Fearless Fish Lanterns

Think like a brave fish in a gigantic ocean! Find the courage to try something new and even scary with this lantern, inspired by a Maya Angelou book.

• 1.

  Read books, such as <U>Mikale of Hawaii</U>, about children or animals who find the courage to try something new and scary. Make a list of new things you'd like to do or places to see. What makes first times frightening? Exciting? Take turns sharing experiences and feelings.

• 2.

  <STRONG>Imagine you’re a fish</STRONG>. Pretend to be a fearFUL fish swimming into a new part of the ocean. Now act like a fearLESS fish. How are these experiences alike? Different? Talk with classmates about doing new things with a fearLESS attitude.

• 3.

  <STRONG>Create a fearless fish!</STRONG> Use Crayola Twistables® and Rainbow Twistables to draw an imaginative fish. You could place a big eye on each side of the fish. One way to make scales: draw the letter C over and over again. Fill inside the Cs with different colors.

• 4.

  Add fins. Draw a long fin along the top of the fish's body and a short one along the bottom. Add a tail fin. Draw side fins. You might draw stripes on the fins and choose different colors to add between each line. With Crayola Scissors, cut out your fish. Attach any cutout fins with a Crayola Glue Stick. Decorate both sides of your fish.

• 5.

  <STRONG>Design a lantern-shaped ocean</STRONG>. Lay 12-inch x 18-inch (30 x 46 cm) construction paper horizontally. Cut a 2-inch (5 cm) border strip from the bottom. Cut up from the bottom of the paper to about 2 inches (5 cm) from the top. Make cuts abou

• 6.

  Use Crayola Twistables Colored Pencils or Twistables on the strips to write or draw a new experience you had and what you learned from it. Design the top and bottom borders on both sides, too.

• 7.

  Attach each strip to the bottom border with a Crayola Glue Stick. Form the top strip into a circle and glue the ends together. Form the bottom strip into a circle and glue the ends together.

• 8.

  <STRONG>Hang your lantern.</STRONG> Punch three holes in the top strip and attach string or yarn to each hole. Tie the ends of the strings together. Punch a hole in the top of your fish. Tie another string to it. Tie the end of that string to the top knot

• 9.

  Explain your Fearless Fish Lantern to friends and family. Display it in a doorway or window. Or hang it from a shelf or the ceiling—wherever it will give you courage!

Benefits

• Children read about courageous characters who face and positively deal with new situations.
• Children connect what they've read with their own experiences.
• Children construct fish lanterns to represent their courage in the face of new challenges.

Adaptations

• Children who do not yet read fluently may benefit from read-aloud activities or shared reading with a partner. The reader reads the text while the non-reading partner takes the role of investigator, asking questions for the pair to talk about regarding th
• Younger children and those with special needs may benefit from having strips of paper pre-cut. Students can independently assemble the lantern.
• Explore other books in the Maya’s World series, in which children encounter universal growing-up experiences.
• Answer the question, "What is courage?" on camera or in writing or drawings. Compile responses into a class video, audio CD, book, or gallery dedicated to inspiring courage in others. Share the presentation with each other first.
• Assessment: Determine how carefully and creatively the lantern and fish are constructed and decorated. Ask children to explain the meaning of their illustrations.