Multicultural Lesson Plan (VCU format): Rainbow Fish
English 1.9 and Diversity
Savannah Crowder
Purpose:
This lesson is designed to help students understand the importance of
having and respecting qualities that are similar and different than others
so that they can build and maintain positive relationships. They will relate
previous experience to Rainbow Fish. During this lesson, the students will
use a Venn diagram to compare and contrast their similarities and
differences with a partner. This activity will bring a general awareness of
respecting differences and being a good friend to everyone.
VA SOLSEnglish 1.9: The student will read and demonstrate comprehension of a
variety of fictional texts.
a) Preview the selection.
b) Set a purpose for reading.
c) Relate previous experiences to what is read.
d) Make and confirm predictions.
e) Ask and answer who, what, when, where, why, and how
questions about what is read.
f) Identify characters, setting, and important events.
g) Retell stories and events, using beginning, middle, and end.
h) Identify the main idea or theme.
i) Read and reread familiar stories, poems, and passages with
fluency, accuracy, and meaningful expression.
Objectives:
Given a Venn diagram, the students will be able to write (or draw)
similarities and differences of themselves and a partner, with 100%
accuracy (1 similarity, 1 difference).
After the lesson, the students will be able to answer questions about
diversity, when given a short quiz, with 80% accuracy (4 out of 5 correct).
Procedure:
Introduction:

Have the students come to the front carpet and tell them that
they have a fun activity planned for today!
o Write the word diversity on the board, read the word aloud,
and ask students if they have ever heard of diversity? (V, A)
o Call on several students to share responses.
o Then say that today we are going to learn about diversity.
o To help us learn about diversity we are are going to read the
book Rainbow Fish. (V, A)

Ask the students if they have ever read the book, Rainbow Fish.
o Ask the students if they can describe what the book may be
about using the cover and title. (V)
Development:

Read the book, Rainbow Fish, by Marcus Pfister (V, A)

During the reading, pause (when Rainbow Fish is introduced) and
ask the children why they think that Rainbow Fish is different than
the other fish. (A)
o Call on two or three students to share answers.


He is different because he has shiny scales.

Rainbow fish looks different than the other fish.
After reading the book, go back to the word “diversity” written on
the board. (V)

Can you tell me a little bit more about what you think diversity is?

Write definition on the board. (V)
o Diversity is the condition of being different.

How was Rainbow fish different? (A)
o Wait for correct response, “because he had
shiny scales” or “because he looked different”
or “he was mean (or selfish)”

Can you all tell me some things about yourselves that may make you
different than your friend?

Discuss how every one is different, special, and unique, but that
makes us who we are!

Do you think that Rainbow fish was being a good friend to the
other fish in the beginning?
o NO…Why? Because Rainbow fish thought he was better
than the other fish and because they looked different than
him.
o Don’t you all think that you should be a good friend to
everyone even if they are different than you?

Yes. We should all be good friends despite our
differences.

Talk about how we are all important.

While we all have differences, we also may have similarities.

Similarities are things that are the same.

Can you all tell me some things that may be the same about you and
your friend?
o E.g. hair color, favorite animal, favorite TV show, etc.

Today, we are going to make our own “Rainbow Fish” (A)

Have children go back to seats.

Show students my own “rainbow fish” (which includes my name, and
a few things about myself). (V)

Tell the students that they will be making one like my own.

I will hand out materials.

The students will receive a paper fish cutout and markers. (V, K)

I will have the students start by writing their name on their fish.

Then I will have the students work step-by-step as a class to
complete their fish: (V, K, A)
1. Draw an “X” in your favorite color
a. Model an “X” on the board for struggling
students.
b. Show the students my “X” on my own fish.
2. Write your favorite season or draw something from
that season (e.g. sun for summer, flower for spring,
snowman for winter).
a. Write the seasons on the board (Spring, Summer,
Fall, Winter)
b. Show the students my favorite season written on
my fish
3. Write how many siblings you have
a. Show the students where I put a “1” for my
sibling
4. Write the color of your eyes or draw your eyes
a. Write “blue,” “brown,” and “green” on the board
for struggling students.
b. Show the students where I wrote blue for my
eye color.
5. Write your age.
a. Show the students where I wrote my age.
6. Draw your favorite food.
a. Show students where I drew my favorite food on
my fish.
b. Walk around to assist and check to see if
students understood.
i. They should have 7 things on their fish
(name, x, favorite season, number of
siblings, age, color of eyes, and favorite
food)

The students can add other things to their fish if they have
completed the 7 things required (e.g. decorate, color, draw things
that they like/describe themselves).

