Title: Living Picture books
Subject/Course: English
Topic: Dramatising picture books (creative
Grade(s): Year 8
reconstructive learning)
Designer: Adrian Skewes
Overview
Four/six week unit plan
‘Words and pictures in combinations are the most common form of communication used today, and hence warrant close
attention in the classroom’ Watson, 2004, p.262.
Students will:
 Engage with a wide diverse range of modern picture books
 Explore themes, characters, story elements, visual communication, what is said/not said, essences
 Explain in their own words summary of books, themes, characters, what they saw as the key elements of character, plot,
theme etc based on evidence from the texts.
 Elaborate on those ideas by taking their explanations and transferring the content into Stanislavski’s system of acting.
 Evaluate their learning by writing a play script based upon their background reading and interpretation of characters and
themes etc.
Stage 1 — Desired Results
Established Goals:
The Australian Curriculum - English
Literature
(ACELT1626) Explore the ways that ideas and viewpoints in literary texts drawn from different historical, social and
cultural contexts may reflect or challenge the values of individuals and groups
(ACELT1628) Understand and explain how combinations of words and images in texts are used to represent particular
groups in society, and how texts position readers in relation to those groups
Literacy
(ACELY1731) Plan, rehearse and deliver presentations, selecting and sequencing appropriate content, including
multimodal elements, to reflect a diversity of viewpoints
Language
(ACELA1542) Understand how rhetorical devices are used to persuade and how different layers of meaning are
developed through the use of metaphor, irony and parody
Understandings:
TOPICAL UNDERSTANDINGS
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Picture books can be for adults as well as children
Picture books can deal with complex themes.
Picture books tell a story from a certain perspective
Picture books use images as adjectives and verbs to
provide immediate atmosphere.
Picture books contain the same elements of story telling
as longer stories.
Identifying key characters and scenes.
Essential Questions:
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What is the difference between an adult picture
book and a children’s picture book?
What is/are the value(s) of telling a story in this
way?
What can we learn about ourselves through these
kind of stories?
What is life like from another ‘person’s’ perspective?
How do I creatively retell a story?
ENDURING UNDERSTANDINGS
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The messages and ideas present in the books themselves.
Reader Response Theory: meanings from texts is
different from person to person based on their
individual life experience. (Watson, 2004, p. 264)
Sharing their individual interpretations of texts and
what stood out personally to them.
Literacy tools for deconstructing stories and building
meaning.
Ideology: every book rests (overtly/subtly) on a set of
values that the author accepts and wants their
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readers to accept (Watson, 2005, p. 264)
Introduce the concept of Intertextuality: all texts are
linked relationally to other texts (Watson,2004 p. 264)
Elements present and literacy skills related to
(understanding plot, characters, setting, viewpoint,
character illustration, theme etc)
Understanding beginning, middle and end, significant
moments/climaxes in stories.
Motivation in relation to characters actions
Representing themes through essences
The ability to work in groups, lead and compromise in
ideas
The ability of offer constructive feedback
Knowledge:
Skills:
Students will know
Students will be able to
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A broad range of picture books, of multiple genre &
style, and themes.
That picture books can communicate a large depth of
meaning and intention
Tools for decoding texts
Understand multimodal methods of communication
How pictures and words combine together to
communicate meaning.
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Work in confidently in class and pair groups
Decode texts
Plan and rehearse and deliver presentations both on
the fly during a class and rehearsing for script
presentation
Creative writing from different view points.
Stage 2 – Assessment Evidence
Key criteria:
Performance Task 1:
The work contains evidence of critical thinking and individual
interpretation, applicable to its elements.
Picture Book presentation (ACEL1731) (ACELT1628)
Paired Presentation. Pair introduce book and discuss its plot,
The script use individual viewpoint(s) of characters
characters and theme, and what they think the author message of presented. Has clear character motivations (presented at the
the book is.
top and within the script)
Performance Task 2:
Students show an ownership of unit’s concepts as reflected in
Script development discussion and presentation (ACELT1626) the essay.
(ACELA1542)
Paired Presentation. Pair introduce book briefly again and discuss
the script they have written from it, with focus on their individual
characters they are going to play and the part of the book they are
recreating.
Other Evidence:
Feed back from other students about dramatised scenes.
Student participation throughout class and having a go for their acting.
Stage 3 — Learning Plan
Learning Activities: Four/six week unit plan
1.
Introduce students to unit and give an overview of the topic. Read through a book (if students disengage, get them to
take on characters and roles within the text and read it as a play. Make the type of engagement appropriate to
specific book, i.e. if there is only a narrator, get two students to be puppets and two more students to direct them to
act out the page as its being read. Etc) After going through a couple of these texts, get students as a class to explore
through discussion what they took from the text, what they thought the author was trying to say, if they agree or
disagree, how the illustrations/art supported or told the story. Introduce the means to deconstruct the stories. (4
Resources Model as adapted by Derouet). Use a whole class application; assess how students cope with the questions
in order to scaffold later lessons appropriately.
