Paper Plate Fish

In this lesson, we used markers and paper plates to create a fish.  On the body of the fish, we completed a 5x5 grid with shapes in the pattern of our choice.  Two patterns were created in the grid, one with the colors we used and the other with the shapes.  Once our grid was completed, we were able to start coloring the border of the fish, again making a pattern.  We were allowed to use different colors and create any kind of pattern we wanted to use.  To create the fish's mouth, we cut out a triangle from one side.  We then used this triangle as the side fin, gluing it to the body of the fish.  We were given another larger triangle to color and glue on as the tail fin.  Once all of our coloring was finished, we were given an eye to glue on and used a black marker to draw on the gills.  A really fun part of this activity was getting to take our picture with the fish that we "caught", showing everybody how proud we were of it.

For my fish, I used my favorite colors of blue and red for the grid pattern, along with purple.  Then, I chose to use orange, pink, and green to color the border of my fish.  For the tail fin, I used blue.  

An extension activity that could be done with this project is to have students create several different animals using paper plates.  Because patterns were a large part of the project, they should also be included in the other animals.  Some examples of animals that students can create are cats, dogs, elephants, and any animal that has a large body.  Instead of using markers, I would consider having students color the border of their fish with paint.  That way, students don't have to worry about drying out their markers.  However, paint often means more mess, so that will need to be taken into consideration.