Storyline Outlines

Storyline Outlines

1. Weslandia: A Storyline

written by Colleen Vallerga

The Storyline is based on the book Weslandia by Paul Fleischman. 

Grades 2-5 

Storyline Overview                                                                                

The story begins with Wesley, a boy who does not fit in and feels like an outcast.  He is bullied by his classmates and decides to escape the torment by creating his own civilization. 

As the teacher and students begin to explore the story, they observe Wesley’s magic garden come to life and create it in their classroom. While the garden grows and Wesley prepares to harvest his staple crop, the students step into the story as Wesley’s curious classmates. They marvel at what Wesley is doing and decide to help him establish his civilization. 

The classmates work with Wesley to create an economy, design a way to keep track of time, devise a numbering system, create games and musical instruments, and rename the constellations. When challenges arise, the classmates help Wesley problem solve and find solutions. 

Finally, the classmates officially become fellow citizens of Weslandia. Working together, the citizens create a written history of their new civilization and present it to the world. 

Wesley’s classmates recall what makes a civilization as they are challenged to create their own civilizations, reflecting who they are. Students share their own, unique civilizations. 

Total Number of Pages: 19 

Standards and Instruction

Common Core Language Arts Standards

Reading Literature

Reading Informational Text

Speaking and Listening

Writing

Language

Social Sciences Standards (Oregon Department of Education)

Civics and Government                                                                             Multicultural Studies                                                                                 Geography                                                                                                     Economics                                                                                              Historical Knowledge                                                                                   Historical Thinking                                                                                       Social Science Analysis

Mathematics Standards (Oregon Department of Education)                               

Operations and Algebraic Thinking                                                                  Number Operations in Base Ten

NGSS Science Standards                                                                         

From Molecules to Organisms                                                                       Engineering Design                                                                                            Earth’s Place in the Universe

Health Education Standards (Oregon Department of Education)

Promotion of Mental, Social, and Emotional Health

Art Standards (Oregon Department of Education)

Visual Arts

Theater 

Music

Purchase the Weslandia PDF Storyline Outline-$40

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2. The Red Bicycle: A Storyline

written by Colleen Vallerga

The Storyline is based on the book The Red Bicycle by Jude Isabella.


Grades 1-4 

Storyline Overview

As the story begins, a young boy named Leo is working hard to save money and buy a bicycle he admires at the local bike shop.  When he enters the shop to admire his future bike, the bike shop owner invites him to join her Bicycle Care and Safety Class for new bike owners.  She shows Leo photos of other children in his town who are also saving for a bike and taking the class.

Students create and develop the additional characters into the story.

Leo and the other children become friends while they are earning money to purchase their bikes and learning how to become responsible bike owners.

Leo and his friends earn the money they need and head to the bike shop to purchase their bikes. 

Leo names his bike, Big Red. 

The bikes become an important part of the lives of the children. Leo’s friends describe their biking adventures and highlight the positive changes the bikes have made in their lives.

When Leo outgrows his bike, he decides to find a new home for it in a place where Big Red is really needed.  Leo’s friends explore the benefits of reuse and decide to donate their outgrown bikes.  The donated bicycles travel to West Africa to begin a new life.  Each bike finds a new owner and a new purpose in Africa. 

Leo and his friends conduct simple research to learn about the new home of their bikes.  They read informational text about Burkina Faso and choose a topic that highlights the strengths and beauty of the land and people.  Leo’s friends record and share their information.

Leo’s friends follow the story of Big Red’s new life.  They tell the story of their bikes in Africa and the changes they have made in the lives of their new owners.  Leo’s friends discover how one bicycle can transform the lives of many in the rural African village.

Students educate others about the benefits of bicycles and the need for donated bikes. The Storyline concludes with a  bike-a-thon to raise money for used bikes.  Students donate the used bikes, locally, to a place where they are really needed. 

Total Number of Pages:  21

Bend-La Pine Schools Newsletter  6/19

Our schools know – you’re never too young to make a positive difference in the world! First-graders at Highland Magnet School at Kenwood recently raised money to purchase 15 bicycles for the World Bicycle Relief Organization, which provides bikes for children and adults in Africa to help give them better access to school and opportunities. The students were inspired to take on this effort after reading The Red Bicycle by Jude Isabella as part of the school’s Storyline. 

