SUMMARY Leo is a young fish who is tired of always swimming in a school of fish. So one day he discovers a shipwreck and swims off alone to explore it. In the wreck, he encounters several dangerous situations, so he decides to return to the safety of his school.

BUILD BACKGROUND Ask students what they know about fish and the ocean. Have them describe trips they've taken to an aquarium or movies they've seen that have shown fish swimming in schools.

PREVIEW/USE ILLUSTRATIONS Invite students to look at all the illustrations in the book. Ask students how the illustrations give clues to the meaning of the story.

Have students describe a trip to the ocean. Have they ever gone fishing in the ocean? Have they ever been to an aquarium? Have them talk about any of these experiences.

TEACH/REVIEW VOCABULARY Encourage student pairs to find the vocabulary words in the text. Have them define the words and then work together to write a sentence for each word.

PLOT AND THEME Remind students that the plot is the sequence of events that take a story from the beginning to the middle to the end. Also, remind students that stories usually have one big idea or theme. Discuss with them what they think the big idea is in a familiar story like "The Tortoise and the Hare" (slow and steady wins the race). Have them tell the plot of the story by recalling what happens at the beginning, in the middle, and at then end of the story.

VISUALIZE Remind students that when we visualize, we form pictures in our minds about what is happening in the story. Encourage students to try to visualize the scenes and characters in Leo and the School of Fish as they read it. Have them try to activate all their senses: sight, smell, taste, touch, and hearing.