Meet the Rainbow Fish

Overview

In this first lesson of the five-part Rainbow Fish Writing Journey, students revisit The Rainbow Fish and talk about how narratives are built from connected events. They identify the main character and setting, then use picture prompts and partner talk to retell the beginning, middle and end in order.

Learning intentions

• WALT identify the main character and setting in a familiar story.
• WALT listen, speak and respond to ideas about a text.
• WALT identify and sequence three important events.
• WALT rehearse a story retell using complete sentences.

Success criteria

• I can name the main character.
• I can describe where the story happens.
• I can retell three key events in the correct order.
• I can listen to my partner and add helpful details.

Curriculum links

• English — Listening, speaking, viewing and responding to texts.
• English — Writing to entertain: identifying connected events in a narrative.
• English — Writing to entertain: noticing details about where events happen and how a story ends.
• English — Writing processes: orally rehearsing ideas before drafting.

Lesson structure (60 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Hook and connection. Display a striking image of a colourful fish and ask, “What might make this fish special?” Open with the hook image and opening question. Students silently observe, then share one prediction with a partner; invite a few responses and explain that today they will revisit a story about a special fish.

2. 5–18 min · Read and notice. Read or revisit The Rainbow Fish, showing the illustrations and pausing to ask, “Who is this story mostly about?”, “Where are the characters?”, and “What has happened so far?” Use the story focus and discussion prompts to support questioning. Students listen, turn and talk at pauses, and use the illustrations to identify the rainbow fish, the ocean and other important characters or places.

3. 18–28 min · Build story language. Co-construct a simple class chart with the headings Character, Setting, Beginning, Middle and End. Model a response such as, “The Rainbow Fish is the main character. The story happens in the ocean.” Record student ideas, accepting oral responses and refining them together. Students help place ideas under the correct heading and explain how they know.

4. 28–43 min · Sequence the events. Place three or four picture prompts on the floor or board, deliberately out of order. Model thinking aloud: “First, I need to find what happened at the beginning.” Provide each pair with a copy of the story sequencing and retell worksheet. Students work in mixed-ability pairs to number or draw the beginning, middle and end, discussing what happened in each part. Encourage sentence starters: “First…”, “Next…”, and “Finally…”.

5. 43–54 min · Partner retell. Model a clear retell using the ordered prompts, including the character, setting and one detail for each event. Students take turns retelling the story to a partner while the listener checks: character named, setting described, three events in order. Partners may point to the pictures, rehearse quietly first, or use the sentence starters on the retell model and partner checklist. Invite two or three pairs to share with the class.

6. 54–60 min · Plenary and check-out. Revisit the learning intentions using the success criteria and closing questions. Ask students to complete the oral sentence, “The Rainbow Fish story happens in ___, and three things that happen are ___, ___ and ___.” Students share with a partner, then a few volunteers respond. Collect worksheets for a quick review of sequencing and details.

Resources

• The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister, or an approved class copy
• Interactive whiteboard or display
• Rainbow Fish story discussion and sequencing deck
• Rainbow Fish story sequencing and retell worksheet
• Story picture prompts or teacher-drawn event images
• Large paper or whiteboard for the class chart
• Markers, pencils and crayons
• Optional recording device for oral retells

Assessment

• During reading and discussion, listen for accurate identification of the main character, setting and important events. Use teacher-led questioning to clarify misunderstandings.
• Observe pairs sequencing events and note whether students explain their choices using time words such as “first”, “next” and “finally”.
• Review the worksheet and partner retell against the success criteria. Record students who need further support with character, setting, event order or oral language in the next lesson.

Differentiation

• Provide visual sequencing cards, picture prompts and the sentence starters “At the beginning…”, “In the middle…” and “At the end…”. Allow students to draw before explaining orally.
• Pair learners strategically and provide oral rehearsal time before sharing. Repeat questions, point to illustrations and use teacher-led prompts such as, “Who is there?”, “Where are they?” and “What happened next?”
• Support English language learners by explicitly modelling and practising the words character, setting, ocean, beginning, middle, end and event, with gestures and pictures.
• For students ready for a challenge, ask them to identify the story’s problem and solution and explain how the Rainbow Fish changes from the beginning to the end. Scribe or record ideas for learners whose writing stamina is still developing.