Swimmy is part of our Starts With a Story Collection, which includes more than 550 picture book companions based on high quality children’s literature that support you in delivering highly-engaging interactive read alouds with follow up activities. Learn more about this children’s book below! - Jodi and the Starts With a Story Team
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SUMMARY
"Swimmy" by Leo Lionni is a captivating and imaginative children's book that follows the journey of a small fish named Swimmy. After Swimmy's entire school of fish is swallowed by a big tuna, Swimmy ventures out alone to explore the vast ocean. Along the way, he encounters various sea creatures and marvels at their beauty. Swimmy's bravery and ingenuity are put to the test when he comes up with a clever plan to protect a new school of fish from potential predators. With its stunning and vibrant illustrations, "Swimmy" not only captivates young readers but also imparts valuable lessons about teamwork, courage, and the strength of unity. The book celebrates the power of individuality and the importance of finding creative solutions to overcome challenges. Through Swimmy's inspiring journey, children are encouraged to embrace their uniqueness and to work together for the greater good.
 USE THIS BOOK TO TEACH:
Our read aloud lesson plans for this picture book come with reading comprehension questions (with sample student responses), 30 writing prompts, teaching ideas for grammar skills, social emotional learning discussion ideas, and more. Check out our list below to get a sneak peek at some of the skills this resource teaches.
- Read the book to students without showing the pictures. Encourage them to close their eyes and visualize the story. Discuss their visualization as a class.
- Encourage students to use their summarizing and retelling strategies.
- Teach a lesson on making connections to enhance comprehension.
- Analyze the illustrations in the story. Discuss how they provide meaning that the words might not.
- Introduce and act out action verbs.
- Explore the different ways words can be made plural.
- Discuss the importance of teamwork and what a good teammate looks like.
NO-PREP PRINTABLE ACTIVITIES:
If you are looking for “ready to go” activities for the first day of school, be sure to check out the book companion. With it you’ll receive all of the following resources to align with this specific book:
- comprehension questions
- 30Â writing prompts with themed paper
- vocabulary activities
- word study print & go activities
- ideas for grammar lessons with focus sentence printables
- social emotional learning discussion topics
- graphic organizers to target specific comprehension skills and strategies
This book is a must have for your school or classroom library. Your students are going to love completing these activities for the book and you will be impressed with how much they learn. You will want to read this book to your class every year.
GET THE PRINTABLE ACTIVITIES
ADDITIONAL BOOK SUGGESTIONS
You and your students will love the similar books listed below, which can all be found in our free picture book list.
- A Color of His Own by Leo Lionni
- The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister
- The Pout-Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen
TRY OUT A SAMPLE COMPANION
It's hard to explain how amazing the Starts with a Story book companions are because there is just so much goodness included in each one. It's best if you experience using one for yourself. Sign up below & we'll send you an entire book companion to try out for FREE!
