Book 5: The Rainbow Fish

Standards:

K-4.1 Identify qualities of good citizenship, including honesty, courage, determination, individual responsibility, and patriotism.

K-4.2 Demonstrate good citizenship in classroom behaviors, including taking personal responsibility, cooperating and respecting others, taking turns and sharing, and working with others to solve problems.

Summary:

The Rainbow Fish is a story of the most beautiful fish in the world, because he had sparkling scales of blue and green and purple. All of the other fish in the sea were amazed at rainbow fish’s beauty. One day a little fish asked Rainbow Fish if he could have one of his shiny scales but rainbow fish did not want to give up his shining scales, he loved them! After that, no one wanted to play with Rainbow Fish or admire his scales and he became lonely. He realized that his beautiful scales were no good when there was no one to admire them. Rainbow Fish goes to the octopus for advice and he tells Rainbow Fish that he must give his scales away and that he may no longer be the most beautiful fish, but he will be happy. Rainbow fish began to give his scales all away and he was so delighted and his friends were thrilled. Rainbow Fish was so happy with his decision to give away something that he loved the most to make someone else happy, and he swam away with his friends.

Objectives:

The students will demonstrate what it means to be a good citizen by drawing a picture that represents a time when they were a good citizen and helped someone in their family, classroom, or community.

Materials:

Book: The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister

White computer paper

Markers

Crayons

Procedure:

1. The teacher will read the book The Rainbow Fish to the class.
2. The teacher will periodically stop during the read to point out the times when the Rainbow Fish is a good citizen and made contributions to his community by giving them his shiny scales.
3. The teacher will talk to the students about why it is important to sometimes be selfless like the rainbow fish as he thought of others and their happiness and not just his own.
4. The teacher will also point out to the students that The Rainbow Fish was happier when he shared his gift with the other fish in his community and how sharing and giving are very important parts to a community.
5. The teacher will talk to the students about times when they might have shared or made a contribution to another person by sharing a gift that they may have to the community or to another student.
6. The teacher will ask the students to each take a sheet of paper and draw a picture of themselves when they have done something for someone else, or shared a gift with someone else even though they may not have wanted to (such as with a sibling).
7. The teacher will ask the children to come to circle once they have finished the drawings and explain what the picture means to the class and how it demonstrates them being a good citizen of their family, classroom, or community.