Login
Join

Lesson Plans and Teaching Resources for The Rainbow Fish

The cover for The Rainbow Fish Lesson Plans and Teaching Resources
Download
Preview
Buy the book
Watch a Read-Aloud

Use The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister to strengthen your students' comprehension skills, build their vocabulary, and help them understand how words work.

Rainbow Fish is the most beautiful fish in the ocean with sparkling silver scales. But, in order to discover the secret to friendship and happiness, Rainbow Fish must first learn a lesson about the value of sharing with others. The simple, clear message presented in this book supports early readers well and also offers effective practice in making connections, retelling and summarizing, and making inferences.
Print resources
Preview
Buy the book
Watch a Read-Aloud

Explore lesson plans and activities to help you teach with The Rainbow Fish in the drop down below.

The first page of Asking Questions with A Bad Case of Stripes

Identifying the Author's Purpose with The Rainbow Fish

In The Rainbow Fish, the author presents the reader with very clear messages about sharing and friendship. Early readers can use this book to practice identifying evidence throughout the text that supports the author's message, while more advanced readers can engage in deeper discussion about possible suggestions of conformity.
Common Core State Standards Alignment
RL.2.2,RL.2.7,RL.2.10,RF.2.3,RF.2.4,SL.2.1b,SL.2.2,SL.2.3,W.2.8,L.2.6
TEKS Alignment
2.7D,2.13G,2.13E,2.13C,2.10C,2.10B,2.10A,2.9C,2.8C,2.7E,2.1A,2.7C,2.7B,2.7A,2.6I,2.6E,2.6A,2.1D,2.1C
Print
Preview PDF
Preview Digital
Preview Digital
Print
The first page of Asking Questions with A Bad Case of Stripes

Making Connections with The Rainbow Fish

Beginner readers will easily be able to identify this story's message about the value of sharing, which makes it a relevant and helpful classroom resource for making text-to-self connections. More advanced readers should be able to make connections to other texts with similar messages and also apply text-to-world observations.
Common Core State Standards Alignment
RL.2.2,RL.2.10,RF.2.3,RF.2.4,SL.2.1b,SL.2.2,SL.2.3,W.2.8,L.2.6
TEKS Alignment
2.1A,2.1C,2.1D,2.6A,2.6E,2.6I,2.7A,2.7B,2.7C,2.7D,2.7E,2.7F,2.8C,2.13C,2.13E,2.13G
Print
Preview PDF
Preview Digital
Preview Digital
Print
The first page of Asking Questions with A Bad Case of Stripes

Making Inferences with The Rainbow Fish

This book depends on its detailed text to express character emotion and motivation. As a result, your students will practice identifying words that help them infer meaning while reading.
Common Core State Standards Alignment
RL.2.6,RL.2.7,RL.2.10,RF.2.3,RF.2.4,SL.2.1b,SL.2.2,SL.2.3,W.2.8,L.2.6
TEKS Alignment
2.7C,2.13G,2.13E,2.13C,2.8C,2.8B,2.7F,2.7E,2.7D,2.1A,2.7B,2.6I,2.6F,2.6E,2.6A,2.1D,2.1C
Print
Preview PDF
Preview Digital
Preview Digital
Print
The first page of Asking Questions with A Bad Case of Stripes

Retelling & Summarizing with The Rainbow Fish

With just a few distinct characters and a clear problem and solution, The Rainbow Fish supports effective practice in retelling key story details and summarizing the author's purpose.
Common Core State Standards Alignment
RL.2.2,RL.2.3,RL.2.5,RL.2.7,RL.2.10,RF.2.3,RF.2.4,SL.2.1b,SL.2.2,SL.2.3,W.2.8,L.2.6
TEKS Alignment
2.7D,2.13G,2.13E,2.13C,2.9C,2.8D,2.8C,2.8A,2.7F,2.7E,2.1A,2.7C,2.7B,2.7A,2.6I,2.6G,2.6A,2.1D,2.1C
Print
Preview PDF
Preview Digital
Preview Digital
Print
The first page of Asking Questions with A Bad Case of Stripes

Blends with The Rainbow Fish

This word work lesson plan and set of teaching resources use The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister as a springboard for instruction focused on blends.

By anchoring word study to the text, students will benefit from seeing how beginning consonant blends are used inside of the text before engaging in both guided and independent practice with blends.

Common Core State Standards Alignment
RF.2.3,RF.2.4
TEKS Alignment
Print
Preview PDF
Preview Digital
Preview Digital
Print
The first page of Asking Questions with A Bad Case of Stripes

Vocabulary Connections with The Rainbow Fish

This set of vocabulary development resources for The Rainbow Fish highlights the words that are most important for students to know and understand while reading the book. Through engaging in fun word games, matching words to definitions and pictures, and practicing how to categorize words, students will develop the vocabulary necessary to comprehend this story and many others.

Common Core State Standards Alignment
L.2.4a,L.2.5a,L.2.6
TEKS Alignment
2.7E,2.7F,2.3A,2.3B,2.3D
Print
Preview PDF
Preview Digital
Preview Digital
Print
The first page of Asking Questions with A Bad Case of Stripes

Comprehension Assessment with The Rainbow Fish

Use this Common Core aligned comprehension assessment to evaluate students' comprehension of The Rainbow Fish.
Common Core State Standards Alignment
TEKS Alignment
Print
Preview PDF
Preview Digital
Preview Digital
Print
The first page of Asking Questions with A Bad Case of Stripes

Running Record with The Rainbow Fish

Use this Running Record to assess oral reading fluency with The Rainbow Fish. Track meaning, structure, and visual accuracy using the first 100 words of the text to determine whether or not this book is a good fit for the readers in your classroom.