Thank you to teacher Becky Eriksson for sharing and spearheading this awesome effort … and thank you to all the students and families who participated!

Standards and Instruction Covered

Common Core Language Arts Standards 

Reading Literature

Reading Informational Text

Speaking and Listening

Writing

Language

Social Science Standards (Oregon Department of Education)   

Multiculturalism

People, Places, and Environments

Global Awareness/Connections

Economics/Financial Literacy

Historical Knowledge

Historical Thinking

Social Science Analysis

Civics and Government

Geography

Transportation

Next Generation Science Standards

Motion and Stability

Forces and Interactions

Engineering Design

Earth and Human Activity

Reuse

Mathematics Standards (Oregon Department of Education)                                                 

Money                                     

Budgeting              

Number Operations in Base Ten

Health Education Standards (Oregon Department of Education)                                                                             Promotion of Mental, Social, and Emotional Health                                                       

Unintentional Injury Prevention               

Promotion of Physical Activity

Art Standards (Oregon Department of Education)

Visual Arts

Theater

Purchase the Red Bicycle PDF Storyline Outline-$40 

*The PDF will be emailed to you once the order is received. 

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3. Circus Olympus:  A Storyline

written by Colleen Vallerga

Grades 1-5

Circus Olympus is a community service Storyline that features the Ronald McDonald house as its service project.  This Storyline is built around a circus with a story, Greek Myths.  Teachers/students can choose a different community service project or a different story on which to base their circus and easily substitute the changes into the Storyline.

Storyline Overview

Can the students help the Ronald McDonald House raise needed money by creating a circus?  Students get to work creating a circus setting and finding a story/stories on which to to base their circus.  The Greek myths are chosen and students begin an in-depth study of the myths.

Circus performer characters are created and needed circus skills are identified.  

Daily rhythms are established and circus training begins.  Performers are trained in balance, juggling, magic tricks, and clowning.

As the Storyline continues, problems arise that the performers work to solve. 

After the circus training, the performers work in groups to combine their Greek myths and circus skills into an enchanting circus act.

A ringmaster is selected and the acts are combined into a show.  Performers practice.

Performers advertise their circus, hoping to attract a large audience to raise funds for the Ronald McDonald House.

Circus Olympus comes to life.  The performers dazzle the audience with their show.  

Students donate the circus profits to the Ronald McDonald House.  They explore the value of community service as they discuss how community service benefits the givers, the receivers, and the community.

Students suggest future community service projects in which they can participate.

Total Number of Pages:  37

Standards and Instruction Covered

 Common Core Language Arts Standards

Reading Literature

Reading Informational Text

Speaking and Listening

Writing

Language

Social Science Standards (Oregon Department of Education)

Social Science Analysis

Next Generation Science Standards                                                                                                

Motion and Stability                          Energy                                                        

Gravity                                                  Matter and Its Interactions

Health Education Standards (Oregon Department of Education)

Promotion of Physical Activity         Unintentional Injury Prevention

Service Learning

Community Service

Art Standards (Oregon Department of Education)

Visual Arts

Theater 

Music

Dance

Purchase the Circus PDF Storyline Outline-$40

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4. My Heart is a Compass: A Storyline

written by Colleen Vallerga

The Storyline is based on the book My Heart is a Compass by Deborah Marcero.

Artwork by Andrea Morgan’s first grade students.

Grades 1-3

Storyline Overview

As the story begins, an adventurous young girl begins a search for something that has never been found to bring to show and tell.  Rose gathers her prized possessions around her for inspiration and starts thinking.  She realizes that she needs to design her own maps to guide her as she searches for this rare treasure.  

As readers of the book, the students begin to interact with the story.  They explore Rose’s prized possessions and create a map of her face, cat, and heart.  The readers identify themselves by sharing their own prized possessions and mapping their faces, families, hearts and pets. 

