In this activity, 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.
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 based on the ability of the student, or length of the text.
A young boy looking for work gets hired by a man to go to paint a dozen billboards.
They work in the desert painting billboards. They only paint one word, ArrowStar, and a lady. The boy wants to paint more, like a mountain or even a cloud, but the man says no. They wonder what ArrowStar is.
A man in a white suit had a dream for ArrowStar: a roller coaster. The sign painter says dreams come in all different sizes and asks the boy to stay and continue working with him. The boy declines and goes off chasing his dream of becoming a painter.
(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 Sign Painter.
Clarify what makes an event important in the story. Discuss with students how to spot turning points, character decisions, or changes in setting to help them focus on the most relevant details for their storyboard.
Provide students with a simple graphic organizer divided into beginning, middle, and end. This visual aid helps them organize events logically and ensures each section is represented.
Demonstrate how to choose key events by thinking aloud as you read a short passage. Show students how you decide which moments to include in each storyboard frame.
Pair students or form small groups to discuss their choices for main events. Collaborative conversations help students justify their selections and consider different perspectives.
Remind students to write clear, concise sentences under each picture. This reinforces comprehension and connects visuals to text.
The Sign Painter by Allen Say is about a young boy hired to paint billboards in the desert. He and his employer only paint the word ArrowStar and a lady. Curious about ArrowStar, they later learn it’s a dream for a roller coaster. In the end, the boy pursues his own dream of becoming a painter.
To create a storyboard summary, students draw a picture for the beginning, middle, and end of the story. Under each picture, they write a sentence explaining that part of the plot. This helps them break down and understand the story’s key events.
Beginning: A boy is hired to paint billboards. Middle: He paints ArrowStar signs and wonders about their meaning. End: The boy learns about a dream project and decides to follow his own dream of being a painter.
Breaking a story into beginning, middle, and end makes it easier for students to identify main events, organize their thoughts, and improve their comprehension and retelling skills.
Tips: Use storyboards to help students visualize events, encourage partner planning, adjust the number of frames for ability, and have students write sentences for each part. This scaffolds understanding of story structure and main ideas.