Common Core State Standards Alignment
TEKS Alignment
Print
Preview PDF
Preview Digital
Preview Digital
Print
The first page of Asking Questions with A Bad Case of Stripes

Writing with The Rainbow Fish

The BookPagez extension activities are a great way to push student engagement beyond the pages of the text. Try using this activity with early finishers, with students who show a deeper connection with the text, or as a center activity.
Common Core State Standards Alignment
TEKS Alignment
Print
Preview PDF
Preview Digital
Preview Digital
Print

Identifying the Author's Purpose with The Rainbow Fish (Spanish)

  • Student Practice Page and Answer Key
  • Reader's Notebook Prompt
  • Graphic Organizer
Print

Making Connections with The Rainbow Fish (Spanish)

  • Student Practice Page and Answer Key
  • Reader's Notebook Prompt
  • Graphic Organizer
Print

Making Inferences with The Rainbow Fish (Spanish)

  • Student Practice Page and Answer Key
  • Reader's Notebook Prompt
  • Graphic Organizer
Print

Retelling & Summarizing with The Rainbow Fish (Spanish)

  • Student Practice Page and Answer Key
  • Reader's Notebook Prompt
  • Graphic Organizer
Print

Writing with The Rainbow Fish (Spanish)

Worksheet
Print

Get Full Access to the Entire Library of Resources when You Join Today!

You don’t need another curriculum—you need smart, supportive tools that build on the stories already in your classroom. BookPagez delivers research-aligned lessons, assessments, and digital tools to make your read-alouds, centers, and guided work more meaningful, more efficient, and more fun.
  • Teach with the favorite children’s books already on your shelf
  • Receive new, research-based materials every week
  • Tap into Digital Classroom for centers, assignments, and monitoring
  • Reclaim your evenings—planning is streamlined & ready to go
  • Stay organized with your personal file cabinet + dashboard
JOIN NOW!
30 Day Risk-Free Guarantee, Cancel Anytime

About the Book

The cover for the book The Rainbow Fish
Title: The Rainbow Fish
Author: Marcus Pfister
Genre: Fantasy
Themes: Decision Making, Relationship Skills, Social Awareness, Friendship
ISBN: 9781558580091
Publisher's Summary:
The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister is a beloved picture book that has captivated children and educators for generations. Set in a vibrant underwater world, the story follows the Rainbow Fish, a shimmering fish whose dazzling, iridescent scales make him the most beautiful fish in the ocean. Despite his outward beauty, Rainbow Fish is lonely and isolated, as his pride and reluctance to share his prized scales keep him apart from the other fish. The turning point comes when a wise octopus encourages Rainbow Fish to share his scales with others. Through this act of generosity, Rainbow Fish discovers the joy of friendship and learns that true happiness comes not from keeping his beauty to himself, but from sharing with those around him.

The book's rich illustrations—featuring sparkling foil accents—add to its appeal and help reinforce its central themes. Core messages include the value of sharing, the importance of humility, and how kindness can lead to genuine connections. The Rainbow Fish provides a gentle entry point for classroom discussions about empathy, selflessness, and building community. Its simple yet powerful narrative makes it an excellent tool for teaching social-emotional skills in early childhood and primary classroom settings.
Resources
Browse by Book Title Browse Classroom Resources Use the Resource Wizard Teacher Guides Digital Classroom Guides
Customer Service
Get Samples Contact Us Frequently Asked Questions Purchase Orders Login
About Us
Our Story Become a Member
Fine Print
Terms of Use Subscriber Agreement Privacy Policy Refund Policy Disclaimer Digital Resource User Agreement Student Privacy Policy Trademark and Copyright Notice
Content and Downloadable content Copyright ©2010-2025 Thinking Tree Enterprises, LLC. All other trademarks, service marks and trade names referenced on this site are the property of their respective owners. Please see our Terms of Use.

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
©BookPagez.com 2010 - 2023
Fluency / Book Filter
Search by Grade Level
Search by Reading Level
Search by Theme

Reset

Let’s Book Your 30-Minute Clarity Call
Select a day and time that works for you.
[ssa_booking type=clarity-call]

Resource Downloading disabled

Your ability to download resources is currently disabled. Please contact us at support@bookpagez.com

Oops!  It looks Like You're Getting Carried Away. 

When you joined BookPagez, you agreed to follow our Terms of Use. Based on your download activty, it looks like you've gotten carried away.

You are allowed to download resources to use in your classroom for the duration of your subscription. You are not allowed to bulk download resources. In other words, it's against the rules to download all (or most) of the resources. That's stealing, and it's not nice.

Please check your email for a message from us. Reply to the email and let us know what's going on so we can reactivate your account.
In order to continue, please indicate that you agree with the terms above

Get instant access to this resource plus thousands more when you join today.

  • Teach with the best books
  • Always have access to new resources (published every month!)
  • Get full access to Digital Classroom
  • Finally have time to "fit it all in" with super efficient lesson plans
  • Enjoy fast planning tools and stay organized with your personal file cabinet and dashboard
Save 50% for a Limited Time
Get Started
Already a member? Login here.