Settings help to bring the reader into the story and they really come alive when you use a storyboard to illustrate them. In this activity, students will identify the setting of "All Summer in a Day", and support their choices with details from the text.
(These instructions are completely customizable. After clicking "Copy Activity", update the instructions on the Edit Tab of the assignment.)
Student Instructions
Create a storyboard illustrating the setting of "All Summer in a Day."
Invite students to share their observations and feelings about the story’s setting in small groups. Encourage each group to discuss how Venus’s constant rain and underground school shape the characters’ experiences. This builds collaboration and deepens comprehension.
Ask students to highlight specific phrases or passages that describe sights, sounds, and atmosphere in the story. Have them share their findings and explain how each quote supports their understanding of the setting. This reinforces close reading skills.
Prompt students to make a Venn diagram or chart comparing the fictional Venus in the story to Earth. Discuss similarities and differences, focusing on weather, environment, and daily life. This promotes critical thinking and text-to-world connections.
Have students write a short journal entry or letter as if they were a child living in the underground school on Venus. Encourage them to use descriptive language and draw on the story’s details. This activity builds empathy and writing fluency.
The setting of "All Summer in a Day" is a fictional version of the planet Venus, where it rains constantly and people live in underground schoolrooms and tunnels to escape the harsh weather.
Students can create a setting map by using a storyboard template to illustrate key scenes, such as the underground classroom, tunnels, and the rainy Venusian landscape, adding descriptions and text evidence for each part.
Include the constant rain, hurricane-like weather, the drab underground schoolroom, tunnels, and any brief moments of sunlight described in the story.
The setting shapes the mood and themes of the story, emphasizing feelings of isolation and longing. Teaching setting helps students understand character motivations and the impact of environment on the plot.
An easy way is to use a storyboard activity where students draw and label different settings from the story, using evidence from the text to support their illustrations. This approach builds comprehension and engagement.