Online Collaborative

Childrens Book Unit Plan

Unit Plan Summary
In this unit plan students plan, write, illustrate, and publish their own childrens
picture books all with the use of collaborative technologies. First, students review
illustrated childrens books to gain an understanding of the creative process and
the elements that help make a childrens book successful. Next, students use
graphic organizers to brainstorm ideas for the character, setting, and conflict of
their own stories. Students then pitch their stories to their peers and use peer
feedback as they develop their stories. Students create storyboards to plan the
relationship between the illustrations and text. Finally, students use a variety of
methods to bind their books in an attractive manner and present their books to
their peers.

This model is based on a class of 20 students on a Language Arts classroom.

The class is split into 5 groups of 4 students. Each group will work online
collaboratively to develop their projects using Google, Moodle, and various other
websites. No budget required.

Students/Groups will:

Plan, write, illustrate, and publish their own children's picture books.

Analyze and evaluate a work of literature.

Participate in a review of a story written by a peer.

Use literary devices in an original work of fiction.

Students will need:

Multiple illustrated childrens literature books found online

Computer

Internet

Supervisor

Virginia SOLs
6.5 The student will read and demonstrate comprehension of a variety of fictional
texts, narrative nonfiction, and poetry.
a) Identify the elements of narrative structure, including setting, character,
plot, conflict, and theme.
b) Make, confirm, and revise predictions.
e) Use prior and background knowledge as context for new learning.
g) Explain how character and plot development are used in a selection to
support a central conflict or story line.
h) Identify the main idea.

Activities

DAY

ACTIVITY
Play Video

PROCEDURES
1. Play video, Sid The Seed

Goal: To Gain

2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUmSnvJfzEg

Attention and

3. Display online Books that other students have

Generate
Anticipation

written.
4. Give students pretest on elements of a story.
5. http://www.shsu.edu/~txcae/Powerpoints/

__________

prepostest/shotstorypostest.html

Group Students
and Read

_________________________________________

Goal: Allow

1. Arrange students into 5 groups of 4 members

Exploration of New
Material
DAY 1
50 MIN.

each
2. Direct students to Google Docs to find
interactive worksheet with directions
a. This worksheet will direct them to an
online story book archive which they will
spend 10 minutes searching for their
favorite story and then 30 sharing the
stories with other members
b. The worksheet will ask students
questions on the story they are hearing.
This will require each student to recall
prior knowledge on what they have
previously learned about elements of a
story. Each student will have access to
edit and answer the questions
collaboratively while the story is being
shared

1. After reading the book, each reader should share

three reasons why the book is their favorite.
2. After the reading of each book ask group
members to share concrete examples of how
the book was or was not effective in each of the
DAY 2
50 MIN.

Book Analysis
Goal: Recall Prior
Knowledge

following three areas: plot, characterization, and

illustrations.
3. Encourage students to develop their own
guidelines for the characteristics of effective
plots, characterization, and illustrations.
4. Have students find and list, on Elements
Worksheet, each of the elements they find in
each of the stories

Review

1. Review the guidelines that the groups compiled

Goal: To Gain

as they reviewed their favorite books in the

Attention

previous session.
2. Pass out the Book Review worksheet and
additional books for students to review
3. Ask students to review a children's book and
explore the general characteristics of children's

DAY 3
50 MIN.

books.
4. If possible, move students to a larger area or a
location where they can read the books out loud
to themselves.
5. After students have completed the review, return
to the classroom and arrange the class in
groups of three.
6. Have students to identify the similarities among
all of the books reviewed in the group.

7. Gather the class, and have groups share their

findings, comparing the results to the list from
the previous session.
8. Note the details as students share to create a
revised list that the class can consult while
writing their own texts.
1. Explain the writing project that students will
complete: composing the text and illustrations
for their own children's picture books.
2. Share the Grading Rubric and discuss the
expectations for the activity on Moodle. Answer
any questions that students have.
3. Ask students to brainstorm themes that they
noticed in several of the books on interactive
document on Google Drive.
4. To get students started, share one or more of the
DAY 4
50 MIN.

