These classroom activities are designed to complement the Ezra Jack Keats topic on BrainPOP Jr.
Picture Books
Have partners work together to make their own picture book. They should brainstorm ideas for a story, outline the story using different graphic organizers, and write a rough draft. They should do rough sketches of the characters involved in the story and discuss setting. Together, partners can create their own picture books and write and illustrate them. Invite volunteers to share their books with the class.
Collage
Together with the class, take a look at Ezra Jack Keats’ books and analyze his illustrations. What materials does he use to create his pictures? Remind children that a collage is an artwork created by joining different materials. Have students pick their favorite book and illustrate a scene from it by creating a collage. You may with to bring in old magazines and newspapers, stamps, ink, stencils, wrapping paper, fabric scraps, and other materials.
Author Study
Have your students select their favorite author and read different works. How are the works the same? How are they different? Does the same character appear in each story? Does the same illustrator work on each book? Have students assess their chosen author and research to learn about their background. Then have students make a presentation to the class about their authors. They may wish to dress up like their author and make posters featuring a timeline, a short bio, and excerpts from books. Invite students to share their presentations with the class.
