The Rainbow Fish Lesson Plan

Teach Kindergarteners Reading Comprehension and Math Patterns

© Megan Sheakoski

Apr 14, 2008

Build a greater understanding of story comprehension and math patterns by teaching both topics in the same inter-subject lesson using the picture story book The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister [North-South Books,1992].

Objectives

1. Students will make predictions about The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister.
2. Students will increase story comprehension by checking and revising predictions as they read.
3. Students will demonstrate sharing using the colored Goldfish® crackers.
4. Students will use colored Goldfish® crackers to follow a color pattern.

Materials

• The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister
• Paper
• Glue
• Colored Goldfish® Crackers
• Small cups
• Construction paper fish the same colors as the Goldfish®
• Index cards
• Markers

Sharing Lesson Introduction

1. The teacher begins the lesson by sharing a story with the class about a time when she was at her friend’s house for dinner.
2. She tells the class how the friend had very beautiful flowers and how the teacher really wanted one.
3. The teacher explains to the class that when she told her friend how she felt her friend gave her some of the flowers. The teacher tells the students how happy it made her.
4. She then discusses with the class what sharing is and why it is important through prompting and questioning.

The Rainbow Fish Reading Comprehension Lesson

1. The teacher tells the students they are going to read a story about a fish that doesn’t want to share.
2. She then guides them through a picture walk of the book. She shows the students the story’s illustrations and ask the students what they think is happening on each page.
3. The teacher asks the class to use the information from the pages to make predictions. The students add to their predictions as they “walk” through the story.
4. The teacher reads the story aloud to the class stopping to ask questions throughout the story to facilitate comprehension.
5. The teacher refers to the class’s predictions while reading and encourages them to update their predictions as they read the story.
6. At the end of the story the class discusses the ending and checks their predictions.

Goldfish® Cracker Math Pattern Lesson

1. The teacher tapes colored construction paper fish onto the board in a repeating pattern.
2. She places the students into cooperative groups and reviews the pattern with the class.The class uses paper fish to continue the fish color pattern on the board.
3. The teacher then gives each group an index card with a colored fish pattern drawn on it.
4. She then passes out small cups of rainbow colored Goldfish® crackers. Each student in the group receives different color fish.
5. The teacher asks the class how they can complete the pattern when everyone has a different color. She guides the students to recall The Rainbow Fish and how it is important to share.
6. She then asks each group to complete the pattern. When every group has used the crackers to make the given pattern, the students glue the crackers to a piece of paper.
7. Every student writes his name on the paper and as a group they use markers to draw a scene from The Rainbow Fish.

The Rainbow Fish Bulletin Board Extension Activity

1. The teacher collects all the drawings and fish patterns to check for story comprehension and pattern understanding and then re-teaches as needed.
2. The final products are then displayed on a class bulletin board.

Don’t stop here! Build upon this lesson with a fish themed upper and lower case letter F lesson or a water cycle science lesson. A fish theme is a fun way to encourage students to master new information.

The Rainbow Fish Math Pattern Materials

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