Trout in the Classroom: Connecting Students to the Chesapeake Bay Watershed

In fourth grade, students participate in the Trout in the Classroom project. This foundational educational experience furthers students’ commitment to environmental stewardship and is essential to the experience of a Lucy School education.

In early December, the fourth grade class received about 120 Rainbow Trout eggs. A local fisherman from Trout Unlimited delivered the eggs in a tiny jar. They watched as tiny orange-eyed eggs transformed into a school of fish. Our fourth graders are already attached to and responsible for these baby fish. They have created names for several fish that have distinctive markings and attributes.

The fourth graders have used their eagle eyes to monitor that the tank is running properly and mimicking a cold trout stream. They are becoming young chemists by testing the tank’s nitrogen cycle. They have become biologists by studying the anatomy of the trout’s fins and internal organs.

In late spring, we will release our trout into Catoctin Creek in nearby Myersville, where we will see how the stewardship of freshwater streams is important for the entire ecosystem.

Students watched 120 orange-eyed rainbow trout eggs transform!

Students learned about raising trout from a local fisherman.