Dig out a photograph you have. Could be old, new, of you or a friend, or a place you visited. Or it could have nothing to do with you.
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Write down who and what you see in the picture, everything.
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Write down who or what may be there, but is not visible in the picture.
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Describe What is happening RIGHT NOW in the picture.
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Describe what happened BEFORE the photo was taken.
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Describe what happened AFTER the photo was taken.
Somewhere in step 3, 4 or 5, SOMETHING NEEDS TO HAVE CHANGED.
You should now have a beginning, middle and end...a story.
Origin: A variation of Cathy Ward’s lesson plan, “What Do You See? Visual Literacy and Story Structure” found in Sherry Norfolk & Jane Stenson's book, Literacy Development in the Storytelling Classroom, Libraries Unlimited, 2009.