When all students are finished, pass out the Venn diagrams.

Have Ms. Beard come up to the front of the classroom with the
big model Venn diagram and go over what the Venn diagram is used
for. (V, A)
o This is used to show similarities and differences.
o There is a spot to put your name and a spot to put your
partners name.
o Point to spots on Venn diagram.

This is for similarities.

This is for differences.

The differences of you and your partner go on the
lines in the outside circles.

The similarities go on the area that the two circles are
overlapping.
o Model similarities and differences of Ms. Beard and my fish.

Put similarities in the middle area of the Venn diagram.

Put differences underneath our names.

Read them aloud as we are placing them on the Venn
diagram.


When finished, ask if there are any questions?
Tell students to put their name on one line and their partners name
(partner is student sitting next to them) on the other side (like
shown in the model)
o Walk around to assist.

Then they need to look at their own fish and their partner’s fish
and see if they have anything that is the same, and what is
different. They should be working together and discussing. (V, A,
K)

Walk around during the time the students are working on their
Venn diagrams to assist.

The students need to write (or draw) at least 1 similarity and 1
difference on their Venn diagram
o For strugglers:

Have them only do one similarity and one difference

Can draw a picture of similarity or difference

Show model of your own

Walk around to assist
o For advanced:

Have them try and write as many similarities and
differences as they can, using both their fish, and
their understanding of differences.
Summary:

Ask students to put their markers away, but keep their fish and
Venn diagrams out on their desks.

Have whole class discussion to see if students understood
diversity, and similarities and differences. (A)
o What is diversity?

The condition of being different
o Can we think of some other ways (besides the things on our
fish) that people can be different?

E.g. skin color, hair color, hometown, family structure,
etc.
o What does the word “similarity” mean?


The same
Ask questions about why we used a Venn diagram (A)
o Why did we use a Venn diagram?

Call on a few students

(Correct answer) To show similarities and differences
of you and your partner.

Why did we want to focus on similarities and differences? (A)
o Call on a few students
o (Correct answer) To show that everyone is different and
unique.

What else could we call being different than your friend? (A)
o DIVERSITY!!!!

Hand out short quiz on diversity and the book. (Attached)

Give at least 5 minutes to complete.

Closing statement:
o So, after learning about diversity and similarities and
differences are we all going to be good friends to everyone
even if they are different than us?
Materials:

Fish cutouts

Markers

Pencils

Venn diagrams

Model Venn diagram

Cutouts of “6 things” on my fish and Ms. Beard’s fish to
demonstrate using a Venn diagram

Short quiz
Evaluation A:

Collect students Venn diagrams to check later for understanding
and to see if students had at least one similarity and one
difference on their Venn diagrams.

Collect quiz to assess for understanding of diversity, Rainbow Fish,
and Venn diagrams (should have 4/5 correct).

Collect fish to check for seven things (name, “x”, favorite season,
favorite food, age, number of siblings, and color of eyes) and then
hang up all together in room or hallway to show that, “all of the
fish are in the sea together.”
Evaluation B:

Did the students understand diversity?

Did your lesson accommodate/address the needs of all of your
learners?

How would you change the lesson if you could teach it again?

What were the strengths of the lesson?

What were the weaknesses?
Name: _______________________ Date: ______________
1. What is diversity?
a. being different
b. being mean
c. being happy
2. Why was Rainbow fish different?
a. he was old
b. he had shiny scales
c. he
was loud
3. What does a Venn diagram compare and contrast?
a. similarities
b. differences and similarities
c.
differences
4. Should we be good friends to everyone even if they are different?
a. yes
b. no
5. Is everyone the same?
a. yes
b. no