Materials
Magazines scissors writing paper (lined at the bottom and unlined at the top) glue markers or crayons
Instructions
1. Go through magazines (have a volunteer adult help you with this) and cut out pictures that go with a theme. Some ideas for themes are zoo, ocean, or space. Make sure that you have plenty of pictures for the children to choose from. The children could help with this, too.
2. Talk to the children about authors. Tell them they are going to be authors and write their own stories. Explain that a story has a beginning, middle, and an end.
3. Put out all the pictures, glue, and writing supplies. Explain that the bottom of the paper is for words and the top is for pictures. (continued on the next page)4. Have the children start with the pictures, as this helps them begin to visualize what their story may be about. Let them to choose the cut-out pictures that interest them.
5. Encourage them to glue a few pictures on the page and use crayons or markers to add to the scene. Tell them to start to think of the story that will go along with the picture as they are creating it.
6. When they are done, ask them to tell you their story. Write their words exactly as they dictate them to you. Allow the children to watch you as you put their words on the paper. If they want to write the stories themselves, be there to support their efforts.
7. Read the children's stories during lunch or circle time. Make sure to acknowledge the author. The children will beam with pride. Tip: At the beginning of the year, ask parents to cut out pictures that relate to your themes. You could also collect a lot of interesting pictures without a theme and let the children create whatever kind of story they want.
