Story Boards - Visual Tools

I came across an excellent tool to engage a classroom of writers: accomplished, emerging, developing and reluctant.  While storyboards are not new, I think they are undervalued.  Roger Essley in his book, VISUAL TOOLS for Differentiating Reading and Writing Instruction makes an excellent case for using storyboards to begin the writing process.

I began this area of exploration when my 5th grade son needed to write a script for a "commercial" he was writing for a book report project.  He was stuck and wondering how to go about writing his script.  I suggested he try a storyboard first.  We searched the internet for examples.  He started his storyboard shortly after and I started to look into Roger Essley's work and the application of storyboards for reading and writing instruction.  My son's first attempts at storyboarding are below:

Beginning a 6 box storyboard

Making progress imagining his "commercial"

Completing the storyboard scenes

Essley also calls storyboards 'telling boards' and the description is apt.  Simple pictures can help a student begin the process of expressing his ideas before any writing happens.  This can be a unique and refreshing starting point for a student who is reluctant to write or who is blocked in getting started.  Essley also makes the very important point that simple pictures can communicate complex ideas.

A further extension of the in-class telling board is to allow students to tell their story and then take class questions.  During this process, the student learns what further information his writing will eventually need.  It also allows the student to begin the revision process without the lengthy writing and rewriting process that so many students seem to resist.

If you're interested in exploring this topic further you can follow the link to Essley's website above or take a look at these short videos of his on the Scholastic site.
My son's storyboard was a success for him.  It fueled his thinking so that when he approached the writing of the actual script, it flowed easily.  I see more storyboards in our future.