

School: Tollgate Elementary

City/State: Aurora, CO

Grade(s): K

Format(s): Visual arts

Subject(s): English Language Arts, Science and Technology, Visual Arts

Project Overview

Kindergarten students at Tollgate Elementary in Aurora, Colorado created these fish puzzles during an expedition on living things and the physical characteristics that make them special. 

Through the course of this expedition the students completed two case studies. In the first, they studied beta fish as an example of what physical characteristics organisms have to help them survive. In the second case study, students looked closely at the physical adaptations of the fish of Colorado.  The students studied fish through observation, fieldwork, expert interviews, and reading informational texts.

Using the data collected in their research, the students created these fish puzzles highlighting the different parts of the fish. The puzzles were donated to the Aurora Public Children’s Library.

How This Project Can Be Useful

  • A fun and creative way to teach children about animals
  • Donating the puzzles to the children’s library promotes service and creates an authentic audience
  • The fish paintings are of particularly high quality for kindergarten students
  • Highlights young students working on writing and drawing skills through multiple rounds of drafts and critiques

Common Core State Standards

Standard Long Term Learning Target
W.K.2
  • I can teach my reader about a topic using pictures and words.
W.K.7
  • I can participate in shared writing projects.
L.K.2
  • I can use conventions to send a clear message to my reader.
L.K.6
  • I can speak using words I hear in books.
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