Catherine Cummins

Dec. 1, 2014

Literacy Instruction Strategy

Sketch-to-stretch involves visualizing a passage of text and interpreting it through drawing. It can
first be introduced, demonstrated and applied in a whole-group session (readwritethink.org). It is a
tool for helping students to deepen their comprehension of stories theyve read. Students draw
pictures or diagrams that represent what the story means to them, not pictures of their favorite
character or episodes. (Tompkins, 2014, 475)
Reading Standards for Literature NV.CC.RL.4. Key Ideas and Details:
RL.4.1 Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and
when drawing inferences from the text.
RL.4.2 Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the
text; summarize the text.
RL.4.3 Describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a story or drama,
drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., a character's thoughts, words, or
actions).
NV.CC.W.4 Writing Standards Text Types and Purpose
W.4.1. Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and information.
W.4.1(b) Provide reasons that are supported by facts and details.
NV.CC.SL.4 Speaking and Listening Standards Comprehension and Collaboration
SL.4.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and
teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 4 topics and texts, building on others' ideas and
expressing their own clearly.
Follow these steps in Sketch-to-Stretch strategy after reading: (Tompkins 2014)

1.
story.

Respond to story and discuss the theme/s. Remind student there are many ways to interpret a theme in a

2. Draw the sketches. Emphasize to student to focus on their thinking about the meaning of the story, not on
their favorite part. And that theres no single correct interpretation of the story. Also remind student that their
interpretation is more important than the artistic quality of the drawing. Student can use lines, colors, shapes,
symbols and words to visually represent what a story means.
3.

Share the sketch talk about it, discuss symbols used. Revise as needed if there are any suggestions.

Suggestions for sketch to stretchuse a visual portrayal to extend literary understandings:

(www.learner.org/envisioningliterature)
Have students choose a scene or a passage and draw it, incorporating the passage into the visual.

In groups, ask students to choose the "most important moment" in the book and represent it
graphically. When the groups share their work with the class, they should explain the reasons for
choosing the moment they did and why they portrayed it as they did.

In groups or with a partner, ask students to choose a character and portray him or her nonrepresentationally using color, shape, and visual symbols. When they share their work, they
should explain why they chose a par- ticular character as well as the artistic choices they made
for their portrayal.

Have students do a visual sketch in their writers notebooks in place of the customary written
response. You may ask that they include a brief written commentary so you can understand their
thinking.

To begin a discussion, ask students to do a quick sketch of an issue in the reading that interests
them. Use the sketches to begin the discussion.

To help students appreciate the strengths of sketch to stretch, you may wish them to consider ways
in which their sketches helped them see or understand things in the literature that they might not
have noticed before, or if they changed their plan for a sketch during the process of sketching and
why.