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1. Ask questions relating to theme, characters (who where the main characters, why?)
2. What did you think of the artistic style? How did it help support the story?
3. Use elements from Derouet’s four resources model.
Scaffold the concept: Plot
As students will need to write a summary, they will need to understand that a summary is made up of elements (1) Plot
(2) Character analysis (3) Theme (4) a mix of their own interpretation. This could take a number of lessons. Go through
it as a class read a selected book and as a class, using the same questions as would be within their work books.
1. Read through the book from start to finish.
2. (2) Brainstorm a list of events that happened in the book. (Sometimes these events will be almost work as it
happened or it could be a summary of an event. You want to get the students to develop as concise summary
of an event as possible.)
3. Have the pictures told/supported/developed the plot?
4. Put these events into a sequence of order
5. Ask if the plot is liner or circular
Plot continued: Once this has been done as a class, get students to work in pairs or on their own to repeat the exercise
from the previous class. Get the pair to present the book to class, one student reads their plot summary while the
other student follows in the book showing the pictures/pages that correspond most correctly, so the other students
get and idea of the book. Class discussion on how well they felt the plot corresponded to the pictures.
Scaffold the concept: character analysis
Discuss the ideas related to reader response theory and ideology. Again pick a book from the list available or use the
same one as previously (gauge student interest) Remember to read the picture as well as the words!
1. Different readers gets different things from a book depending on what they have read or watched in the
past, what life experiences they have had etc
2. Who: make a list of (relevant) characters, there may be too many! Pick (1-3 most important characters)
3. What happened to them?
4. When did it happen?
5. Where did it take place? Was it one place general place? Was there some specific places?
6. Why did this happen to these main characters? What happens to theme?
Character analysis continued
Students work in pairs again, select a new book or work from the same previous book and begin going through the
process for themselves. They need to make up a list of characters, following the who, what, when, where, why
questions. They then need to present this to the class again.
Scaffold the concept of theme
Introduce idea of ideology.
Theme is made up of both an understanding of plot and character, but goes beyond them both. Its an interpretation
of what the story is actually about, it’s the message that the author may have intended to communicate to his/her
audience. It is best understood as the message that the story is built around and is normally linked to what happens to
the main characters. It has to do with what happened, what was the struggle, how was it overcome, who benefited
from this character overcoming or by this solution?
1. Authors are either directly or indirectly trying to communicate different things. Bring in interviews from
different writers. (Youtube)
2. Bring up the plot and character summary done in class previously, summarise
3. What is the centre event that happens in the picture book?
4. What context does it happen in?
5. Who did it happen to?
6. How was the problem solved?
7. How does this impact on our pre-understandings?
If time permits allow students to again repeat the process on their own in pairs. Or return to book of previous lesson
in order to again pull apart the theme. Discuss similarities and differences between both books.
Theme continued
Students work in pairs again, picking up their previous book and begin going through the process for themselves. They
need to build up an interpretation based upon the above questions and again share with the class.
Review and expand. Illustrate the concepts that the students have been introduced to and how well they have taken
to them both through the in class work and also in the pair work. Congratulate them on their success in presenting
their work to the class.
Writing your script
 Where would your script be set?
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 What kind of costume might you wear to communicate who your character is?
 What kind of sound scapes could you use to set the scene?
 What kind of music could you play in the background to set your scene?
 What can you learn from the pictures and text in your book to communicate these things?
See how everything is communicating something? Its just not there for no reason or because it looks good? Can
you link these discussions into your understand of theme?
In your pairs
1. Decide on how much of the book you wish to dramatise, the whole? An important scene?
2. Decide who is going to play which character’s role? Are you going to play just one role or more than one?
Expand and Extend: Viewpoints.
Introduce Stanislavski’s System for actors. Do this for example book first (1) This system is normally used by actors in
certain types of productions to analyse a play and the individual characters that they would play, but not everyone
uses it or likes it. (2) The system is used to help the actor understand the viewpoint of the character that they are
going to act: an actor must be their character, not simply act their character. (3) For us we will later break into pairs
and work as a team to produce two main characters viewpoints from the book.
1. (1) Pretext, what was the character doing before they got to this point in the story? (What does the book
reveal? Magic if, fill in the gaps
2. (2) Actions: What does your character do? What motivates your character to do that? ((a) what do I the
character do? (b) Why do I the character do it? (c) How do I ‘the character’ do it? This of course will be linked
the plot you have already written out earlier, but notice this time you are coming from an individual
viewpoint, rather than from the view point of a reader? This will also be linked to the character information
you wrote up earlier.
