Silent Signals

Betta fish may not communicate with words, but their movements and colors can send surprisingly clear messages. This passage explores how bettas flare their gills and fins, change their body positioning, alter their colors, and use specific swimming movements to communicate territorial warnings, courtship interest, stress, or confidence. Students also learn how males may perform zigzag movements during courtship and how other fish respond to these signals. The reading makes it clear that communication in the animal world can look very different from human conversation.

This worksheet encourages students to make inferences rather than simply locate obvious facts. They need to connect a visible behavior with the message or emotion it may represent, which strengthens deeper comprehension. Vocabulary involving displays, territory, courtship, signals, and communication develops naturally from concrete examples. It’s also a useful passage for showing students that body language can carry important information even when no sound is being made.