American shad

High school (ages 12+)
Animals & Nature

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/american-shad

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the scientific name?Alosa sapidissima
2. Why do American shad travel from rivers to the ocean?They travel to the ocean after hatching so they can grow and eat lots of food. Then they come back to their birth rivers to spawn.
3. How do American shad help the environment?When they return to rivers to lay eggs, they bring nutrients from the sea, which helps plants and animals in the river grow.

Anadromous: A migratory pattern where fish are born in freshwater, live in saltwater, and return to freshwater to spawn.
Clupeid: A family of fish that includes herrings, sardines, and shads, often characterized by their silvery bodies and schooling behavior.
Keystone Species: A species that has a disproportionately large effect on its natural environment relative to its abundance.