As the story continues, Rose uses her imagination, with her heart as a compass, to design one map at a time and travel in search of her treasure.  In each of Rose’s lands the readers find a blueprint of her imagination alive with her favorite possessions.  The readers travel through her lands and connect with with the story as they follow her routes, make discoveries, and explore Rose’s imaginings though various drama/writing responses.  Rose’s travels spark the readers’ imaginations in thought-provoking ways.  Throughout the journey, the teacher weaves in a study of mapping skills, landforms, and landmarks.  Readers practice mapping skills and create maps of their own. 

After searching high and low, Rose completes her journey empty handed.  She brings her maps for show and tell and shares her quest with her fellow students.  From their responses, she realizes that her search was not in vain. Through her imaginative mapmaking, she has happened upon the special something no one has ever seen or heard of before. Her maps are the rare treasure she has been searching for.

As the book draws to a close, the students in Rose’s class as well as the readers are challenged with, “Where will you go?”  

The students accept the challenge and create their own maps designed by their own imaginations.  Maps include prized possessions, favorite animals, food, art, stories, treasures, etc.  Map features, landforms, and landmarks are incorporated.  Students compose a narrative tour of their map, telling the imaginative story of their unique land.  

Students journey, together, through each land.  Guided by the narrative tours, they explore and make discoveries along the way.

When the journey ends, guests are invited to a tour and celebration of the new lands.

Total Number of Pages:  20

Standards and Instruction Covered

Common Core Language Arts Standards                                                                                                          

Reading Literature                 Reading Informational Text                                                                                                           Speaking and Listening         Writing                                             Language

Social Science (Oregon Department of Education)

Geography

Next Generation Science Standards                

Magnetic Science:  Compass 

Art Standards (Oregon Department of Education)

Visual Arts

Theater 

Music

Purchase the My Heart a Compass PDF Storyline Outline-$40

*The PDF will be emailed to you once the order is received. 

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5. Old Rock: A Storyline

written by Colleen Vallerga

The Storyline is based on the book Old Rock (is not boring) by Deb Pilutti.

Grades K-3

Storyline Overview

As the story begins, Old Rock’s neighbors are wondering if the life of a rock might be terribly boring.  Old Rock sets out to prove them wrong as he tells the story of his long life and many adventures. 

Old Rock’s story begins when he, and his rock friends, burst from a volcano 1.8 million years ago.  In the course of their lives, Old Rock and his friends travel through the time of dinosaurs and the Ice Age, to the years when the mastodons roamed the earth.  All along the way, students witness Old Rock’s amazing adventures and enhance the story though the eyes of their own adventurous rock. 

Science and reading inquiry centers provide the opportunity for students to investigate and extend their learning as they move through time.  Construction, art, writing, and music centers allow students to explore, create, and use their imaginations as they delve into the distinctive features of each epoch.

When students discover that the life of a rock is far from boring, they devise a means to spread this knowledge to others.  They present their findings, highlighting the exciting life of Old Rock and his rock friends.

Total Number of Pages:  19

Standards and Instruction Covered

Common Core Language Arts Standards                                                                                                

Reading Literature                              Reading Informational Text                                                                                                    Speaking and Listening                      Writing                                                                                                                                  Language

Next Generation Science Standards

Eight Scientific Practices

Matter and its Interactions

Earth’s Place in the Universe

Earth’s Systems

Engineering Design

From Molecules to Organisms

Biological Evolution

Energy

Mathematics Standards (Oregon Department of Education)  

Measurement and Data

Social Science Standards (Oregon Department of Education)                                               

Historical Knowledge                  Historical Thinking

Art Standards (Oregon Department of Education)                                                                             

Theater                    Visual Arts                       Music       

Purchase the Old Rock PDF Storyline Outline-$40

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6. Picture Writing With Eric Carle: A Storyline

written by Colleen Vallerga

Photo Credit: Deanna Chambers-Highland School

The Storyline is based on the works of Eric Carle.

Grades K-1

Storyline Overview

A picture of a famous author/illustrator, along with a speech bubble, opens the Storyline. 

“Hello, I am Eric Carle.  I draw pictures.”  

The teacher and students explore Eric Carle’s pictures and study the ways he uses the elements of art in his compositions.  

“I write stories,”  Eric Carle continues. 
The teacher and students find that Carle is both an artist and a writer as they learn more about his life and his works.  

