We Don't Lose Our Class Goldfish (Show Me Reader Nominee 2025-2026): Home

1st - 3rd Grades

Missouri Association of School Librarians (MASL) Standards:

• Reading Engagement:
  • K-2: Predict outcomes and analyze story events.
  • 3-5: Use prior knowledge and textual evidence to make and confirm predictions.

American Association of School Librarians (AASL) Standards:

• Inquire:
  • I.A.1: Learners display curiosity by formulating questions about a personal interest or a curricular topic.
  • I.B.3: Learners engage with resources to gain or deepen understanding.

• 1st Grade: 1.R.1.A.a: Predict what will happen next using prior knowledge.
• 2nd Grade: 2.R.1.A.a: Make predictions about text content using prior knowledge and text features.
• 3rd Grade: 3.R.1.A.a: Use text features and prior knowledge to make, confirm, and revise predictions.

1 class period of 30 minutes

This lesson was created by Lara Garrett from Gray Elementary School, Springfield Public Schools, MO

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

In this lesson, students listen to We Don't Lose Our Class Goldfish and practice making predictions using prior knowledge and textual clues. They engage in discussions, ask and answer questions to enhance comprehension, and compare their predictions to actual events in the story. The lesson concludes with a reflection on how making predictions aids in understanding narratives.

• We Don’t Lose Our Class Goldfish by Ryan T. Higgins (ISBN: 978-1368075838)
• Large chart paper or whiteboard for Prediction Chart
• Individual worksheets for students to write or draw their predictions
• Markers, pencils, crayons

Students will be able to:

• Make predictions about what will happen next in a story using prior knowledge and story clues.
• Ask and respond to questions to enhance understanding.
• Analyze how predictions compare to actual story events.

I Can Statements:

• 1st Grade: I can make predictions about what will happen next in a story.
• 2nd Grade: I can ask and answer questions to understand a story better.
• 3rd Grade: I can use clues from a story to make logical predictions and check my understanding.

Warm-Up Discussion:

• Have you ever seen a class goldfish or another class pet? What might be fun about having one?
• What do you think might happen if someone lost the class goldfish?
• Today, we’re going to read a story about a class goldfish and what happens when things go wrong. As we read, we’ll make predictions about what might happen next and ask questions to help us understand the story better.

Read Aloud and Minilesson:

• Prediction Chart Activity:
  • Draw a T-chart with “What I Predict” in one column and “What Happens” in the other.
  • Have students predict what will happen based on the book cover and title.
  • Stop at key points in the story to update predictions and compare them to actual events.
• Read We Don’t Lose Our Class Goldfish
  • Stop at key moments and ask:
    • What do you think will happen next? Why?
    • What clues in the story or pictures help you make that prediction?
  • Examples of stopping points:
    • When the goldfish is first mentioned as missing.
    • When the class starts looking for the goldfish.
    • When the characters find something unexpected.
• Respond to Predictions & Questions:
  • After reading each section, revisit the predictions: Were we right? What actually happened?
  • Model asking questions such as:
    • Why do you think the goldfish went missing?
    • What do you think the characters are feeling right now?
  • Encourage students to ask their own questions.

Guided & Independent Practice (Activity Options)

• Complete a class Prediction Chart together.
• Students draw a picture or write about a scene from the story and explain their prediction.
• Work in small groups to make and revise predictions on their own charts.
• Write a sentence explaining a prediction they made and whether it was correct.
• Extension: Write a short story about what might have happened if the goldfish had never been found.

Closure

• Review the class Prediction Chart together.
• Ask:
  • What helped you make good predictions today? (pictures, what was happening in the story, what I know from previous books in this series, etc.)
  • Why is it important to make predictions as we read? (helps us understand the story and think about what might happen next).
• Celebrate predictions by highlighting thoughtful or creative responses.
• Encourage students to make predictions in other books they read.
• Feature other books in this series and by Ryan T. Higgins during book checkout time this week.

• Observe student participation in discussions and predictions.

• Review Prediction Charts for logical reasoning and engagement.

• Have students turn to a partner and explain one prediction they made and whether it came true.

• Call on students to share their thoughts with the group.

• For students needing extra support: Provide sentence starters or a simplified Prediction Chart with visuals. Pair them with a peer for discussion.
• For advanced students: Encourage them to create an alternative ending based on their predictions.
• For EL students: Use visual supports, gestures, and simplified vocabulary to reinforce the lesson.