A good way to help your students understand the book as a whole is to have them summarize each chapter first. Creating a summary storyboard for each chapter will help the students determine the importance and visualize the chapter explicitly. Then, as a class, or in groups, the students can decide on an overall summary of the book, and how they think the characters and the plot evolved.
In this activity, students will work independently or in groups. Each group/student will be assigned a specific chapter to work on. Students will review the chapter and decide on the beginning, middle, and end. They will choose the major moments that affect the plot and the outcome of the story.
Julian and his brother, Huey, watch in awe, as their father makes a delicious pudding for their mother. They help whenever he directs them.
The father goes for a nap, and tells the boys to leave the pudding alone. As the boys are guarding the pudding, Huey decides to stick his finger in and taste it. Then Julian does the same. They eventually end up eating almost the whole pudding! They run and hide under their bed.
The father wakes up and finds out the boys ate the pudding! He pulls them from under the bed and says he is going to punish them. He has the boys make the pudding again, all by themselves. The boys learn that making the pudding is really hard work.
One birthday, Julian is given his own fig tree. His dad tells him it will "grow as fast as you grow". They plant it and it starts to grow. Julian becomes upset that the tree is growing, but he is not.
Julian started eating the leaves on the fig tree in hopes to grow. Every time a new leaf came, he ate it. Soon, Julian was growing. The tree did not grow for two more years, even though the Julian's dad tried everything to get it to grow. His dad wanted to get rid of this tree and get a new one. Julian refused.
Julian realizes that the tree is not growing because he is eating the leaves. He apologizes to the tree and stops eating the leaves. He dreams that with all the new leaves, his tree will grow as big as the house.
(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 a chapter in The Stories Julian Tells.
Add a character analysis step by having students choose one character to focus on in their storyboard. Ask them to show how the character changes from the beginning to the end of the chapter. This helps students connect the character’s actions and feelings to the plot, building deeper understanding of character development.
Encourage students to include a direct quote from the chapter under at least one of their storyboard pictures. This practice reinforces text evidence skills and helps students make their summaries more accurate and insightful.
Demonstrate drawing quick, basic illustrations on the board and show how to use facial expressions or simple backgrounds to convey key moments. Remind students that art skill doesn’t matter—clarity and creativity count the most!
Organize a class gallery walk or small group share-out where students present their storyboards. Encourage peers to ask questions or note similarities and differences in how each student interpreted the chapter, building comprehension and speaking skills.
Give specific praise for clear summaries and creative illustrations, and gently suggest improvements. Highlight how students captured main events or character changes to reinforce effective summarizing strategies.
Have students create a summary storyboard for each chapter. Ask them to identify the beginning, middle, and end, and illustrate key moments. This helps students understand story structure and main events.
A storyboard summary activity involves students drawing pictures to represent the start, middle, and end of a chapter, then writing a sentence under each. This visual approach helps students break down and retell the story in their own words.
Summary storyboards combine visual and written learning, making it easier for younger students to grasp plot structure, recall details, and express comprehension. They also encourage creative thinking and group collaboration.
First, assign a chapter to each student or group. Next, have them read the chapter, identify the beginning, middle, and end, and select the most important events. Then, students draw a picture for each section and write a sentence to summarize it.
Yes, students can work individually or in groups to create chapter summaries. Group work promotes discussion, deeper understanding, and collaborative skills.