READ 366

LESSON PLAN OUTLINE

JMU Elementary Education Program
A. TITLE/TYPE OF LESSON: The

Rainbow Fish Read Aloud

B. CONTEXT OF LESSON

The children in my class will be learning about accepting one other and acknowledging that it
is okay to be different. The students have been learning how to treat and be a good friend, so
learning about other peoples differences is a great continuation of this lesson. The students will
listen to the story The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister, and will each be creating different
paper plate fish after the story. This activity will allow students to recognize each others
differences, as they are able to control how they decorate their own fish and will recognize that
not every fish is made the same way.

C. LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Understand what are the broad
generalizations the students should
begin to develop? (These are
typically difficult to assess in one
lesson.)
Students should begin to
understand that everyone is
unique, and it is okay to be
different from each other.
Students should begin to
understand different
emotions/feelings and should
be able to identify ways they
are different from their peers.

Know what are the facts, rules,

specific data the students will gain
through this lesson? (These knows
must be assessed in your lesson.)

Students should be able to

discuss how they would feel
if no one wanted to be friends
with them.
Students should be able to
discuss how they would feel
about sharing something
special with their friends/
discuss a time when they
shared something that was
special to them.

Do what are the specific thinking

behaviors students will be able to do
through this lesson? (These will also
be assessed in your lesson.)

Demonstration of
understanding via creative
art.
Comprehension of story and
connection to students own
feelings.
Sharing a personal
connection to the storyrelating it to their own
experiences.

D. ASSESSING LEARNING
Before the read-aloud of The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister, students will be asked to
identify ways that they are different from their peers. Ex) hair color, eye color, height, etc
After the read-aloud, students will answer the following questions about feelings.
o How might rainbow fish feel when no one wants to be friends with him?
o How might Rainbow fish feel when he does share his scales?
o How might our own friends feel when we share with them?
o Ask students to share if they would give a scale to a friend if they didnt have one.
After answering these questions, students will then create their own paper plate fish by decorating
it with different types of scales made out of many different colors of tissue paper. Students will
also share how their fish is different from their classmates fish.
If time, students will discuss how they can help their friends by sharing and how we can all be
accepting of one another.

E. RELATED VIRGINIA STANDARDS OF LEARNING

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Oral Langauge
o K.3 The student will build oral communication skills.
e) Participate in group and partner discussions about various texts and topics.

Essential Health Concepts

o K.1 The student will identify and describe key health and safety concepts.
n) Identify emotions (e.g., happiness, sadness, anger, fear, frustration).
o ) Describe what it means to be a friend and to show consideration and concern for
others.

Healthy Decisions
o K.2 The student will identify healthy decisions.
p) Identify why friends are important and how to cooperate and share with others.

F. MATERIALS NEEDED

The Rainbow Fish (provided by CT)

paper plates (provided by Bailey)
tissue paper provided by Bailey)
scissors (CT)
glue (CT)
markers (CT)

G. PROCEDURE
Preparation
I will come to class prepared with the book and all materials required to complete the
craft after the read-aloud. The book will be read at the circle time rug and students
will sit in their assigned spot.
Engage -Introduction of the lesson
I will introduce the lesson by presenting the book to the class and asking students to
identify ways that they are different from their peers. Ex) hair color, eye color, height,
etc
Implementation of the lesson
After introducing the lesson, I will read the story The Rainbow Fish to the class at
the circle time rug. I will sit in the rocking chair that the CT uses for read-alouds on a
daily basis.
After the read-aloud, students will answer the following questions about feelings/the
story.
! How might rainbow fish feel when no one wants to be friends with him?
! How might Rainbow fish feel when he does share his scales?
! How might our own friends feel when we share with them?
! Ask students to share if they would give a scale to a friend if they didnt have
one.
After answering these questions, students will then create their own paper plate fish
by decorating it with different types of scales made out of many different colors of
tissue paper.
Students will also share how their fish is different from their classmates fish.
If time, students will discuss how they can help their friends by sharing and how we
can all be accepting of one another.

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Closure
Students will share how their fish is different from their classmates fish/ show an
understanding that it is okay to be different from one another.
If time, students will discuss how they can help their friends by sharing and how we
can all be accepting of one another.
Students may also share their favorite part of the story/lesson.

Clean-up
I will collect all of the students fish and put them in their mailboxes to go home.
I will clean up paper plates, tissue paper, scraps, etc..
The book will be returned to the CT.
Students will assist in cleaning up their work area and putting markers, glue, and
scissors away, as well as throwing trash away.

