First lesson plan – Storyboard Creation.
By Katherine Caldwell
The idea was to get
the students more involved in “accountable talk” and critical thinking. I
wanted to engage them in an activity where they could use previous knowledge
and create their own meaning. The
students came into the class knowing the
essential components of what a story entails (plot diagram, terms etc) . The
desks were placed into groups of 4, with a white board, markers, chart paper ,
post it notes ,a picture of a random setting and a picture of 2 characters and the questions: who, what, where, why, when,
how. Students were 3 to a group. Once
they were seated and had a chance to look at everything, I discussed with them
the idea of story creation...the importance of a good introduction and WHY, and
engaged them in a short discussion about what they felt was necessary in a good
story. They generated answers of conflict, relatable characters , interesting
setting and everything from humour to suspense.
Following the short discussion, I asked them to look at what
was on their desks. I told them that
they were to generate a short story outline using the questions, prompts and
the ideas taken from discussion.
Also....there were 2 bags at the front of the class, one contained
pictures of random settings, the other characters. If they were not satisfied
with the pictures on their desk, they were allowed one trade. As well I would
walk around with another bag, containing random objects ( Lego, candles, dental
floss, toys etc) One member of each group was to blindly select an object. The
object was to be used in the story.
Immediately, the groups were engaged. They quickly began discussing
what was on their table and how they could be put to use. The objects brought
forth many ideas for creativity and they began to work together to put their
ideas on the white boards.
The use of whiteboards was very beneficial as they could jot
down their ideas and easily erase if needed. They began to talk and each member
of the group was contributing to their story plan. I was surprised at how well
they were working and talking together. They began to ask questions and they
were having fun with it. Even one group of boys, who are generally are not
engaged, were creating and talking.
As they put their ideas on the whiteboard, they would review
and add or take out information. As the story outline took place, the groups
then transferred the ideas onto chart paper. This was done by either following
a storyboard outline(sectioned into smaller squares) or along a plot diagram. If
they wanted to add information they would use the post it notes and place it
right on their paper.
Once the chart paper was filled out, we put them on the front
board and groups walked around and looked at each story creation. The students took pride in their stories and
liked having them on display. Having them in small groups, not only encouraged accountable
talk but also encouraged critical thinking, as they felt comfortable exploring their
own ideas. Essentially there was no wrong answer. It was fun, creative and they
were able to successfully accomplish the learning goals.
In the post discussion, we felt that is was a very positive
experience. The use of the desk placement, whiteboards and other tools greatly
benefited the students and the learning environment. The students became responsible
for their learning. Often, applied students are not comfortable speaking up,
yet they were offering up ideas and fully engaged...even going back and adding
information after having reviewed the other groups up on the board.
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