Chapter 2

Gone Fishin' in Animal Crossing

Lesson Overview

Title: Gone Fishin': How Animals and Humans Find What They Need
Subject: Science
Age Group(s): 4–6 (Kindergarten)
Tags: Animal Crossing, ecosystems, habitats, animal needs, human impact, science, kindergarten

Description:
In this lesson, students will observe a character fishing in the game Animal Crossing: New Horizons. This gameplay will serve as a model to explore the needs of animals and humans, the relationship between living things and their habitats, and how human actions can impact the environment.

Lesson Plan

📋 Find the full lesson plan on the companion GameClass lesson — link at the bottom of this page!

Lesson Content

I. Key Teaching Points

  • Point 1: All living things, like people and fish, need food and a special place to live called a habitat.
  • Point 2: Animals are found in habitats that provide for their needs, which is why the player must go to the ocean to find a fish.
  • Point 3: Humans change their environment when they take things from it, such as catching a fish from the water.

II. Practical Examples

For Teaching Point 1:
The video shows a human character fishing, demonstrating the human need for food. When the character catches the oarfish at 0:19, it introduces an animal that also has needs, including its ocean habitat. The educator can ask, "What do you think the character will do with the fish? Why do people need fish?"

For Teaching Point 2:
The entire gameplay sequence (0:03–0:18) takes place at the edge of the ocean, visually reinforcing that to find a fish, the character must go to its specific habitat. The educator can point out, "Could the character catch a fish on the snowy grass? Why not?" This helps students connect the animal (fish) to its specific home (ocean).

For Teaching Point 3:
The climax of the video at 0:19, where the giant oarfish is pulled out of the water, is a clear and dramatic example of a human changing the environment by removing an animal from it. The sandcastle, visible throughout the clip, serves as another simple example of how humans change the environment for recreation. The educator can ask, "What happened to the fish's home? What if the character caught all the fish in the ocean?" This leads directly into a discussion about human impact and conservation (K-ESS3-3).

📺 This lesson has a companion GameClass video. Head over to the GameClass lesson to watch the clip and access the beautifully formatted, printer-friendly version of this handbook — available to subscribers!

End of Lesson