Story Boards

Unit 5 - Treasures Reading Series

Description:

This is an example of a story board from my classroom. Each board has 5 stories with 5 skill sections.  It is done on day three of the main story selection, so the students have had a chance to hear me read the story aloud, as well as to have read it with a partner at least once.

The skills that I chose to include on my story board are genre, author's purpose, problem & solution, plot, and main idea.  These were all areas I needed to work on based on past testing results.  Other teachers I know who do story boards have tweaked theirs to suit their own teaching styles and/or needs.

Materials: reading book, 5 sheets of printer paper cut in half (hamburger fold-style), pencils, crayons & colored pencils, and a timer

Plot from a non-fiction article

How It Works:

• Divide students into 5 groups (these groups remain the same for the entire unit)
• Assign each group a skill (rotate the 5 skills through the 5 groups over the 5 stories - So Group A will do genre for the first story, author's purpose for the second story, and so on.)
• Give the students 3 minutes to discuss who will do which jobs during the activity
• Time them 15 minutes to complete a 'sloppy copy' on one of their half-sheets of paper
• Time them for 15 minutes to complete the final copy on their other half-sheet of paper
• Staple the final copies to the story board and have the groups read and discuss their piece with the class

 State Standards:

This activity takes around 30-45, which seems like a long time.  However, the skills covered each week during this activity are tested on every major benchmark test and achievement test, so it is well worth the time.  My students' scores in these five areas have improved greatly since I've been doing the story board with them because they have a chance to practice the skills every single week with different stories.  All of the skills done on the storyboard are in your state standards.

Story Board Book

Tweaking and Tips:

Of course, if you teach another grade or a specific subject in middle or high school, you would want to tweak the board to suit your needs and goals.  

I used blue painters tape to make my grid, which stays up all year.  I just take the stapled pieces down once the unit has been completed, and put up new story pictures along the side when it's time to begin a new unit.

I have taken the story pieces and made them into a book once the unit is completed, which is nice to have to show future students, parents, and other teachers. 

Plot from a non-fiction article can be difficult since it doesn't tell a story, so I have my students divide the article into three parts; beginning, middle, and end.

Examples from different stories

Author's Purpose

Problem/Solution

Genre