Storytelling

"Internet Photo Essays" Project

Goals:

Project participants will accomplish the following goals:

Increased ability to understand and present information on social issues from expressive and analytic perspectives
Increased ability to perform in a collaborative work environment
Increased ability to present information in multimedia formats
Increased skill in using multimedia authoring software and the Internet

Teaching Simple Animation: Fun With Thaumatropes and Other Big Words

Why study animation with kids? Because it's a great vehicle to help them better understand storytelling and sequencing ideas, whether in words or pictures. Simple animation techniques are fun, hands-on projects that incorporate play, creativity and collaboration. Because the underlying processes are the same as for video, animation projects are a powerful way to help kids understand and prepare for more sophisticated media projects.

Developing Stories With Maps

We've seen how the by-product of a mapping exercise can be the creation of a sentence that tells a story. It seems natural, then, to use mapping when our goal actually is to tell a story.

Using Maps for Pattern Writing: Yes, Repetition Can Be Fun

We've seen that maps are simply templates that offer a graphic presentation of related concepts. Mapping can be used in group activities to get everyone involved and contributing. As a result, they turn a valuable but otherwise boring activity like pattern writing or other repetitive exercises into an energetic game.

Pattern Writing from Books and Poems: Learning to Write from the Masters

Many books, songs and poems offer wonderful patterns for moving writing beyond simple sentences and bringing it closer to children's personal lives. Below are two examples that use the same techniques as other pattern writing activities to move the kids to new levels of sophistication and provide a foundation for a better understanding of storytelling.