Before the winter break, my grade 5 class was doing a novel study on Rules, by Cynthia Lord. Students were asked to draw a significant event from the novel. They were also asked to write 1-2 sentences describing the event in their drawing (some of these appearing on the backside). The following language period, students presented their drawings to the class and we discussed where in the story that event occurred - was this towards the beginning of the book or more towards the end? Each drawing was stuck up on the wall with tape, so that it could easily be shuffled around as more and more students presented their work. In the case where multiple students drew the same event (for example, Jason's party) we took a deeper look at what was being depicted in the drawing, coming to a consensus with the rest of the class on what order the drawings should be placed in. I love engaging multiple literacies, that is, going beyond just reading and writing, to really engage students with content. Bonus points when we get to play with pencil crayons and markers outside of the art period!
