Picture It
Submitted by: Deb White
Materials needed a wide assortment of discarded magazines, catalogues sources of pictures of all kinds for cutting
When students have finished their independent reading book I have them find at least four pictures to represent something from the story. It could represent a character(s), a setting, an event, an object, as long as they could make the connection. They must cut out the pictures and paste them on light colored construction paper (I used manilla) in any arrangement they want. Each picture must then have a caption written under or around it explaining what it represents. Assessment was made on the appropriateness of the picture to the story, and the quality of the connection made through the caption.
I modeled the project with a Picture It for the book Frindle which I had read aloud. I found pictures of a pen, a woman holding a book in a library, a pile of money, and a TV. My captions were like this,
"This represents Mrs. Granger, whose favorite book was the dictionary", or "This is a picture of a frindle, the new name Nick gave for a pen. Nick became a celebrity but there was trouble at school because of it".
I was pleased with the connections my students made with pictures for books such as The Witches, The Giver, How to eat Fried Worms, and Afternoon of the elves.