Story Retelling Art

Connecting art to literature deepens comprehension and provides authentic reasons for oral language development.

Objectives

Materials

Instructions

Gather children in a comfortable reading space and share 'If You Give a Cat a Cupcake' by Laura Numeroff, using animated voices and encouraging participation at predictable moments. Following the story, facilitate discussion with open-ended questions about the sequence of events, the cat's personality, and children's predictions about what might happen next. Invite each child to draw their favourite part of the story, encouraging the use of many colours and providing support for any emergent writing they wish to include. Model thinking aloud about your own favourite part to inspire those who need ideas. When drawings are complete, create space for each child to share their artwork with classmates, articulating what they drew and why that part was meaningful to them. Celebrate all contributions with specific praise.

Educator tip

Create a class book by collecting and binding all the children's favourite part drawings.

Assessment

Observe and note: sustained engagement, sensory responses, early vocalisations, and attachment behaviours. Document using the Characteristics of Effective Learning framework (Playing and Exploring). Observe students' ability to listen attentively, participate in discussion with relevance, illustrate story content, and communicate about their artwork.

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