Lesson Overview:

In this lesson, students explore how illustrations contribute to the telling of a story. They will create illustrations to accompany text and then create text to accompany illustrations. Students will explore picture books (without words) and discuss the specific elements of the illustration that "tell" the story. They will learn to "read" illustrations as they look at the ways in which pictures reveal information about the characters, setting, and plot of a story.

Length of Lesson:

Two 45-minute class periods

Notes:

This lesson is particularly suitable for emerging readers in grades K-2.

Instructional Objectives:

Students will:

• create illustrations to accompany text.
• "read" a variety of illustrations for information.
• convey elements of a story such as character, setting, and plot through illustration
• identify techniques and/or symbols used by illustrators to convey information.
• critique their own illustrations.
• participate in a variety of independent literacy-building activities.

Supplies:

• Drawing supplies
• A variety of picture books without text (teacher selected)
• A large picture book with text (teacher selected)

Instructional Plan:

Begin by reading aloud a short excerpt from a storybook of your choosing. Do not share the story’s illustrations, but instead, have students listen carefully, and then create an illustration to go with the text. Allow students to share their illustrations, explaining why they chose to depict what they did, and how the picture correlates with the story they just heard. Explain that pictures, or illustrations, are an important element of storybooks, and they can help us understand the elements of the story, including the characters, setting, and plot. Point out that illustrations can also provide valuable clues when one gets "stuck" on a word one doesn’t understand.

Discuss with students the fact that just as listening to a story creates a picture in our minds, looking at a picture can create a story in our minds. Show students a sample illustration from a large picture book of your choosing, preferably one that is unfamiliar to students. Cover up the text so that the students are focused on the illustration. Discuss with students which elements of the story they can discern simply by looking at the picture. Can they identify who the characters are and what they might be like? What about the setting? Where or when might the story take place? What season is it? Can they describe the action that is taking place? Can they guess what one or more of the characters is feeling and/or thinking? Flip to the next page, again covering up the text.

Based on the second illustration, see which ideas about the storyline seem to be correct. Can students discern something more about the storyline? What elements of the illustrations are most helpful in figuring out information about the story? Discuss specific techniques the illustrator used to “tell” the story. If students are having trouble coming up with specific techniques, point out facial expressions on characters, actions, body language, gestures, or clothing that help reveal information about the characters or action of the story.

Tell students that some books rely entirely on pictures to tell a story. Divide the students into groups of 2-3. Distribute a picture book to each group. Allow them to flip through the picture book to discern the characters, setting, storyline of the book. Allow a reporter from each group to briefly share the plot of the story with classmates, along with one of the illustrations that most helped them to understand the story and why.

Have each student draw a picture, or series of 2-3 pictures that tell a story. Their picture should reveal the characters, setting, and some part of the action of the story. You may wish to have students use ReadWriteThink's interactive Story Map as a graphic organizer for their story elements. Students should then exchange pictures with a partner and have the partner guess the elements of the storyline. Ask students whether their partner guessed correctly. If not, what part of the story did they have a hard time understanding? Discuss what was hardest and easiest about telling a story without words. Allow students five minutes to go back and add to or revise the picture as needed.

Assessment:

Use the Assessment Rubric to evaluate student's learning.

You may also wish to conduct brief, individual assessments in which students are presented with an illustration and are asked to tell about the story.

Assess students' understanding based on the following criteria:

• Can the student identify elements of the story such as character, setting and plot?
• Can the student explain how the picture helps tp reveal information about the characters, setting and/or plot of the story?

Extensions:

Create a class picture book. Have students gather on the rug or other suitable sitting area. Post three to five pieces of blank chart paper along a wall or chalkboard. Develop an original storyline as a class. As you are telling the story, have student volunteers come up at various points in the story to add detail the corresponding illustration.

Though the storyline is being told chronologically, there may be points in the story where you will wish to go back and add something to the previous illustrations to ensure that the story "makes sense."

This will require some critical thinking on the part of the students, so encourage them to think about ways in which the illustrations might be enhanced to better tell the story. Post the resulting illustrations on a wall for later 'reading' or use as a learning center activity (e.g., students might write a story retelling or practice vocabulary words associated with the wall story).

Authors:

• ARTSEDGE, Education Department
  John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
  Washington, DC