Visual illustrations can be used for many writing genres. We recounted the story of the Great Ball Game weeks ago and one of the main characters was a bat. Instantly, we decided to focus on bats and mammals for science. We researched bats and wrote poetry and compared and contrasted them with other mammals... Then we discussed the importance of recounting the story, but beginning with a visual for inspiration. We sketched our pictures and then cut them into 3 parts. What a great way to show the parts of a story with a visual illustration. Check out www.visualccl.com for more ideas like this one to inspire your student's writing. They will love it!