Trust Me! You have to read DON’T TRUST FISH!

This past week, my first graders started a nonfiction animal unit where they get to choose an animal to study and research. In the beginning of the unit, I like to find read alouds that introduce the five main animal groups to help the students decide what animal they will choose. Reading Neil Sharpson and Dan Santat’s DON’T TRUST FISH was a perfect way to start off the animal unit this year. I love how we get a basic (and humorous) introduction to the animal groups while hilariously diving into the tomfoolery of fish. We had a great class discussion on the genre of this book. Is it fiction? Nonfiction? A little of both, is what we decided. We laughed a TON while learning facts about fish at the same time. I will be happy to read this book to my students every year at the beginning of the animal unit.

Now the question is, will any students choose to study fish, or will they take the author’s advice? Don’t trust fish!!!!