Create an idea bank to help students get started.
The examples listed have a visual arts focus.
- List ten things that you like or ten things that you dislike. Be specific and explain why.
- Find a poem that talks about some kind of natural object (leaf, tree, cloud, lake). Rewrite the poem, or part of the poem, in your own words (be careful not to plagiarize) or write a response to the poem. Complete drawings of the object spoken of in the poem.
- Make a list of ten places that are very important to you. Be specific and explain why these places are on your top ten list.
- Make a political, environmental, or social comment in a visual composition featuring an image of yourself. Include things that you feel strongly about.
- With permission follow someone for an hour. Complete at least five full figure gestural sketches. They can all be on the same page and slightly overlap one another or, create a double page spread. Make notes about the persons activities and conduct an interview with the person about the experience being observed.
- Record a family gathering or event from a particular perspective by taking pictures, recording sounds, and making notes.
- Choose a close friend and diagram your friendship or show the progression of your friendship. Gather memorabilia to represent this friendship.
- Incorporate a found map to a destination – real or imagined – with drawings of the location.
- Show how you imagine your life in 10 years.
View completed digital stories.
Interpretive Visual Presentation – Lit. 12, Analysis of three Shakespearean sonnets, by Jennifer Sanchez
Brainstorming or story circle
Students share story ideas and ask and answer questions about stories. Provide a list of questions to guide students. For example:
- What is the purpose and focus of the story?
- Who is the intended audience?
- What is the question that will be answered?
Write the Script
Limit the spoken portion of the story to 200-300 words. Remember that good stories include a central argument or point of view and they address the who, what, when, where, why questions. Prior to beginning a storyboard students should ask for feedback and self and peer evaluate.
Create a Storyboard
Use a storyboard or a comic strip format to layout the images with the audio, and determine length of story, pacing, dramatic elements, music, and sounds. Participate in a critique prior to proceeding to the production stage.
Record and Edit
After storyboards are complete, gather digital content including images or video, text, music, voice, and other sounds. Online students working with their own computers will use a range of software applications for editing. Peer support at this stage is critical.
Publish
PowerPoint and Keynote can be used for presentation and shared as attachments or embedded in the classroom webpage or school website. You can also create a digital story using a variety of options including Movie Maker or iMovie and upload these to your YouTube, Vimeo, or Dailymotion account for sharing. Remember to obtain a request to publish form signed by a parent or guardian prior to publishing any student content online.