Fish
Publication Information
Author:  Matthews, L. S.	Illustrator:
Title:  Fish	Date:  2004
Publisher:  Delacorte Press	City:  New York
ISBN, paperback:  0385731809	ISBN, hardback:
Recommended audience:
ABE/ABLE:   Yes	ESOL:
Family:	Young Adult:   Yes
Picture:
General Information:
Book Type(s):    fiction
HSE Descriptor(s):    literature and arts| social studies
Summary:
The story of the difficult and dangerous journey a family must make out of a country hit with drought and civil unrest. The story is told from the point of view of the family's youngest member who decides to take a live fish on the journey.
Teaching Ideas:
Teacher guidance is needed with this novel because there are many layers of understanding. One interesting aspect is that the main character could either be a male or a female. This could spark some discussion about why students think it may be one or the other. To journal this story from the perspective of any of the characters beside the main one, Tiger, would help comprehension. Inquiry into aid workers would set the background for the family of this story. This could be pursued through news media, current events or from organizations and NGO info. Small and large group, peer-led discussions would support making connections and wondering about the action, character and other content of the story. Response to reading (writings) could be shared to spark the discussion. Many challenges occur and problem/solution frames would help both sequencing and understanding various scenes and events of the story.
Teaching Strategies:
Bleich's Heuristic for Responding to Reading    http://literacy.kent.edu/eureka/strategies/bleichs_heuristic.pdf
Discussion Webs    http://literacy.kent.edu/eureka/strategies/discussion_webs.pdf
DR-TA: Directed Reading Thinking Activity    http://literacy.kent.edu/eureka/strategies/dr_ta.pdf
Reader's Theater    http://literacy.kent.edu/eureka/strategies/readers_theater.pdf
Problem and Solution Outline and Text Frame    http://literacy.kent.edu/eureka/strategies/prob_solution.pdf
Keywords: select any link below for a list of resources which also have that keyword
Emotions-Personal Issues > personal issues > individual > coming-of-age Emotions-Personal Issues > emotions > determination/perseverance Emotions-Personal Issues > personal issues > individual > life choices > problem solving Emotions-Personal Issues > personal issues > individual > responsibilities Emotions-Personal Issues > personal issues > group > values > humanity Hardships > adversity Hardships > disasters > natural disasters > drought Hardships > survival History > topic > war > children and war

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