Creating a literary “film” roll

Creating a literary “film” roll

Feb 29

Making a literary “film” roll is a fun way to get your child to understand certain works of literature or get their creative juices flowing to create a story of their own.  This film roll activity can be used to help your child:

• create a short story
• write and illustrate poetry
• organize the events in a novel

Materials needed:

receipt roll paper (or sheets of regular paper cut to 2-3 inches wide and attached to make a roll)

crayons, markers or colored pencils

ruler

pencil

scissors

tape

Instructions:

1. Divide the paper into equal sections (the number of sections will depend on the length of your child’s film).

2. Have your child draw pictures in each section that represent her story.

3. Add captions to each picture that she draws.

4. Roll up the paper (make sure the paper is face down, roll starting with the last section, so your child’s film will unravel in the correct order).

The film roll can be tailored to meet your individual child’s educational needs.  In addition to creating an original story or organizing the events in an existing work of literature it can be used to:

• learn historical events in chronological order
• provide a visual list of instructions for a particular skill or activity
• serve as a study guide

Attention teachers:  This activity can be performed in the classroom by students individually or in cooperative learning groups.  The students can use the film roll that they created to reinforce their knowledge of a particular subject or teach other students about the subject.

Creating a literary film roll is an enjoyable and educational activity that children and adults can both enjoy.