Students decide on what are important parts in the text and categorize them into the beginning, middle, and end of the story. Having students decide on the beginning, middle, and end will help them break the text up and make it easier to choose one or two main events to create. Students can plan their ideas with a partner or individually and decide what main parts they would like to add to their storyboard.
The storyboard above shows one example for the beginning, middle and end, but you could set a number of frames for the students to use depending on the ability of the student or the length of the text.
Elmer Elevator befriends an alley cat who tells him of a mysterious island called Wild Island. The cat says there is a baby dragon there that is tied up and forced to carry people and cargo up and down the river. Elmer decides he will run away to Wild Island to save the dragon.
Elmer hides in a cargo ship and eventually makes it to the island. On the island he runs into many animals that block his path to the dragon. Elmer uses his supplies from his knapsack to help him get past the animals. For example, a lion has snarly hair, so Elmer gives him a comb and shows him how to brush his hair and tie it up.
To cross the river, Elmer ties the crocodiles tails together with a band and a lollipop to form a chain. He runs across, but the animals chasing him get stuck in the middle of the river on the crocodiles backs. Elmer reaches the dragon, cuts him free from his rope, and together they fly away from Wild Island.
(These instructions are completely customizable. After clicking "Copy Activity", update the instructions on the Edit Tab of the assignment.)
Student Instructions
Make a storyboard summary of My Father's Dragon.
Gather students in small groups and assign each group a section of the story (beginning, middle, or end). Working together helps students practice summarizing and build confidence sharing aloud.
Let students discuss key events and decide how to retell their assigned part. Encourage them to use their own words and add simple props or drawings for fun and clarity!
Circulate and guide groups as they rehearse. Offer gentle feedback on clarity and sequencing, and praise creative ideas or teamwork you notice.
Invite groups to share their retelling in sequence: beginning, middle, then end. This helps the whole class hear the story flow and supports comprehension.
Lead a quick discussion: What details were most important? Which group’s strategies helped everyone understand? This reflection builds critical thinking and oral language skills.
To teach a summary of My Father's Dragon to 2nd or 3rd graders, have students identify the beginning, middle, and end of the story. Let them create a storyboard with pictures and sentences for each part, helping them break down the plot into main events.
The main events in My Father's Dragon are: Elmer befriends a cat and learns about Wild Island (beginning), travels to the island and outsmarts animals (middle), and rescues the dragon to escape together (end).
A simple storyboard activity is to have students draw three pictures showing the beginning, middle, and end of My Father’s Dragon, then write a sentence under each picture to summarize the key events.
Breaking a story into beginning, middle, and end helps students understand plot structure and makes it easier for them to identify and remember the most important events in a story.
Students need paper or storyboard templates, drawing materials (crayons, markers), and pencils for writing sentences. Optionally, they can work with a partner or individually to plan their ideas.