8th Grade Historical Fiction from Shirley Scamardella
By Shirley Scamardella
Grades/Uses:
Subjects:
Description
This picture book was written, illustrated and told by students. It was entered into the Scholastic Books, Kids are Authors Contest and it won Honorable Mention. I feel this is a good VoiceThread because this is the finished product of a two month project.
Assignment
The first part of the project was to learn the elements of the historical fiction genre. Next, I taught the elements of a story which included plot, theme, setting, characters and point of view. Finally, we examined picture books written by different authors to help the students understand the elements of a picture book.
Goals
The goal was to write and illustrate a historical fiction picture book for the Scholastic Books Contest, Kids are Authors.
Easy Parts
The easiest part was having the students select the theme for their picture book.
Challenges
The hardest part was the scheduling of group meetings to work on the project.
Tools
- Powerpoint on historical fiction
- Powerpoint on the elements of a story
- Picture books
- Cardstock paper
- Crayons, colored pencils
- Writing Road Map (writing program)
Tips
It is important to assign due dates to the many parts of this project in order to complete on time.
Variations
This project can be used to teach the elements of a story, the elements of the historical fiction genre, and creative writing.