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Lesson Plan Image

Extraordinary Fish Stories

Students will write and illustrate a fanciful story about a fish, either real or imagined.

Lesson Plan

Supplies Needed

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  • Heavy Paper
  • Paper, Lined
  • Ribbon
  • Stapler and Staples

Steps

  • Step 1

    A fish story or fish tale is an implausible, exaggerated story. It got its name from fishermen talking about "the one that got away" and exaggerating the details. Ask students to write a fanciful fish story of their own about a fish.

  • Step 2

    Have them create a an illustrated booklet of their story. They can start by outlining a fish shape on heavy paper. Fold the paper so when it is cut out it becomes the front and back covers. Then cut out interior pages that are either the same fish shape template or smaller inset pages that will attach to the covers at the tail. For the inside pages, they could use lined paper or write on plain paper, using enough sheets to complete their tale.

  • Step 3

    Once they've written their story on the interior pages, have them illustrate the front cover and then staple the two covers and pages together at the tail end. They can then cut a small piece of ribbon to glue over the staples or cover the sharp staple ends with a strip of masking tape.

  • Step 4

    Ask students to present their fish stories to the class.

Standards

LA: Add drawings or other visual displays to written text to clarify ideas, thoughts, and feelings.

LA: Develop real and imagined narratives.

Adaptations

Focus on another animal, perhaps one that you are studying in science, to make another customized set of stories.

Have students learn some interesting facts about fish, such as they use gills for breathing, most fish can't blink because they don't have eyelids, they are cold-blooded vertebrates that live wholly underwater, etc.