The Story Gallery: gallery walk posters

Setting up the gallery walk

  1. Print one poster per exhibit (letter or tabloid size, color if possible) and tape them around the room at eye level, spread out.
  2. Print the Gallery Walk Viewing Guide PDF for each student.
  3. Make groups of 3–4. Start each group at a different poster.
  4. Set the lesson presenter timer for 4 minutes per poster. At the signal, groups rotate clockwise.
  5. At each poster, students find every numbered detail, read the placard, and write I see / I think / I wonder.
  6. After the walk (about 20 minutes), students open The Story Gallery on devices to solve each exhibit's challenge, or discuss the "After the walk" question as a class.
Exhibit AThe Story Gallery · 5.RC.1 & 5.RC.2

The Ant and the Cricket

Summer and winter panels

Cricket playsAnt worksWinter: Cricket at the doorSUMMERWINTER123

Look closely

  1. Response: All summer, Cricket plays while Ant hauls seeds. Each character responds differently to the same challenge.
  2. Challenge: Winter always comes. Now Cricket is cold and hungry.
  3. Change: Cricket decides to play after the work is done. What a character learns points to the theme.

Placard

All summer, Cricket played his fiddle in the sunny meadow while Ant hauled seeds into her tunnel. "Come dance!" Cricket called. "There is plenty of time."

"Winter always comes," Ant answered, and kept working.

When the first snow fell, Cricket shivered outside Ant's door with an empty stomach. Ant let him in and shared her seeds. "Next summer," Cricket said quietly, "I will play my fiddle in the evening, after the work is done."

Exhibit BThe Story Gallery · 5.RC.1 & 5.RC.2

The Broken Vase

A living room moment

"It was me. I'm sorry."123

Look closely

  1. The problem: Priya broke Grandma's vase, and her little brother might get blamed.
  2. The choice: She could stay quiet, but she tells the truth even though it is hard.
  3. The lesson: Grandma says trust is harder to fix than a vase. Theme clue: honesty protects trust.

Placard

Priya was tossing a ball in the living room when it knocked Grandma's blue vase off the shelf. It shattered. Her little brother, Dev, was the only other person home.

When Grandma came in, she looked from the pieces to Dev. Dev's eyes filled with tears. Priya's heart pounded. She could stay quiet. Instead, she stepped forward. "It was me. I'm sorry."

Grandma knelt and picked up a blue piece. "The vase I can glue," she said. "Trust is harder to fix. Thank you for keeping mine."

Exhibit CThe Story Gallery · 5.RC.1 & 5.RC.2

The Smallest Seed

Sunflowers in Room 12

day 21June: tallest123

Look closely

  1. The challenge: Marcus's seed does not sprout for three weeks. Jonah tells him to give up.
  2. The result: He keeps caring for it, and by June it is the tallest sunflower in the room.
  3. Theme clue: Patience and care can pay off, even when others give up.

Placard

Every spring, the students of Room 12 planted sunflower seeds in paper cups. Marcus's seed never sprouted. Every day he watered it, moved it to the sunniest spot, and checked it before anyone else arrived.

After three weeks, the other sunflowers stood tall, and his cup was still just dirt. "Give up," said Jonah. "It's dead."

On the twenty-fourth day, a tiny green loop pushed through the soil. By June, Marcus's sunflower was the tallest in the room, taller than Marcus himself.

Exhibit DThe Story Gallery · 5.RC.1 & 5.RC.2

The Two Kites

A windy day at the park

123

Look closely

  1. The fancy kite: Lena's bright kite spins and tangles in a tree.
  2. The plain kite: Sam's homemade brown kite rises steady and high.
  3. Change and theme: Lena learns not to judge by looks. Theme: don't judge something by how it looks.

Placard

Lena's kite was bright red with a long gold tail. Sam's was a plain brown paper kite he had made himself. At the park, Lena laughed. "Yours won't even fly."

The wind was gusty. Lena's kite spun, dove, and tangled in a tree. Sam's plain kite rose steady and high. Lena sat on the grass, cheeks hot.

Sam walked over and held out the string. "Want to fly it together?" As they ran across the field, Lena said, "I shouldn't have judged your kite by how it looked."

Exhibit EThe Story Gallery · 5.RC.1 & 5.RC.2

Write a Summary

Storyboard of "The Smallest Seed"

WhoProblemEventsResolutionno sproutwaters itevery dayJonah: give upA summary: who + problem + key events in order + resolution. No opinions!1234

Look closely

  1. Who: Name the main character: Marcus.
  2. Problem: His seed does not sprout, and a classmate says it is dead.
  3. Key events: He keeps watering and moving it to the sun every day.
  4. Resolution: It finally sprouts and becomes the tallest sunflower. Leave out small details and opinions.

Placard

The last frame is empty with a note: "Summarize one story."

A good summary tells the main character, the problem, the most important events in order, and the resolution. It is short, and it does not include opinions or small details.

Look back at "The Smallest Seed."