Creating a Short Story from a Picture Prompt

Students entering the 6th grade should be able to create a short story based on a picture prompt. This lesson will reinforce the skills that the student should have and also teach new skills, such as correct proofreading techniques. This lesson will also teach the student how to pick the story with the most potential and continue working on it.

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

• Write a short description of a picture
• Write a short story based on a picture
• Proofread and edit their own story

Although the purpose of this lesson is for the students to write a short-story, an additional learning objective is for students to learn how to proofread and edit their own stories.  Once this step is complete, on an additional day, they can proofread and edit another classmates story.

Modeling/Explanation:

• The instructor will explain the assignment to the student. The student is going to be given a sheet with four very different pictures on it. The student will be asked to write a three sentence description next to each picture. The description that the student likes the best will then be turned into a short story.
• On this particular worksheet, the first picture is of an alien, the second is a beach scene with pollution, the third is a family writing a letter and the fourth is a cartoon of a sports figure.

Guided Practice:

• The instructor will take out a fifth picture with no description next to it. The picture is of a beach. The instructor and the student will discuss the picture and together they will come up with three sentences that describe the picture. This way, the student will fully understand the process and be able to begin working independently.

Cooperative Practice:

• There are no groups in this activity.

Independent Practice:

• The student is given the worksheet with the four pictures and a pen. The student is told to come up with three sentences to describe each picture.
• The student works independently until he has completed this part of the assignment.
• After this part is finished, the instructor and the student discuss the sentences that the student has written. From this discussion, the student will decide which picture and sentences he wants to turn into a short story.

Guided Practice:

• The instructor and the student will discuss elements of a short story, like characters, setting, dialogue, and the importance of a beginning, middle, and end.

Independent Practice:

• The student will then work in Microsoft Word to create a three paragraph short story on a specific picture with all the elements previously discussed.
• *Auto-Correct will be turned off in Microsoft Word*

Student Self-Regulation/Guided Practice

• After the student has finished the short story, he will be asked to print it out. The student will then read the story out loud to the instructor. The purpose of this is for the student to catch any errors that he may not have caught while reading it to himself.
• If there are more errors that the student has made and hasn't recognized them, the instructor and the student will go over the story more carefully, correcting errors as we go along. The instructor will try to get the student to recognize all errors on his own, but if necessary, the instructor will point errors out.

Independent Practice:

• The student will re-open Microsoft Word and make any corrections necessary.

• Worksheet with 4 pictures (any four pictures will do, must be age appropriate)
• Pen
• Computer with access to Microsoft Word

• For assessment, I will formally assess the student through observation.
• Students can also be graded on the quality of their work.