H. DIFFERENTIATION
I plan to meet the needs of all the students in my classroom by allowing students to
demonstrate their understanding/ comprehension by group discussion or having students
physically act out their feelings/act out parts of the story to help explain how they or a
character in the story feels.
For the students struggling with the craft, I would pair them with a partner for support, as well
as allow them to work on their craft during center time or recess if they need more time to
finish.
As for the students who finish early, I would allow them to start discussing their craft with the
people around them/sharing it with me. They could also work with the people who need extra
help as a leader.
I.

WHAT COULD GO WRONG WITH THIS LESSON AND WHAT WILL YOU DO ABOUT
IT?
A student may not be accepting of other students differences/ art work
o In this case I would explain the importance of differences and reinforce what
was just read in the story. I will encourage students to accept one another for
who they are.
A student may not want to participate in answering questions or making the fish craft
o I will continue to encourage students to discuss the book, and could tell
students who feel shy or scared, that they can tell me during the craft what
they thought of the story.
Students may talk while the book is being read.
o I will kindly ask students to listen to the story before beginning to read and
will make the story sound exciting while I read it to discourage students from
talking. If students do begin to talk, I plan to quietly acknowledge them, and
proceed with the reading.

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Lesson Reflection
Part of my lesson plan that differed was that most of the discussion about the lesson occurred in small groups
as the students made their rainbow fish. This worked a lot better because I had four students at a time and was able to
get their attention easier. My original plan was to do the craft part of the lesson as a whole class, but I ended up doing
it in small groups so my teacher could have the other students working on other things at the same time. We ended up
rotating students to my station, which allowed me to assess students one on one. Based on my assessment of the
students making their own rainbow fish and getting to decorate it however they liked, along with a discussion about the
book, most of the students in my class achieved the learning objectives for this lesson. Many students said, Aww that
is so nice of rainbow fish to share or sharing is good. While the students made their rainbow fish, I helped facilitate
by commenting how each students fish was different and how that made each one special. Most students participated
in this conversation with me while making their rainbow fish. One child, Anna, did not do well on learning the
objective, as she commented, I dont like that. He shouldnt give his scales away. She was the only student who had
problems understanding why the lesson was taught. If I were to teach this lesson again, I would try to see what
students know about sharing before I read the book, since Anna seemed to have negative feelings about it. Another
student, Justin, piped in and said, No! It is good to share with our friends. He made his friends happy. This shows
that most of the students, including Justin, understood the learning objectives of different emotions, feelings, and how
sharing is important. I would also try to learn more about the childrens backgrounds and families to help give me a
better glimpse at their experiences and where they might be developmentally. Based on the assessment data, if I was
the teacher, I would teach a lesson on kindness next to further teach students the importance of being kind to one
another. I would read the book Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson, which is a terrific book to read to students to
teach them about being kind and how kindness can go a long way. I think this would be a good transition after
teaching sharing and individuality from The Rainbow Fish.

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After planning and teaching this lesson, I learned that teaching does not always go exactly as planned,
especially with teaching young children. I had to be prepared for anything they might say and have a prepared
explanation back for them. I learned to explain things on a much different level and that I would need to explain some
things multiple times because young children learn things much differently than we do. I also had to learn how to
continue reading when children tried to shout out or make comments. It can be difficult deciding what comments I
should respond to and which comments should be ignored during the reading. After teaching this lesson, I learned the
importance of patience, as well as explaining every little detail that one might not think is necessary. When doing the
fish craft with the students, I had to explain every little thing to make sure all students understood what they were
doing. Even after thorough explanation, students still asked questions and would ask for help. I found that I also had
to learn on the go and fix things as I went. I had originally decided that students would cut and glue the fin on their
fishes, but the glue was hard for them to get the tail to stick, as they did not want to wait for it to dry. Instead, I had to
quickly adapt and decided to staple the fish fins on the paper plates for each student after they cut the fin out. I
learned that I am really passionate about teaching and I truly enjoy working with young students. I really enjoyed
getting to be independent and run the lesson on my own since I am usually just observing and helping with small
things in the classroom. I also learned the more I show initiative and confidence, the more the students will listen and
follow directions from me. I know it is okay to make mistakes and that I will continue to learn as I go. I am glad I got
to get a small glimpse into how my own classroom may run, and I plan to continue to learn from these experiences.