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Sebastian: Ariel time for class! (Sebastian yelling)

Ariel: Awwww! Do I have to?! I want to go out and explore! (Ariel enters)

Sebastian: Why yes Ariel. You need to learn and then you may go out and explore.

Ariel: Fine. Sebastian: Today’s lesson is on the parts of the fish and the dolphin. FLOUNDER! Where are you?!

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Ariel: Flounder? Why is he here?

(Flounder enters) Sebastian: Because he is our example! I’ll be using Flounder to show you the parts of a fish! So you have something to look at instead of just me telling you!

Ariel: Oo! That’s a great idea Sebastian! Flounder: Alright! Let’s get started! Sebastian: Yes. Lets. First we will talk about the gills!

Ariel: Gills? Gill sounds like a name! Sebastian: Oh Ariel! You and your crazy thoughts! Gills are actually what fish use to breathe with! There are two sets of gills on each side of a fish. Do you think you can find them?

Ariel: Hmmm. Let me see.

Ariel: I found them! They’re right near Flounder’s fins on the side! Sebastian: Right! And that side fin has a name as well! That’s called the pectoral fin!

Ariel: I never knew that those fins actually have a name! Flounder: Silly Ariel! All of my fins have a name! They’re all different!

Ariel: I never thought of it that way! What’s this top fin called then? Sebastian: That’s a great question Ariel! That is called a dorsal fin!

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Ariel: So a dorsal fin is on top and pectoral fins are on the side, and gills are on the sides and fish use them to breathe! Flounder: You got it Ariel!

Sebastian: Right! We’re almost done with the parts of a fish now! There’s one more fin you need to learn about! Ariel: One more? Where?

(Flounder moves back tail) Ariel: Ohhhh! Right! Flounder’s back tail! Sebastian: You’re correct! That is called the caudal fin! We can also call it the tail fin. That fin moves side to side to help Flounder and other fish move!

Flounder: Yup! See? (Flounder swims around quickly and exits)

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(Dolphin enters) Sebastian: Ariel, do you see any fins that are the same on both the dolphin and Flounder? Ariel: Um. Well. Both Flounder and the dolphin have a top fi…..oops I mean dorsal fin! And they both have pectoral fins on the side! Sebastian: Good job! But pectoral fins on a dolphin are called flippers!

Ariel: Got it! But I don’t see any gills on the dolphin…..what do they breathe with? Sebastian: Ahh! That’s a good question Ariel! Dolphins use blowholes to breathe! They also can’t breathe underwater like fish can. They must go up to the surface to breathe air! Ariel: Where is this blowhole thing?

Sebastian: Look at the top of the dolphin! Ariel: Oh there it is!

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Sebastian: Good job Ariel! Do you see anything different on the dolphin that you didn’t see on Flounder?

Ariel: The dorsal fin is facing a different way than Flounder’s is! Sebastian: That’s right! The dolphin’s tail moves up and down instead of side to side. Like yours does!

Ariel: Oh yeah! I didn’t even think of that! What are these two things called that extend off of the dolphin’s tail? Sebastian: Those are called flukes!

Ariel: Ooooo! That’s kind of a fun name! And what are these holes on the side of the dolphins head? Sebastian: Those are the dolphins ears!

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Ariel: Ears?! Why do they need ears?! They’re fish! Sebastian: Ahhh Ariel. This is why you had to come to class today! Dolphins communicate with each other using clicks and whistles that they make using their blowhole! So if they didn’t have ears they would have no way of communicating each other or hearing each other! And dolphin’s actually aren’t fish.

Ariel: I didn’t know that they actually talk to each other! I thought they always did that to just make noise! But if they aren’t fish…..what are they? Sebastian: Dolphins are actually mammals! This is because they breathe air and not water! Humans are also mammals!

Ariel: That is so interesting, I never knew that!! (Dolphin exits, Flounder enters again) Sebastian: So Ariel. Tell us what you’ve learned today.

Ariel: Oh Sebastian! I’ve learned so much! I learned the names of the fins on a fish and on a dolphin! And I learned that unlike fish, dolphins breathe air and are mammals! Like humans! I also learned where gills on a fish were and where the blowhole on a dolphin is! Sebastian: Great job Ariel! Aren’t you glad you had class today?!

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Ariel: I am Sebastian. I’m sorry about my attitude in the beginning of class. I learned so many interesting things today! I can’t wait until next class. Sebastian: Oh Ariel. I’m so glad. Swim along and explore now! But stay out of trouble!

(Ariel and Flounder laugh) Sebastian: That means you too Flounder! Ariel & Flounder: Alright Sebastian! See you tomorrow! Goodbye! Sebastian: Goodbye you two! (Ariel and Flounder exit)