Objective

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to explore the connection between language arts and art, and understand how art can enhance reading comprehension.

Materials and Prep

• Paper
• Pencils or crayons
• A book or story of your choice

Prior to the lesson, choose a book or story that you would like to use for the activities. Make sure to have enough paper and writing utensils for the activities.

Activities

1. Illustrate a Scene: Read a chapter or a few pages from the book or story you chose. After reading, pick a scene that stood out to you and draw an illustration of it. Be sure to include details from the text.
2. Write a Caption: Underneath your illustration, write a short caption that describes the scene you drew. Use descriptive words and phrases from the book to make your caption interesting.
3. Create a Comic Strip: Choose another scene from the book and create a comic strip that tells the story in a series of pictures. Include speech bubbles and captions for each panel.
4. Reader's Theater: Find a dialogue-heavy section in the book and act it out with a family member or friend. Assign different characters and take turns reading their lines. Pay attention to the emotions and expressions of the characters.

Second Grade Talking Points

• "Art and reading can go hand in hand. When we read a story, we can use our imagination to picture the characters and settings in our minds. Art allows us to bring those images to life on paper."
• "Illustrating a scene from a book helps us remember the details and understand the story better. It's like creating a visual summary of what we read."
• "When we write a caption for our illustration, we practice using descriptive words and phrases from the book. It helps us express our thoughts and feelings about the scene in a creative way."
• "Creating a comic strip helps us retell the story in a different format. We get to practice sequencing events and using speech bubbles to show what the characters are saying."
• "Reader's Theater allows us to bring the characters to life by acting out their dialogue. It helps us understand their emotions and motivations better."