3. (3) Objective: why does my character do these actions, what is the goal of these actions (as a summary)? If
time permits you could also go through the use of transitive verbs to summarise an action and give it subtext.
Repeat 9 but for pair based books
Begin script:
Scaffold the learning through class first. Get the class the to write a script based upon the actions and objectives
decided in lesson nine. Get volunteers to come up and act as puppets, the class has to direct them in to fulfil the
actions of the characters
1. What may the character say to fulfil their action?
2. What might the character do to fulfil their action?
3. Does this feel right?
4. Could the action be accomplished another way?
5. Swap through different actor ‘puppets’
6. Write the results on the white board on in a word processor and then get two people to perform the finished
result
Continue from 11. Get students to write through their script
Continue getting students to write through their script, allow for sometime to rehearse and practice
Continue getting students to write through their script. Give them some space to rehearse the script and see if it
works how they think it does. Possibly offer students to perform as puppets.
Performance (5-10) minutes. The students introduce their book, but students should already be familiar from it from
their previous summarising and sharing with the class.
Performance (5-10) minutes
Essay writing in class: how do picture books tell stories?
Essay writing in class complete or do for homework.
Extension activities:
 If a student in class has particular conditions that inhibit them from presenting to the whole class, then they are
permitted to present it only to the teacher at another time, or to record it on video in a safe environment and then
give this recording to the teacher.
 Indigenous students have the option of dramatising a story from their cultural heritage and are encouraged to do so if
they desire.
Resource List
The following list has been complied from Watson and Derouet.
‘Post-modern’ Picture books
This list is referenced directly from Derouet, 2010, p. ii
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Resources currently with YouTube videos:
Gorilla by Anthony Browne (1983)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgaCzuFtKoI
Piggy book by Anthony Browne (1986)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6ZO6rZSkjY
Voices in the park by Anthony Browne (1998)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9vdlKVJEx8
The island by Armin Greder
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=db5oTQpPPZQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BhDxpQ4xGU
The true story of the three little pigs by Jon Scieszka
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m75aEhm-BYw
Wait! No Paint! by Bruce Whatley
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEIfdmhvv6k
Three Little pigs by David Wiesner
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkyL8hRZUe8
Cat and Fish by Neil Curtis and Joan Grant
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dD8Ftg2T7kU
Other Books:
Browne, A. (2004). Into the forest. London: Walker Books.
Gleeson, L. (1999). The Great Bear. Sydney: Scholastic.
Hathorn, L. (2000). The Gift. Milsons Point: Random House.
Macaulay, D. (1990). Black and White. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
Ottley, M. (1999). Luke’s way of Looking. Sydney: Hodder Children’s Books
Riddle, T. (1997). The Great Escape From the City Zoo. Sydney: Angus & Roberston.
Rogers, G. (2009). The hero of Little Street. Crows Nest, NSW: Allen & Unwin.
Other Possible picture books
List compiled from Watson, 2004, pp. 262-267
Cannonball Simp by John Burningham
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZUtqMq1Q7o&list=PLdbzvxeV267DfrJZZ_G1UL0uED0oLyNjN
Repetition
A dark dark tale by Ruth Brown
Don't Forget the Bacon by Pat Hutchins
Fair tale modification
The boy who cried wolf by Tony Ross
Different interpreting meaning
Rose and the midnight cat by John Brown
We are socially constructed:
Give a dog a name by Barrie Wade & David Parkins
Ideology theory:
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preservation of environment
Where the Forest Meets the Sea by Jeannie Baker
The Sea People by Jorg Muller & Jorg Steiner
Folly of War
My Hiroshima by Junko Morimoto
The Tinpot Foreign General; The Old Iron Woman by Raymond Briggs
References
Crawford, J. L. (2005). Acting in Person and Style in Australia, Macquarie Park: MGraw-Hill Australia.
Derouet, L. (2010). Using picture books in middle years classrooms. Literacy Learning in the Middle
Years, 18(1), i-xi.
Sawoski, P (n.d.). The Stanislavski System: Growth and Methodology. Retrieved 19th June 2013 from
http://homepage.smc.edu/sawoski_perviz/Stanislavski.pdf.
Stanislavski, C. (1986). An Actor Prepares, Berkshire: Methuen Paperback.
Watson, K. (2004). Picture books in secondary classroom. In W. Sawyer & E. Gold (Eds.), Reviewing
English in the 21st Century, Melbourne, Vic: Phoenix Education.
Some issues for beginning teachers to consider:
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Will issues raised in picture books offend certain cultural groups within the class?
How do connect this unit to real life more as so it’s not just a literacy exercise?
How will I support ideas if they appear to abstract for a year 8?
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