Read and respond to literature and create original stories and illustrations, focusing on details of people, places, and things.

• 1.

  Read Vera Williams' Cherries and Cherry Pits. Talk about Bidemmi's drawings and the stories she creates about her drawings using her imagination.

• 2.

  Create your own story world. Use Crayola® Washable Markers to draw a background of trees filled with cherries or your favorite fruits. Tell your story to a listening friend as you draw. Then switch roles and listen to your friend's story as his or her pictures grow and grow.

• 3.

  Cover your work area with newspaper. Use Crayola Washable Watercolors and Crayola Watercolor Brushes to paint a self-portrait in the setting you drew. Add clothing in your favorite colors, patterns, and styles. Tell a detailed story about yourself as you create your artwork.

Standards

• LA: Ask and answer questions such as who, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text.
• LA: Use information gained from the illustrations and words in a print or digital text to demonstrate understanding of its characters, setting, or plot.
• LA: Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.
• LA: Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.
• LA: Participate in shared research and writing projects.
• LA: Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade level topics with peers and adults in small and large groups.
• LA: Recount or describe key ideas or details from a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media.
• MATH: Represent and solve problems involving addition and subtraction.
• VA: Use art materials and tools in a safe and responsible manner.
• VA: Use visual structures of art to communicate ideas.

Adaptations

• Classroom resource: Cherries and Cherry Pits by Vera Williams
• Students re-visit Cherries and Cherry Pits, identifying addition facts that are illustrated in the text. Students may choose to illustrate those math facts using cherries and cherry pits, or some other fruit or food. Provide a space in the classroom to display student illustrations and math facts.
• In small groups, students participate in discussions about a books recently read. With a student leader or an adult, students share vocabulary pertinent to the read(s), listing these terms on a whiteboard. Students use some or all of these terms to create an original story and illustrate it using Crayola Washable Watercolors and Watercolor Brushes. Adults or students take digital photographs of original watercolors. Upload photographs to a class computer. Students audio-record original stories and attach the audio files to their watercolor pictures.