Shocking! Share the story of electric fish with young biologists for a fascinating lesson in specialized cells. The narrator of the video describes how some species of fish generate electric current, differentiates between weakly and strongly electric fish, and the mysteries surrounding the phenomenon that have not yet been explained.

Concepts

fish, fish anatomy, fish species, animal adaptations, electricity, animal cells, specialization, marine ecosystems, the deep sea

Show More Show Less

Additional Tags

science

Show More Show Less

Instructional Ideas

• Add the resource to a unit about marine ecosystems or cell specialization
• Extend the lesson by having pupils brainstorm ways the specialized cells in electric fish could be used to generate electricity for human use

Classroom Considerations

• Have students create a free TEDEd account to access supplemental materials
• Pupils should be familiar with the sodium-potassium pump before watching the video
  

Pros

• Resource includes an assessment
• The content is very interesting and presented clearly
• Extension activities included with the video give additional insight into the history of electric fish research
  

Cons

• None

Common Core

SL.6.2 SL.7.2 SL.9-10.2