The teacher reads Draw Me a Star by Eric Carle.  Students follow the author’s promptings and use his art techniques to create Eric Carle Land. 

Animals appear on the frieze alongside Eric Carle saying, 

“We want to be in a story!” 

Carle shares how there are too many stories for him to write.  He invites the students into his land to become picture writers like him.  They will hear the stories he has written about animals and their problems.  They will create new animal stories of their own.  They will help the animals solve their problems.

Before entering the land, the teacher and students pick one of Eric Carle’s animals.  This will be the animal for their story.  With parent help, students research and list basic information about their animal.  As they prepare for their visit, the teacher and students explore Social Emotion Learning (SEL) skills to assist with problem solving.

Students enter the magic world of Eric Carle, meeting animals, hearing their stories, learning about feelings, and exploring ways to help solve problems using SEL skills.  Teacher/students analyze Carle’s writing process and practice composing stories using his writing as a guide.

Students anticipate new problems in Eric Carle Land, and explore ways SEL skills can

help when dealing with problematic feelings and emotions.  They fine-tune their storytelling

orally, through playmaking, and in written composition.

Eric Carle asks the students to use what they have learned to write their animal story.

Students work though the writing process to create a written story about their animal. They describe what happened, tell how it made their animal feel, and explain how the problem was solved using an SEL skill.  Students use Carle’s collage techniques to illustrate their stories.

An Author Event is planned to highlight the work of the new picture writers.  Picture writers share what they learned in Eric Carle Land and present their stories.

Total Number of Pages:  38

Standards and Instruction Covered

Common Core Language Arts Standards

Reading Literature

Speaking and Listening

Writing

Language

Health Education Standards (Oregon Department of Education)       

Promotion of Mental, Social, and Emotional Health

Art Standards (Oregon Department of Education)

Visual Arts

Theater

Purchase the Eric Carle PDF Storyline Outline-$40

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7. Rewilding:  A Storyline

written by Colleen Vallerga

The Storyline is based on the book The Curious Garden by Peter Brown.

Grades 2-4

Storyline Overview

The Storyline opens in a dreary city.  As the teacher presents the first two pages in The Curious Garden by Peter Brown, students carefully observe the pictures, taking note and discussing what they see. Students work together to create the city and speculate what it might be like to live there.

A single human is spotted in the city, a young boy walking along holding an umbrella.

Students contemplate why the other city kids are not outside.  They create city kid characters and place them inside their apartments, looking out the window.

The teacher continues to read the book and work with students to develop the Storyline.  

Readers meet Liam, the boy with the umbrella. He walks through the dreary city and discovers some determined plants, clinging to life.  He begins to care for the native plant life, watering, weeding, and pruning daily.  Responding to his nurturing, the plants thrive and expand throughout the city.  Local wildlife flourishes with support from the new plant life.

Liam finds that he alone cannot care for the blossoming garden.  Children from the city join in, becoming gardeners-in-training as they work alongside Liam to support local plant and animal life.

The curious garden, in partnership with the gardeners, transforms the city, notably benefiting the people and wildlife.

The new gardeners break into groups to design and implement additional rewilding projects throughout the city.

Incidents occur in the city.  The new gardeners work to solve a variety of problems while maintaining the integrity of their rewilding goals.  

The new gardeners design city tours to share what they learned and what they have created with their fellow citizens. They assert the benefits of rewilding and demonstrate how cooperation between nature and humans has transformed the city.

Students use what they have learned to rewild a part of their school or city.

Total Number of Pages:  18

Standards and Instruction Covered

Common Core Language Arts  

Reading Literature

Reading Informational Text

Speaking and Listening

Writing

Language

Next Generation Science Standards

Energy

Earth’s Systems

Earth and Human Activity

Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity

From Molecules to Organisms:  Structures and Processes

Ecosystems:  Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics

Engineering Design

Oregon Department of Education Social Sciences

Geography

History

Social Science Analysis

Oregon Health Education Standards

Promotion of Mental, Social, and Emotional Health

Oregon Department of Education Arts 

Visual Arts

Theater

Music

Purchase the Rewilding PDF Storyline Outline-$40

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