Brainstorm

following themes and ask students to suggest

Goal: Facilitate
Methodical
Learning

how some of the books that they read fit these

themes:
a. Acceptance of others
b. Concern of family dynamics
c. Physical growth (especially size)
d. Fear of the unknown
5. Once the class has compiled a list of several
themes, review the list and make any additions
or revisions.
6. Ask students to hypothesize why these themes
mean so much to young listeners, encouraging
students to share any connections that they

recall to the texts or to their own experiences.

7. Have students describe the memory as a journal
entry. Encourage students to address all five of
the senses when recounting their memory.
8. Explain that the memory does not have to be
complete. If desired, encourage students to
imagine or make up details that they cannot
remember.
If additional time is needed, have students
complete their journal entries for homework.
1. Ask volunteers to share summaries of their
memories from their journals.
2. After each volunteer reads, connect the
memories to the themes from the previous
session. Remind students of the expectations of
the assignment using the Grading Rubric.
3. Overview the steps that students will follow:

DAY 5
50 MIN.

Brainstorming

gathering details about their stories, developing

Continued

plots, storyboarding, writing and illustrating, and

Goal: Promote
Organization of
Knowledge

then publishing the book.

4. Explain that during this session, students will
expand on the information from their memory
journal entries by brainstorming additional
details.
5. Introduce Google Docs, with copies of all of the
following aides. Have students begin to
develop a short story using the following
graphic organizers:
a. Story map

b. Character map
c. Conflict map
d. Resolution map
e. Setting map
6. Read through the Tips for Writing a Childrens
Storybook located on Moodle and compare the
observations to the books that students have
read.
1. Allow time for volunteers to share their work from
the previous session with the class. Make
connections to the class list of characteristics of
effective plots, characterization, and illustrations
as appropriate.
2. Allow students access to the Plot Pitch
Worksheet on Google Docs, and have
students follow the information on the sheet to
develop the basic layout and details of their
DAY 6
50 MIN.

Pitch Plot

stories.
3. Encourage collaboration and sharing as students
develop their ideas. Circulate through the room,
providing support and feedback during this work
time
4. Once the basic templates are complete, have
students graph their plots using the plot
diagram
5. If time allows, have search on the Internet or
sketch on Google Draw their main character
and the setting in which the story takes place.
Encourage students to use colors in their

sketches as well as labels that identify certain

characteristics or details that might be revealed
through the text of the story.
1. Arrange the class in pairs and have partners
present their "plot pitch" to each other.

DAY 7
50 MIN.

Online Plot Pitch

Goal: Elicit
Performance

2. Ask students to answer the questions included

on the Plot Pitch worksheet on Google Docs to
provide written feedback to their partners.
3. Students are encouraged to share their pitch with
more than one other student. Online
collaboration should be used here.
1. Lead students to online interactive story board
creator.
2. http://www.storyboardthat.com/storyboardcreator

DAY 8
50 MIN.

Story Boards
Goal: Give
Feedback

3. Have students spend entire class period

developing their story board.
4. Require students to post their link of the
storyboards on a Forum on Moodle, for
teachers and other students to review and
comment on giving feedback on strengths and
weaknesses.
1. Lead students to a free online storybook creator.

Producing The
DAY 9

Book

50 MIN.

Goal: Assess
Growth

2. http://www.storyjumper.com
3. Allow students the complete class period to
create and publish their books
4. Review the expectations for the assignment
using the grading rubric.
5. Provide an overview of the publishing techniques

that are available in a document on Google

Docs.
6. Give students post-test on elements of a story.
http://www.shsu.edu/~txcae/Powerpoints/
prepostest/shotstorypostest.html
1. As the final presentation of each students book,
separate the students into pairs and assign
Authors
DAY 10
50 MIN.

Showcase
Goal: Enhance
Retention and
Generalization

them to a student in a lower grade level.

Collaborate with the teacher and find time to
allow the students to show their book, online, to
the younger student to test for coherence and
display of appropriate elements.
2. For each book read have other student in the
group complete a Book Review for their
classmates found on Google Docs.

10