King of the Rainforest

Details and descriptions of rainforest scenes come alive in narrative stories, poems, and plays and in original oil pastel illustrations.

• 1.

  Research the rainforest. What lives there? What colors are abundant? What kinds of adventures might take place in the rain forest?

• 2.

  Choose the style of narrative you will write about the rainforest. If it's a short story, develop a story map, including main character, beginning, middle, and end. Poets choose a form for poems. Playwrights prepare a story line before working on the dialogue. Write your final work with Crayola® Metallic Colored Pencils.

• 3.

  Illustrate your writing with Crayola Oil Pastels on colored construction paper, which will enable you to create interesting background effects. Bring out the physical details of characters, setting, action, or other specific images. Blend pastels by rubbing with a fingertip or paper towel. Add details by using pastel over pastel.

Benefits

• Children write narrative pieces (stories, poems, or plays) including detailed descriptions of people, places, and things found in a rainforest.
• Children accurately portray the rainforest setting in their writing.
• Children create an oil pastel illustration to accompany their narrative writing.

Adaptations

• Hold a read-around so children read each other's narrative writing. Children write compliments to other authors on self-stick notes. Play rainforest sounds to set the mood for readers.
• Create shared stories, poems, and plays with younger children or those with special needs, working with small groups or the whole class.
• Children with emerging literacy skills record themselves telling their own stories, either on audio or video. Child or adult volunteers transcribe stories for them.