Storyboarding for Kindergarten and Grade One

Supplies Needed: Pencils, crayons, sheets of paper 11 x 17 in size

When working with the youngest students, I prepare 11 x 17 sheets that are tri-folded into three sections: Beginning, Middle and End. Each of these three sections is labelled at the top, with a large area for the child to draw an illustration, and lined spaces under the picture section for key words.

I usually ask the students to write a story about their typical school day, titled “My Big Day”. They create an illustration for each of the three steps, showing Who is in the picture, Where and When the scene occurs, and What is happening:

1. The Beginning picture shows how the day begins, from the student’s point of view. My suggestions are that they can show themselves waking up, eating breakfast, brushing teeth, etc. Once the illustration is done in pencil, the teachers and I help the students with scribing, if necessary.

2. The Middle section deals with the student’s favorite activity at school: some choose recess, others choose music and so on. I encourage them to show themselves here in a Big Face drawing, which zooms in to show the emotions of the student when doing this activity. The background of setting and action must still be depicted.

3. The End section shows the student at home again, this time acting as the Storyteller. He or she is to be depicted with someone from the family, and telling the story of the best part about the school day. A thought or speech balloon contains not words but an iconic representation of something associated with the activity. Some children show a soccer ball, some a water color brush.

The finished storyboard tries to use the graphical illustrations created by the students as a means of discovering the best words that go with the pictures. Each day covers one of the three steps, and I try to make sure that every day includes a modelled story by myself, as well as sharing opportunities for the students.

CHAPTER BOOKS FOR GRADES 2-6

In Grades 2 through 4, I favor using a realistic adventure story as the inspiration for a short chapter book, which includes text, illustrations and a book cover. For these grades, I suggest topics which depict scenarios that students have likely experienced (an important choice which builds on the old adage “Write About What You Know.” They can choose to write about a Trip (on a holiday, to grandma’s, to Walmart, etc.), a Special Event (birthday, wedding, big soccer game), and an Ordinary Day Gone Bad (a flood, or invasion by mice at school). The key here is to use a scenario that was real and then to introduce a “What If” element as the problem in the plot.

In Grades 5 and 6, I often ask the students to write a Mystery. The advantage to writing a mystery is that the plot has a traditional progression: Discovery of the Crime, the pursuit of the Clue as a means to unlocking the mystery, and the eventual solution. Some stock characters make the process easier, too. Every crime has a criminal, for example. The criminal lies about the Truth, and the Detective tries to “detect” the Truth, using the clue as the logical plot device. Older students also look at the use of Suspense to make a plot flow, and the use of Dialogue as a sophisticated writing tool.

I will use the Grade 2-4 Adventure story to outline the ideal progress of the writing project: When I conduct writing workshops in schools, I use a series of tasks to help students write a completed story. GOAL FOR RESIDENCY: A short story, 3 - 5 pages in length, that is a adventure tale. Ideally, students will produce a “book” of three chapters, with three illustrations, and front and back covers. Generally, I devote one period to each module. Each school’s needs, however, are unique.

Day 1:

— Introduction of Idea Sources; the meaning of “adventure” and kinds of everyday scenarios.

— Lesson on the three parts of a story (the initial situation, challenging the Problem, and the Solution) and how these correspond to the Beginning, Middle and End of any story. I often ask students to order their stories into three corresponding chapters.

Assignment: Students will outline a plot (one sentence each for the Beginning, Middle and End), create an initial character list (the character list at this point is simply that: a list with names and ages only), and to create a “bird’s eye view” setting map.

Day 2:

— Review of setting map, character list, and plot ;

— Lesson on Character Profiles (a sampling of character traits): only the Main Character needs to be covered, and there are at least 6 attributes for each character (name, size, a scar, the character’s favorite painting or poster, an important fear, and a precise choice of name based on characteristics)

— Lesson on the First Chapter (intro of characters, establish setting, present initial scene or circumstance). These will allow the students to more readily visualize the tools of writing. Assignment: Do Character profile sheet, create a Chapter One sketch and write text.

Day 3:

— Review character profiles and discuss student examples of opening scenes.

— Discussion of the Middle, or Chapter Two (rising action, suspense, sensory detail, and the Problem as plot linking device)

Assignment: Students to begin work on Chapter Two, with illustration and text.

Day 4:

— Review progress on Chapter Two material

— Lesson on the ending, or Chapter Three (the Solution, which grows from the clue)

Assignment: Chapter Three, illustration and Text “Looking Back and Forward”)

Day 5:

-- Lesson on Dialogue or Paragraph Control (as a rationale for REVISION).

— Review the plot structure and the sense of completion found in the Ending. All elements in the ending should be foreshadowed or present earlier in the story (cause and effect). Create a scene of conflict for the story, using dialogue as the foundation for the scene.

Day 6:

— Lesson on the Content and Appearance of the Back and Front Covers.

— Review the plot structure and the sense of completion found in the Ending. All elements in the ending should be foreshadowed or present earlier in the story (cause and effect).

Assignment: Create the book covers, front and back.

A grade 4 student’s book cover for her chapter book.