Picture This!

This week I did an activity with my first grade language students on visualizing using the fable, The Hen and the Apple Tree by Arnold Lobel. This story is about a wolf that disguises himself as an apple tree in hopes of luring a hen out of her home. I really wanted the kids to understand the importance of incorporating details into a story. So... I read them the story without showing them any pictures. I had the kids close their eyes as I read the story and told them to take pictures in their brain of what they were seeing! When the story was over, we completed a worksheet to help us organize the details as a whole group.

The first section says: "Clues from the story. The apple tree has....."

The second part says: "I think it looks like:"

The first part of the worksheet was to write down the clues about the apple tree we were given by the author (explicit information). The students recalled what they heard in the story and wrote down the clues:
1. 10 furry toes
2. sharp teeth
3. long pointy ears.

The second part of the worksheet was to draw the picture they saw in their brain. They had to use the explicit information given as well as infer what the rest of their drawing should look like. The kids actually did a really great job with this! Here are a few samples:

He even added labels to his picture!

After they were done, the kids shared their drawings with the group. Then I shared the picture the author used in the story. (It was so funny how they were in such suspense waiting for me to share the picture. They kept trying to sneak a peek while I wasn't looking!) At the end of the lesson, we had a discussion about how each drawing is different, but all are correct visualizations as long as they all contained the details the author gave us. 

I created this worksheet on word. This would be a great activity you could use with almost any book, just adapt the worksheet. Have a wonderful evening!! 9 days until Thanksgiving!!!