Story in a Box

Purpose:  Bookmaking inspires children to be readers and writers. Even if they tell the story to an adult to write, the children take ownership of their own stories. The telling or "reading" that they do with these stories provides a stepping-stone towards developing the ability to read other texts.   This Story in a Box activity offers a way for a small group of children (no more than 3 or 4) to make an "accordion" book, but it could be tailored for individuals.  Enjoyable literacy activities such as this one help children develop greater confidence as emerging storytellers, readers, and writers.

 

Materials/Advance Preparation:

• Gift box of any size
• Drawing paper, cut to fit inside the box, then folded like an accordion so that it fits into the box when folded.  Tape paper together to make it as long as you wish.
• Tape
• Markers, colored pencils, or crayons

 

Directions:

1. Tell or read a story to the children, or invite them to tell a story they know or to make one up.
2. Open the accordion and with the children plan where to place different parts of the story.  Be flexible, but encourage correct sequencing.
3. Let children draw the parts of the story on the accordion panels.  Writing the narration on each panel will reinforce the children's print awareness.  Say the narration aloud as you write it.
4. Tape one end of the paper to the top of the box and one end to the bottom of the box so that when you remove the top the accordion unfolds, revealing the story.
5. Write the name of the story on the top of the box OR place a question mark on the top so that it becomes a guessing game.
6. Add this book to the classroom bookshelf. Use it to read that story to the children in the future (e.g., in Shared Reading) and let children "read" it to themselves or to each other. 

NOTE:  For 5-6-year-olds, after you've done this activity as a group so that they are familiar with the format, you may want to provide each child with the materials to make her/his own book.   For younger children who are ready to draw/write their own stories, you may need to do the preliminary construction for them so that they are able to concentrate on creating the content (telling the story) rather than on the construction. 

Eric Gidseg

 

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