Materials
The Trek by Ann Jonas
color photocopier
11" x 17" oak tag or poster board
glue stick
laminator
scissors
Instructions
1. Do this activity a few months into the school year, after you have read many
stories to the children.
2. Start to read a familiar story to the children. Read the first couple of pages
and then put the book down. Ask the children if they would like to make
their own new book to read instead.
3. Show the children the tape recorder and explain that they are going to work
together to make up a whole new story.
4. Begin the new story by saying (into the tape recorder), "Once upon a time
there was a ...."
5. Choose a child and ask him to finish the sentence (for example, "turtle").
6. Repeat the phrase, adding the child's idea. "Once upon a time there was a
turtle named ..."
7. Choose another to fill in the blank ("Timmy").
8. Repeat the phrase, adding the child's idea. "Once upon a time there was a
turtle named Timmy who lived in a ...."
9. Once again, choose a child to fill in the blank ("hole").
10. Continue the story in this manner. Provide the basic ingredients of the story
and let the children add the important facts as you go along. Try not to lead
their thoughts into something that "makes sense." Let them think freely for
themselves.
11. Continue until you feel the story is finished. This may take several days to
complete it to the children's satisfaction.
12. Write the story down as dictated. Read it to the children.
13. Ask the children to draw illustrations for several of the scenes in the story.
14. Use a black marker to print the story on craft paper. Glue the illustrations to
the appropriate pages.
15. Read through the story to make sure the pages are in the correct order.
16. Create a cover and bind the pages together into a book. Read the new story
together and enjoy!
17. Let the children take turns bringing the book home to share with their
families.
18. If desired, make a big book of the story by writing it on poster board instead
of regular craft paper.
