'The Tail of Tommy Trout Who Did Not Mind' from Old Mother West Wind by Thornton W. Burgess
In the Laughing Brook, which rippled and sings all day long, lived Mr. Trout and Mrs. Trout, and a whole lot of little Trouts. There were so many little Trouts that Mr. Trout and Mrs. Trout were kept very busy indeed getting breakfast and dinner and supper for them, and watching out for them and teaching them how to swim and how to catch foolish little flies that sometimes fell on the water and how to keep out of the way of big hungry fish and sharp eyed Mr. Kingfisher and big men and little boys who came fishing with hooks and lines.
Now all the little Trouts were very, very good and minded just what Mrs. Trout told them—all but Tommy Trout, for Tommy Trout—oh, dear, dear! Tommy Trout never could mind right away. He always had to wait a little instead of minding when he was spoken to.
Tommy Trout didn't mean to be bad. Oh dear, no! He just wanted to have his own way, and because Tommy Trout had his own way and didn't mind Mrs. Trout there isn't any Tommy Trout now. No sir, there isn't as much as one little blue spot of his beautiful little coat left because—why, just because Tommy Trout didn't mind.
One day when round, red Mr. Sun was shining and the Laughing Brook was singing on its way to join the Big River, Mrs. Trout started to get some nice plump flies for dinner. All the little Trouts were playing in their dear little pool, safe behind the Big Rock. Before she started Mrs. Trout called all the little Trouts around her and told them not to leave their little pool while she was gone, "For," said she, "something dreadful might happen to you."
All the little Trouts, except Tommy Trout, promised that they would surely, surely stay inside their dear little pool. Then they all began to jump and chase each other and play as happy as could be, all but Tommy Trout.
As soon as Mrs. Trout had started, Tommy Trout swam off by himself to the edge of the pool. "I wonder what is on the other side of the Big Rock," said Tommy Trout. "The sun is shining and the brook is laughing and nothing could happen if I go just a little speck of a ways."
So, when no one was looking, Tommy Trout slipped out of the safe little pool where all the other little Trouts were playing. He swam just a little speck of a ways farther still. Now he could see almost around the Big Rock. Then he swam just a little speck of a ways farther and—oh dear, dear! he looked right into the mouth of a great big, big fish called Mr. Pickerel, who is very fond of little Trouts and would like to eat one for breakfast every day.
"Ah ha!" said Mr. Pickerel, opening his big, big mouth very, very wide.
Tommy Trout turned to run back to the dear, dear safe little pool where all the other little Trouts were playing so happily, but he was too late. Into that great big, big mouth he went instead, and Mr. Pickerel swallowed him whole.
"Ah ha," said Mr. Pickerel, "I like little Trouts."
And nothing more was ever heard of Tommy Trout, who didn't mind.
This lesson moves on from insects, birds, and mammals to introduce a new group of animals called fish. Fish are cold-blooded animals with backbones (vertebrates). Fish maneuver through the water by waving their fins. Fish do not have legs, although some fish "walk" on land using their fins. Fish are covered in either smooth skin or armored scales, and are coated with a layer of slippery slime to help them slide through the water. Most fish lack lungs like birds or mammals, and instead use gills for breathing. One exception is the lungfish, which uses its lung sacs for breathing air. Fish have nostrils which are used for smelling and moveable eyes with no eyelids.
Vocabulary
Fin: A flattened appendage on various parts of the body of many aquatic vertebrates and some invertebrates, including fish and cetaceans, used for propelling, steering, and balancing. Gill: The paired respiratory organ of fishes and some amphibians, by which oxygen is extracted from water flowing over surfaces. Scales: Each of the small, thin horny or bony plates protecting the skin of fish and reptiles, typically overlapping one another. Hatchery: A place where the hatching of fish or poultry eggs is artificially controlled for commercial purposes. Aquarium: A transparent tank of water in which fish and other water creatures and plants are kept.
Concepts
Fish Q & A
What do fish eat? Some fish eat plants such as algae, sea grass, and plankton, some eat meat such as other fish, worms, and crustaceans, and some eat both plants and meat.
Do fish make sounds? Various species of fish make all sorts of noises, such as grunts, drumming noises, barks, and hums.
Why do fish open and close their mouths? Fish open and close their mouths to breathe by forcing water over their gills.
Do fish have nests like birds? Yes, some fish, such as sticklebacks, do make nests out of mud, algae, and slime.
Do fish lay eggs? Yes, most fish lay jelly-like eggs in the water, although some fish keep the eggs inside their bodies until the babies hatch.
What do fish babies look like? Fish babies start out as eggs. Tiny larvae hatch from the eggs and eventually grow into adult fish.
Do adult fish take care of their babies? Some fish care for their babies, watching over the eggs, larvae, and young fish. Other adult fish lay eggs and swim off, leaving the eggs to fend for themselves.
Fish vs Birds
Both fish and birds are animals.
Both fish and birds are vertebrates (have backbones).
Both fish and birds lay eggs.
Birds have feathers while fish have a layer of slime and either smooth skin or scales.
Birds are warm-blooded while fish are cold-blooded.
Birds breathe with lungs while almost all fish breathe with gills.
Birds locomote with wings, legs, and feet while fish locomote with gills.
Gills vs Lungs
Lungs are two sacs that extract oxygen from air.
Gills are membranes that extract oxygen from the water.
Enrichment
Activity 1: Narrate the Story
After reading or listening to the story, narrate the story events aloud using your own words.
Activity 2: Watch the Video
Watch the video of fish swimming in an aquarium. See their mouths open and close while their fins and gills wave in the water.
Activity 3: Classify the Animal
Fish are animals and vertebrates.
Trace which categories fish fit into on the classification chart.
Activity 4: Color and Label a Fish
Click the crayon above. Complete page 60 of 'Science Field Book for Second Grade.'
Activity 5: Take a Nature Walk
Take a nature walk near water (or perhaps an aquarium or pet store), locate a fish to observe, gather data and notes, and use that information to create a field book entry. You may wish to take a pencil and a small notebook to jot down sketches and observations.
Before you take the nature walk, review:
The field book template you'll later complete on page 61 of 'Science Field Book for Second Grade.'
The suggested list of observations below.
Behavioral observations include:
How does the fish breathe?
How does the fish move?
How does the fish eat?
What does the fish eat?
Habitat observations include:
What special environment is needed to keep the fish alive?
In what type of water does the fish live (e.g. fresh water, salt water, warm tropical water, cold water)?
Appearance observations include:
What colors are the fish?
Does the fish have scales or smooth skin?
What colors are the eyes?
What do the fins look like?
Activity 6: Complete a Field Book Entry
Click the crayon above. After your nature walk, complete page 61 of 'Science Field Book for Second Grade.'
Review
Question 1
What do fish use to breathe?
1 / 7
Answer 1
Fish use their mouths and gills to breath.
1 / 7
Question 2
Are fish warm-blooded or cold-blooded?
2 / 7
Answer 2
Fish are cold-blooded.
2 / 7
Question 3
What do fish use to navigate through the water?
3 / 7
Answer 3
Fish use fins to navigate through the water.
3 / 7
Question 4
Do fish lay eggs or are their young born alive?
4 / 7
Answer 4
Fish lay eggs.
4 / 7
Question 5
Do fish have backbones?
5 / 7
Answer 5
Yes, fish have backbones.
5 / 7
Question 6
Do fish make nests?
6 / 7
Answer 6
Yes, some species of fish, like sticklebacks, make nests of algae and slime.
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