Students decide on what they think the important parts in the text are, 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 up the text, 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.
Poppleton in Winter has three different tales in it. Students can create a summary storyboard for each tale. The example shown is for the story titled, “The Sleigh Ride”.
Poppleton calls all his friends to ask them to go on a sleigh ride.
Everybody is busy baking yummy treats so they can not go on a sleigh ride. Poppleton feels upset.
Poppleton's friends come over and surprise him for his birthday (which he forgot). They eat treats and go for a midnight sleigh ride.
(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 the tales in Poppleton in Winter.
Create a large, colorful anchor chart on your board or wall with sections for ‘Beginning,’ ‘Middle,’ and ‘End’ alongside examples from Poppleton in Winter. This visual reference supports students as they break down story structure and recall what each section should include.
Invite students to share events from the story aloud and record their ideas under the correct part of the anchor chart. Collaborative brainstorming helps students organize their thoughts and builds confidence in retelling stories.
Demonstrate using words like ‘first,’ ‘then,’ and ‘finally’ to connect the beginning, middle, and end. This improves story summaries and helps young writers sequence their ideas logically.
Provide blank storyboard templates and encourage students to illustrate each part of the story, adding a simple sentence underneath. This activity combines visual and written skills, making story structure more memorable.
Organize students into small groups to present their storyboards and explain their choices for each section. Sharing builds speaking skills and allows for peer feedback, reinforcing understanding of story elements.
Poppleton in Winter is a children's book featuring three tales about Poppleton the pig and his friends. In "The Sleigh Ride," Poppleton invites friends for a sleigh ride, feels sad when they're busy baking treats, but is surprised with a birthday celebration and a midnight ride.
Students can break the story into beginning, middle, and end, draw a picture for each part, and write a sentence beneath each image. This helps them organize main events and better understand the story's structure.
The main events are: Poppleton invites friends for a sleigh ride, his friends are busy baking treats, Poppleton feels sad, but then his friends surprise him with a birthday party and a midnight sleigh ride.
Identifying the beginning, middle, and end helps students understand story structure, remember key events, and improve their ability to summarize and retell stories clearly.
Teachers can have students create storyboards, draw and label main events, work with a partner to plan summaries, and discuss which parts are most important in each tale.