The Arts · Foundation

Active learning ideas

Storytelling Through Drawing

Young learners build narrative structures by physically arranging and re-arranging images, turning abstract plot ideas into visible sequences. Active drawing and discussion let children test cause and effect with their hands and voices, making abstract story concepts concrete.

• ACARA Content Descriptions
• AC9AVAFE02
• AC9AVAFR01

• 25–40 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Four Corners
• 30 min · Pairs

Pairs: Three-Panel Adventure

Partners brainstorm a simple story idea together, like a walk in the bush. One draws the beginning panel, the other the middle, then they collaborate on the end. Pairs present their sequence to the class, explaining choices.

What happens at the beginning, middle, and end of your drawing story?

Facilitation Tip

During Three-Panel Adventure, have partners orally rehearse the story before drawing so language supports visual planning.

What to look for

Provide students with three blank boxes. Ask them to draw a simple story with a beginning, middle, and end. Collect the drawings and check if the sequence is logical and if there is a clear progression of events.

• Understand
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Social Awareness

Activity 02

• Four Corners
• 35 min · Small Groups

Small Groups: Feeling Faces Sequence

Groups draw four faces showing happy, sad, surprised, and angry. They sequence these into a story, adding simple bodies and actions. Groups act out their story while holding up drawings for the class to follow.

What would happen to your story if you put the last picture first?

Facilitation Tip

For Feeling Faces Sequence, limit the drawing time to one minute per face to keep the focus on expression, not detail.

What to look for

Observe students as they draw their story panels. Ask individual students: 'What is happening in this picture?' and 'What happens next in your story?' Note their ability to articulate the sequence and the narrative.

• Understand
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Social Awareness

Activity 03

• Four Corners
• 40 min · Whole Class

Whole Class: Chain Story Wall

Start with a teacher-drawn beginning panel on butcher paper. Each student adds one drawing to continue the story. Class discusses emotions and events as the chain grows, then retells the full narrative.

How can you show how a character is feeling by drawing their face?

Facilitation Tip

In Chain Story Wall, model how to add only one new drawing at a time to maintain continuity across the class sequence.

What to look for

Show students a short, simple sequence of drawings (e.g., a character looking sad, then finding a toy, then smiling). Ask: 'What is the beginning, middle, and end of this story?' and 'How do you know the character is happy at the end?'

• Understand
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Social Awareness

Activity 04

• Four Corners
• 25 min · Individual

Individual: Mix-Up Fix

Students draw a three-part story, then cut panels and shuffle them. They reassemble in correct order and draw a new ending. Share one change with a partner.

What happens at the beginning, middle, and end of your drawing story?

Facilitation Tip

During Mix-Up Fix, hand out shuffled panels with no clues, forcing students to rely on sequence logic rather than text or memory.

What to look for

Provide students with three blank boxes. Ask them to draw a simple story with a beginning, middle, and end. Collect the drawings and check if the sequence is logical and if there is a clear progression of events.

• Understand
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Social Awareness

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teachers should model drawing a three-part story on the board, narrating each step aloud and exaggerating facial expressions. Avoid correcting every drawing detail; instead, guide students to ask each other what happens next. Research shows that frequent, low-stakes sharing builds metacognitive awareness faster than isolated worksheets.

By the end of the activities, students will show a clear beginning, middle, and end in their picture stories, use facial expressions to signal emotions, and explain how order affects meaning. Their drawings and talk will carry a logical flow and emotional clarity.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Three-Panel Adventure, watch for students who place panels randomly because they believe any order tells the same story.

  Ask partners to swap their finished panels and retell each other’s stories aloud; the confusion that follows quickly shows why order matters.

• During Feeling Faces Sequence, watch for students who draw only posture or colors instead of facial features to show feelings.

  Hold up a set of emotion cards and ask each group to match their drawn face to the correct card before sharing; this reinforces the link between expression and feeling.

• During Chain Story Wall, watch for students who copy earlier drawings exactly to avoid making up new ideas.

  Point to a panel and say, 'This is the start—what could change next?' to encourage imaginative leaps and creative variation.

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Methods used in this brief

• Four Corners