"Salmon Population Decline"

• This watercolor by scientist and artist Jill Pelto shows the decline of the salmon population. 
• This painting helps students understand the struggle of salmon populations as their spawning habitat declines due to lower water levels and higher temperatures in rivers. 
  

Positives

• Students' engagement with works of art enhances their creativity and communication skills.
• Students can learn about how animals adapt to environmental changes and the threats they face along the way.

Additional Prerequisites

• Students should be familiar with the following concepts: environmental threats, animal adaptation, melting glaciers, temperature rise, and climate change.

Differentiation

• In art class, students could analyze and interpret this painting and then create their own artwork on climate change from their point of view.
• An ELA teacher could present this image to students and ask them to write a descriptive paragraph describing the artwork and their interpretation.
• This picture could be used as a hook for a lesson on marine biodiversity and how it's changing. The teacher could show it on the screen and ask students to write down their observations. 
• The teacher could ask students to design solutions to protect the salmon population.
• Another one of Jill Pelto's works of art is ocean acidification, which also relates to the effects of climate change on marine life.

This resource addresses the listed standards. To fully meet standards, search for more related resources.