LESSON PLAN 4.1
Title: Creating Stories with Wordless Picture Books
Grade level: K-1
Timeframe: 45-minute sessions
Standards:
IRA/NCTE Standards: 1, 3, 12
NETS for Students: 1, 3
Objectives:
 Students will use their imaginations to create story lines for wordless picture
books.
 Students will orally share their imaginative stories with an audience (peers).
Materials:
 An assortment of wordless picture books such as:
o Lehman, Barbara (2004). The Red Book. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
o Carle, Eric (1988). Do You Want to be My Friend? New York: Philomel.
o McCully, Emily Arnold (1984). Picnic. New York: Harper & Row.
 Document camera (Elmo), projector, and large screen.
Motivation:

Use a document camera (Elmo) to display a wordless picture book on a large
screen. Show book illustrations and discuss what students notice. Ask students to
create a story in their mind that goes with the pictures.
 Teacher “reads” the book by sharing his/her imagined version of the story. Ask
students how their imagined stories were similar/different from the teacher’s
version. Discuss how the same wordless picture book can tell many different
stories.
Procedures:
 Distribute copies of wordless picture books to pairs of students. Ask students to
preview their books by looking at the pictures.
 With a partner, students will create a story to accompany the text.
 Working with their partner, students will practice telling their imagined story.
 Using the document camera, students will share their wordless books and
accompanying stories with an audience (peers).
Assessment:
 Teacher-created checklist reflecting lesson objectives. (Do story lines and
illustrations match?)
Accommodation/Modification:
Select wordless picture books that suit needs and abilities of individual learners.