èßäAV

Learning Objectives 

Students will: 

• Create illustrations to accompany a text.
• Infer meaning from illustrations for information.
• Describe story elements such as character, setting, and plot through illustration.
• Identify techniques and/or symbols used by illustrators to convey information.
• Revise and edit illustrations.
• Participate in peer discussions.

Standards Alignment

National Core Arts StandardsNational Core Arts Standards

Common Core State StandardsCommon Core State Standards

Recommended Student Materials

Editable Documents: Before sharing these resources with students, you must first save them to your Google account by opening them, and selecting “Make a copy” from the File menu. Check out Sharing Tips or Instructional Benefits when implementing Google Docs and Google Slides with students.

Videos

• (optional)

Websites

Teacher Background

Teachers should select books that align with other content topics or authors you are focusing on. Explore the list for recommendations. 

Student Prerequisites 

Students should have experience with picture books and story elements. 

Accessibility Notes

Modify handouts, text, and utilize assistive technologies as needed. Allow extra time for task completion.

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 “turn and talk” to their peers and share their illustrations. Ask students, how does your illustration relates to the text from the story? 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 for decoding and clarification of unknown words.

Build

1. Explain that listening to a story creates a picture in our minds, and looking at a picture can create a story in our minds, too. 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. Who are the characters and how would you describe them? What is the setting? Where or when might the story take place? What actions and events are taking place? What can you infer about the character's thoughts or feelings?

3. Flip to the next page, again covering up the text. Based on the second illustration, see which ideas students were able to infer. Ask students, what can you infer 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. Use a mentor text to model techniques, pointing out facial expressions on characters, actions, body language, gestures, or clothing that help reveal information about the characters or events in the story.

Apply

1. Explain that some books rely entirely on pictures to tell a story. Divide the students into small groups. Distribute a picture book to each group. Allow time for students to flip through the picture book to discern the characters, setting, and storyline of the book. Ask the recorder to jot their findings down on page one of the . Have a reporter from each group 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 create their own character, setting, and plot maps using pages one and two of the . Their maps should reveal the characters, setting, and some part of the action of the story. You can use the Character, Setting, and Plot Maps for planning. You may wish to have students use 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 use an interactive board. 

3. Provide students with feedback. Facilitate learning in small or whole groups to offer constructive feedback so students can revise their picture stories. 

Reflect 

1. Divide students into partners and have them share their illustrations. Display the resource as a reference during peer discussions. Have their partner infer the storyline and discuss what parts they understand and do not understand. 

2. Assess students’ knowledge of storytelling with illustrations. Allow time for student-teacher discourse to evaluate the student’s work. Ask students, what does the illustration infer about the character’s thoughts or feelings? How does the setting relate to the events in the story?