Overview

Summary

Explore how illustrations contribute to the telling of a story by creating illustrations to accompany text, and then creating text to accompany illustrations. Students will explore picture books (without words) and discuss the specific elements of the illustrations 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.

Learning 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.

Teaching Approach

Arts Integration

Teaching Methods

• Discussion
• Cooperative Learning
• Guided Practice
• Independent Practice

Assessment Type

Observation

Preparation

Lesson Setup

Teacher Background

Your choice of books can reflect other topics the students are studying or authors you are focusing on.

Prior Student Knowledge

No prior knowledge needed

Grouping

• Large Group Instruction
• Small Group Instruction
• Individualized Instruction

Staging

Set up desks/tables and chairs to accommodate small group work

Instruction

Engage

1. Read aloud a short excerpt from a book of your choosing. Do not share the book’s illustrations, but instead, have students listen carefully, and then create an illustration to go with the text.

2. Allow students to share their illustrations. Have students explain 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.

Build Knowledge

1. Explain 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.

2. 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? Can they describe the action that is taking place? Can they guess what one or more of the characters is feeling and/or thinking?

3. 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.

Apply

1. Explain that some books rely entirely on pictures to tell a story. Divide the students into groups of two to three. Distribute a picture book to each group. Allow them to flip through the picture book to discern the characters, setting, storyline of the book. Have 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.

2. Have each student a character, setting, and plot map of their own creation. Their maps should reveal the characters, setting, and some part of the action of the story. You can use the Character, Story, and Plot Maps in the Resource Carousel above. You may wish to have students use ReadWriteThink's interactive Story Map as a graphic organizer for their story elements. The maps help students put their stories into words and pictures. Students can create maps on their own paper, or on an interactive white board. Distribute copies of the Storyline Elements handout so students know what to discuss as they look through peer illustrations.

Reflect

1. Have students share whether their partner correctly guessed the elements of the storyline. If not, what part of the story did they have a hard time understanding?

2. Discuss the hardest and easiest parts of telling a story without words. Allow students five minutes to go back and add to or revise their pictures as needed.

Assess

Assess the students' work using the Assessment Rubric located within the Resource Carousel.

Standards

The National Standards For Arts Education:

Visual Arts

Grade K-4 Visual Arts Standard 3: Choosing and evaluating a range of subject matter, symbols, and ideas

Grade K-4 Visual Arts Standard 5: Reflecting upon and assessing the characteristics and merits of their work and the work of others

Language Arts

Language Arts Standard 5:
Uses the general skills and strategies of the reading process

Language Arts Standard 6:
Uses reading skills and strategies to understand and interpret a variety of literary texts

Language Arts Standard 9:
Uses viewing skills and strategies to understand and interpret visual media