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The smallest fish can tell the tallest tales… “Sorry I’m late, Miss. I set off really early, but on the way to school, I was captured by a squid. I wriggled and I struggled till a turtle came and rescued me.” “Oh, no, he didn’t.” “OH, YES, HE DID.” Tiddler is a little fish with a BIG imagination! Whatever will he come up with next?
Teaching Ideas and Resources:
English
- Identify all of the rhyming words that are used in the story. Can you think of other words that rhyme with these?
- Write a story about one of the other sea creatures shown in the illustrations. Could you write a story about one of Tiddler’s school friends?
- Write a story about Tiddler riding somewhere on a seahorse. Where does he go to? What happens there?
- Make up another ‘tall tale’ that Tiddler might tell. How would he explain this to his teacher?
- What lessons might the fish have at their school? Write a diary entry from the point of view of one of the fish, giving their thoughts about their lessons at school.
- Look at the use of speech marks within the story. Can you explain why they are in those places?
- At nine o’clock on Wednesday, Tiddler was ‘dawdling’. What does this mean?
- The author uses ‘meanwhile’ as a time connective. Can you find out any others?
- A ‘shoal’ is the collective noun for a group of fish. Can you find out other collective nouns? Can you make a poster showing them and the creatures that they refer to?
- Write a set of instructions teaching people how to look after some goldfish.
- Imagine that you could go diving underwater. What might you see? What words could you use to describe things? Watch this video to get some ideas:
Maths
- What times are mentioned in the story? Are there any clocks in the illustrations? What times do they show?
Science
- Look at the illustrations and identify the different sea creatures shown.
- Research one of the creatures in the story and write a report about it. What does each creature eat? How does it move? How is it adapted to help it live underwater?
- Investigate floating and sinking. How do fishing boats stay afloat? What materials and shapes are the best to use when designing a boat?
- Tiddler sees some flying fish while he is having his adventure. Watch this video to learn more about them:
Computing
- Use painting software to create an underwater scene.
Design Technology
- Design a pond for your home / school grounds.
Art
- Decorate the fish templates using your own designs (see Resources below).
- Can you spot the ‘Gruffalo’ fish in the illustrations? Can you design your own fish based on a character from a popular story?
- Draw or paint an underwater scene. Use some of these images to help you.
Geography
- Look on a map and find different seas and oceans around the world.
- Find the locations of ponds / rivers / lakes near to where you live. Could you go on a trip there with your school?
- Find out about fishing and how it affects people and the environment.
- Investigate any environmental issues linked to the sea. How does pollution affect sea creatures? How can people help ocean habitats?
History
- Find out how stories are passed on throughout history. Do you know any very old stories that are still told today? How have they changed over the years?
PSHE
- Play ‘Chinese Whispers’ and see how stories can sometimes change as they are passed from person to person.
