Process
Step 1 - Gather background knowledge of your topic.
Before an author writes a book, he or she researches the subject of the book. For your story, you will need to learn about how animals interact with their environments.
1. Animals are connected to the environment in which they live. Learn about these connections and how animals adapt to survive. Watch this video on Brain Pop to learn all about food chains. (Note: You have to be on a school computer, and your teacher may have to log you in to view the video)
2. Now that you know a little about food chains, explore the following online activites to apply your new knowledge of how organisms interact with other organisms and with their environment.
Fun with Food Webs
Chain Reaction
BBC Habitat
BBC Interdependence and Adaptation3. We can predict which animals will survive in a specific environment based on the animal's structures and behaviors. Complete the following online activites to learn how an animal's adaptations help it survive.
What are adaptations?
Animal Adaptations Game
How Animals Meet Their Needs
Adaptations
Step 2 - Research your specific animal.
Now that you have a basic idea of how animals interact with their environment and how they adapt to survive, you need to do specific research on your animal.
1. Use one of the following research guides to help you gather the facts about your animal that you will need to write your story.
Web-Style Research Guide
Question-Style Research Guide
2. There are many books and magazines available in the library media center to use as resources for your research. You may also use the following online resources during your research. Make sure you take ABC notes! Remember, we are professionals, not criminals.
Animal Research Resources
World Book Online
(ask your teacher for the username and password)
Step 3: Write the draft of your story
Using the facts you learned during your research, write the draft of your story. Remember, this story will be written in diary format. Be sure to put an appropriate date at the top of each diary entry. Use the books Diary of a Worm and Diary of a Spider as models for your story. Your story is a fiction story, but it should be based on the facts you learned about your animal. For example, if your animal is a mouse, you wouldn't want its friend to be a snake. Snakes eat mice!
Be sure to revise and edit your draft before going on to the next step.
Step 4: Create a story board for your book.
Now that you have a good draft of your story, you need to create a storyboard to show how the pictures, text, audio, and animation will be combined. Even if you are creating a traditional book instead of a digital book, you still need to show the layout of your text and pictures. You may use the following storyboard template to help you design the layout of your book.
Step 5: Create your final product.
Now it's time for the fun part - creating your actual book. If you are creating a digital storybook, you may use a program like PowerPoint, Movie Maker, or Photo Story to create your actual book. Be sure to check with your editor to see if he or she wants you to use a particular program. If you are creating a traditional book, you may type the text on the computer, print it out, and then add your illustrations. Be sure to check the evaluation page to make sure you are meeting the expectations of the publishing company. Don't forget to have a list of your sources at the end of your story.