LEARN NC

K–12 teaching and learning · from the UNC School of Education

Writing a fish book: Number and color details

Students will learn and write color words and number words.

A lesson plan for grades K–1 English Language Arts

By Stephanie Phelps

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Learning outcomes

Students will write “fish” stories using number and color words to describe their fish correctly with 90% accuracy.

Teacher planning

Time required for lesson

40 minutes

Materials/resources

Pre-activities

Teacher will read the book One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish by Dr. Seuss, which consists of both color and number words.

Activities

  1. Teacher will explain that number and color words are detail words used to describe objects and make reading more exciting.
  2. Teacher will ask volunteers to name all number words (zero through ten) and color words as the teacher lists them on chart paper.
  3. Students will play number/color word matching game in small groups.
  4. The teacher will model what to do in their little fish books. Each student will write at least five pages. Each page will have one sentence on it that starts with “I see______.” In the blank spaces there will be a number and color word describing anything fishy. Example: I see three purple jellyfish. (Accelerated Students will be more specific. Example: I see four red striped clownfish at the bottom of the sea.)
  5. Students will then complete an illustration to match each sentence.
  6. When completed, volunteers will share their books with the class.
  7. Teacher will then use number/color word flashcards to review with students.

Assessment

The teacher will evaluate the effectiveness of the lesson by reading students’ writing and determining if they used number and color words appropriately with 90% accuracy.

Supplemental information

Other descriptive counting books include “Sea Squares” by Joy Hulme

North Carolina curriculum alignment

English Language Arts (2004)

Grade 1

  • Goal 4: The learner will apply strategies and skills to create oral, written, and visual texts.
    • Objective 4.03: Use specific words to name and tell action in oral and written language (e.g., using words such as frog and toad when discussing an expository text).

  • Common Core State Standards

    • English Language Arts (2010)

      • Speaking & Listening

        • Grade 1
          • 1.SL.4 Describe people, places, things, and events with relevant details, expressing ideas and feelings clearly.
          • 1.SL.5 Add drawings or other visual displays to descriptions when appropriate to clarify ideas, thoughts, and feelings.

        • Writing

          • 1.W.3 Write narratives in which they recount two or more appropriately sequenced events, include some details regarding what happened, use temporal words to signal event order, and provide some sense of closure.
        • Kindergarten
          • K.W.3 Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to narrate a single event or several loosely linked events, tell about the events in the order in which they occurred, and provide a reaction to what happened.