EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITY PLAN

LEARNING TASK

After reading two B1-level informational texts, students explain why overfishing and bycatch can harm marine ecosystems, identify how fishing rules can protect fish populations, and use target vocabulary to discuss responsible seafood choices. In pairs, they create a short “Fish for the Future” plan with three realistic actions for fishers, communities, or consumers.

GOALS ACCORDING TO THE GENERAL CURRICULUM

General competences

1. Learning to learn: students work purposefully with reading texts, vocabulary and comprehension tasks, check their answers, and reflect on which strategies helped them understand new language.
2. Cognitive: they identify cause-and-effect relationships, compare different fishing practices, and choose suitable measures for protecting marine resources.
3. Social: they cooperate in pairs and groups, listen to different ideas, and agree on realistic actions that can support healthier seas and responsible use of marine resources.
4. Personal: they take responsibility for their learning and consider how fishing and consumer choices can affect marine life and coastal communities.

Subject competences

5. Read B1-level informational texts and identify the main idea, specific details, and cause-and-effect relationships (English).
6. Use target vocabulary (overfishing, fish stock, bycatch, sustainable fishing, fishing quota, breeding season, marine protected area, sustainable seafood) accurately in context (English).
7. Explain in simple terms how overfishing and bycatch affect fish populations and marine food webs (Biology / Environmental science).
8. Connect fishing rules and consumer choices with the protection of marine ecosystems and long-term food resources (Citizenship / sustainability).
9. Work collaboratively to produce and present a short “Fish for the Future” action plan using clear B1-level English (Communication).

Integration with other subjects

Biology / Environmental science (fish populations and food webs), Geography (coastal communities and marine resources), Civic education (responsible consumption and shared resources), ICT/Art (optional digital awareness message).

MATERIALS / EQUIPMENT

Projector/interactive board, photos of fishing boats, fish markets and marine wildlife, printed reading texts and worksheet (Appendices 1–2), vocabulary cards (optional), dictionaries or phones for quick word checks, paper or a digital template for the pair action plan.

LEARNING ACTIVITIES

(45-minute English lesson; B1 level; biology and environmental science links.)

10. Warm-up (5 min). Show two contrasting images: a crowded fishing boat with a very large catch and a healthy coastal ecosystem with fish and marine wildlife. Students answer: What could happen if too many fish are caught? How can people use the sea without damaging it?
11. Pre-reading vocabulary (7 min). Students match the target words with definitions (Appendix 2, Task A). They compare answers in pairs and practise pronunciation.
12. Reading & comprehension (17 min). Students read Text A and Text B in Appendix 1, underline examples of problems and solutions, and complete True/False and short-answer tasks (Appendix 2, Tasks B–C).
13. Language focus (7 min). Students complete B1 word-order sentences about fishing rules and responsible choices (Appendix 2, Task D). Quick class check focuses on word order and the use of can/should.
14. Speaking & action task (6 min). In pairs, students complete the “Fish for the Future” table (Appendix 2, Task E) and create three realistic actions for fishers, communities or consumers. They use at least four target words. A few pairs share one idea. Exit ticket + reflection (Appendix 3).

REFLECTION. ASSESSMENT

Reflection. Students complete their reflection by finishing the sentences:

• In this lesson I learned that fish populations can be protected when…
• One new word I can use correctly is…
• One responsible seafood choice I could make is…
• Today I did well when… / Next time I will try to…

APPENDIX 1

Reading texts: Sustainable fishing – protecting fish stocks and marine ecosystems (SDG 14)

Text A – What happens when we catch too much?

Fish populations need time to grow and reproduce. When people catch fish faster than a population can replace them, overfishing can occur. The number of fish available in a particular area or species is called a fish stock. If a fish stock becomes too small, the problem can affect not only fishers but also predators, prey and the wider food web. Coastal communities may also lose an important source of food and income.

Fishing can cause another problem called bycatch. This happens when animals that fishers did not plan to catch become trapped in nets or on hooks. Bycatch may include young fish, turtles, seabirds, sharks or marine mammals. Some unwanted animals are released, but they may be injured or may not survive.

Rules can help fish populations recover. A fishing quota limits how much of a species can be caught during a certain period. Fishing may also be reduced or stopped during the breeding season, when fish are reproducing. These measures work best when they are based on scientific information and are followed by fishers.

Table. Fishing pressure, effects and protection measures

Text B – Fishing for the future

Sustainable fishing means taking fish from the sea in ways that allow populations and ecosystems to remain healthy over time. Fishers can use more selective equipment so that fewer unwanted animals are caught. They can respect fishing quotas, minimum sizes and breeding-season rules. Protecting seabed habitats is also important because many marine species need safe places to feed, grow and reproduce.

A marine protected area is a part of the sea where human activities are managed or limited to protect nature. In some areas, fishing is restricted; in others, certain methods or seasons may be controlled. When habitats are given time to recover, fish populations inside and near protected areas may become stronger.

Consumers also have a role. Choosing sustainable seafood can mean checking where a product comes from, asking how it was caught, choosing species that are not under heavy pressure, and avoiding food waste. One purchase cannot solve overfishing, but many responsible choices can support fishing practices that protect life below water for the future.

Read both texts and complete the vocabulary, comprehension, word-order and action tasks in Appendix 2.

APPENDIX 2

Student worksheet (English, B1)

15. Task A – Vocabulary (match). Match the words to the definitions.
    Words: overfishing, fish stock, bycatch, sustainable fishing, fishing quota, breeding season, marine protected area, sustainable seafood.
    Definitions: a) a limit on how much fish may be caught; b) fishing that allows fish populations and ecosystems to stay healthy over time; c) fish and seafood from sources that try to protect future populations and ecosystems; d) the accidental capture of animals that were not the target; e) the period when animals reproduce; f) catching fish faster than populations can replace themselves; g) a managed sea area created to protect habitats and species; h) the amount or population of a fish species available in an area.
16. Task B – True / False. Read the texts again. Decide if the statements are True or False and correct the false ones.
    1) A fish stock can become smaller if fish are caught faster than they reproduce.
    2) Bycatch means that fishers catch only the species they planned to catch.
    3) Fishing quotas can limit the amount of a species that is taken from the sea.
    4) Breeding-season rules can give fish time to reproduce.
    5) A marine protected area always allows every type of fishing without limits.
17. Task C – Reading comprehension. Answer in complete B1-level sentences.
    1) Why can overfishing affect both marine ecosystems and coastal communities?
    2) What is bycatch? Give two examples of animals that may be caught accidentally.
    3) How can fishing quotas and breeding-season rules help fish populations?
    4) Give two actions consumers can take when choosing seafood responsibly.
18. Task D – Word order. Put the words in the correct order to make sentences.
    1) overfishing / fish stocks / can / reduce
    2) should / fishers / fishing quotas / respect
    3) bycatch / unwanted animals / includes / sometimes
    4) marine protected areas / habitats / can / protect
    5) consumers / sustainable seafood / choose / can

Task E – “Fish for the Future” action plan. Complete the table, then choose three actions that fishers, communities or consumers could realistically take.

APPENDIX 3

Assessment criteria (10 points)

Explain the criteria to students before the tasks (what is expected and what each point represents).

19. Reading comprehension (Tasks B–C) – up to 4 points.
20. Vocabulary and language accuracy (Tasks A and D + use of target words in Task E) – up to 4 points.
21. Pair action plan + participation + reflection/exit ticket – up to 2 points.