Story Activity Combo: Most Important Sentence + Mi Lápiz

This morning I woke up thinking about my lesson plan and decided to toss it out the window. It was supposed to be a storyboard + true/false activity that I was really excited about when planning, but then yesterday I realized – we had JUST done a read and draw last week. Whoops…suddenly having them draw again, less then 4 class days later seemed less than enjoyable. I wanted a fresh approach, so I started thinking about a different kind of story activity combo that would still hit my goals but feel new to students.

I was running through my list of favorites, trying to come up with something that didn’t involve me dashing to the copier between PLC and first hour when I settled on this combination of activities – and I love how it worked out!

Students need a reading (either copies, or projected), a piece of paper, and a pencil.

I had students draw a line down the middle of their paper, then number 1-10, skipping lines. (You could have them do more than 10 if your reading is long, but I’d stay below 15). Then I gave them 12 minutes to write the 10 most important sentences to summarize the story. They’re familiar with The Most Important Sentence activity, so this didn’t require a lot of explanation.

Next, they swapped their papers with a partner, and we set up for Mi Lápiz. Each pair needs only one pencil, one die, and their papers. I had students translate the sentences their partner had chosen as the most important to play!

We played for 8 minutes, then I had each student take out a pencil to finish on their own. Super simple to set up, no copies needed, and great to get more interaction with our story!

We had a shorter class period due to PLC time in the morning, however, in the future I think I’d like to add in the comparison step from The Most Important Sentence – when students discuss why they chose those sentences and look at what they have in common and what they have recorded differently!

Why This Story Activity Combo Just Works

What I love most about this story activity combo is how naturally it blends creativity, comprehension, and collaboration without needing a ton of prep or extra materials. It keeps students engaged, thinking critically, and working together in a way that feels more like a game than a reading task. There is something so fun about watching students discuss sentence choices or try to out-roll each other during Mi Lápiz while still staying focused on the story. This activity feels flexible, fresh, and effective, and it gives students multiple ways to interact with the text. I will definitely be using this combo again and again with different readings throughout the year. It just works.

Another reason I love this story activity combo is how much ownership it gives to students. Choosing the most important sentences is not just a reading task, it becomes a mini debate in their own minds. They have to decide what truly matters in the story, which means they are thinking like storytellers. Then, when they play Mi Lápiz with their partner’s picks, it turns into a fun surprise because they are working with someone else’s perspective. It adds a layer of novelty every time. Plus, there is always a little friendly competition, and honestly, the laughter that comes from trying to steal the pencil is reason enough to bring this back.