Fish Vocabulary
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High quality materials
Eco-Happy
Fun & Engaging Activities
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Common Core
Our Fish Vocabulary cards are text-free picture cards with 12 real photographs of fish. Students learn the precise name of each fish through the three-period lesson, building spoken vocabulary before they read. They are designed for Montessori primary classrooms, homeschools, English learners, and intervention settings.
Fish are vertebrates that live in water and breathe with gills. Some fish don't even have jaws (the lamprey eel has a round, sucker-like mouth instead). Students who are reading can meet these same fish again in our Fish 3-Part Reading Cards.
Because the cards have no printed words, pre-readers can focus on the photo and its name. Later, students can sort the cards by kind, or combine them with other animal packets to compare groups.
What's included
- 12 cards, each showing one real photograph of a fish species, with no text; species represent the diversity of the zoological group (see photo for list)
- Cards are approx. 4¼" x 3¾"
- Eco-laminated with a food-grade laminate, with rounded corners
- Sturdy, clear reclosable bag for storage
- Lesson plan included
Display these cards in our medium cloth pouches (sold separately).
Created by a Montessori teacher and a zoologist. Eco-printed in our rural New England office.
Made in the USA. CPSIA compliant.
Note: Photos may change from those pictured.
Why do vocabulary cards matter for reading?
Interest drives learning. Montessori is a student-centered approach: the teacher observes what each student is curious about and offers materials that match. A student fascinated by fish will choose these cards again and again, and each time is more practice naming, discussing, and sorting. That practice builds vocabulary, part of the language comprehension side of reading in both Gough and Tunmer's (1986) simple view of reading and Scarborough's (2001) reading rope. By learning what a shark is now, a student will understand it when they later encounter it in text.
How do you use fish vocabulary cards?
First, spark student curiosity by saying you're going to do some work with fish. Discuss where they might see these animals, such as an aquarium, a pond, or the ocean, and what it means to be a fish. Then, choose a few cards at a time and use the three-period lesson to name each fish. Once students know the names, use the cards for sorting games, such as sorting fish from dogs (easier) or amphibians (more challenging). When students are reading, move on to the Fish 3-Part Reading Cards.
What ages is this for?
Typically ages 3 and up. The cards work well for pre-readers, English learners, and students in intervention settings, as well as older students with a special interest in fish.
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