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Jump into storyboardingEarly Stage / Stage 1 English - Teacher program notesOrganisation:This has been designed for collaboration between the classroom teacher and the teacher librarian. Phases One and Two can be done as a whole class. Phase Three requires two teachers – one teaches a small group, while the other teaches the class.

Resources:An IWB is required for Phases One and Two. This experience is compatible with ActivStudio and Smart Notebook software.

Duration:It is anticipated that these flipcharts could be used to support English sessions over a 5 week period.

English K─6 syllabus outcomes – [SYLLABUS: PRE – 2014 ]Early Stage 1RES1.7 Demonstrates an emerging awareness that writtenand visual texts convery meaning and recognises that thereare different kinds of texts that serve different purposesTalks about interpretation of visual images

WES1.9 Engages in writing texts with the intention ofconveying an idea or messageDictates a range of text types for adults to writeContributes to joint construction of textsDraws on personal experience and imaginary topics in writing activitiesUses visuals to communicate ideas

Stage 1RS1.7 Understands that texts are constructed by people and identifies ways in which texts differ according to their purpose, audience and subject matter.Predicts from the cover and title the target audience of a textTalks about the topic of a text based on its title and illustrationsRetells and comments on narrative elements from a children’s story book or short children’s film, with attention to characters, complication, events and resolution

WS1.9 Plans, reviews and produces a small range of simple literary and factual texts for a variety of purposes on familiar topics for known readers.Contributes to joint construction of textsWrites elementary literary texts

Purpose and origins:This learning experience explores elements of narrative as a starting point for understanding the way that stories are structured. It is the result of a partnership between AGQTP and the School Libraries and Information Literacy Unit, Curriculum K–12. Picture frames by cartoonist Nik Scott provide opportunities for teacher scribing, and student re-telling, sequencing and re-reading tasks.

Phase One: Elements of narrative using Tree, Flower and Pirate storyFlipchart 1: Pictures only – students talk and teacher scribes the story under each frameFlipchart 2: Sequencing grid – students click and drag to sequence frames in a gridFlipchart 3: Sequencing – students pull out frames from a container and sequence themFlipchart 4: Story icons – students label story elements [this is an extension activity]

Phase Two: Storyboarding practice using Cat’s story, Pig’s present and Bear’s partyAfter modelled teaching with Cat’s story, students drag frames from a gallery to create storyboards in guided teaching sessions using Pig’s present and Bear’s party.

Phase Three: Digital storytelling using Photo Story 3 – small group extension taskWith intensive teacher support, and the assistance of older student buddies, students plan their storyboards, create images or take photos and then create a digital storyN.B. Some teachers may not proceed beyond Phases One and Two. Some teachers may prefer to undertake Phase Three: Digital storytelling after an introductory sequence of drama lessons, rather than building on Phases One and Two in this particular learning sequence.

Written by: Lizzie Chase, Cath Keane & Viktoria Rendes Cartoons by: Nik ScottConstruction by: Sharryn Bowes

© 2009 School Libraries and Information Literacy Unit, Curriculum K–12 Directorate. A joint initiative of the NSW Department of Education and Training and Australian Government Quality Teaching Programme.

Credits

Authors: Lizzie Chase and Cath Keane, School Libraries and Information Literacy Unit, and Viktoria Rendes, Minchinbury Public SchoolIllustrator: Nik ScottFlip chart design: Sharryn Bowes, AGQTPVideo clips: Rhonda Parnis and Nicole McTaggart

Pilot schools

Thanks to Viktoria Rendes, Julie Heywood and Debbie Booth at Minchinbury PS and to Rhonda Parnis and Nicole McTaggart at Sherwood Grange PS for trialling this learning experience.

NB Please do not use Pirate story if your class contains students from a cultural background where piracy has had devastating consequences.

Narrative elements overviewEssential narrative terms such as character, orientation, complication and resolution are a major teaching focus. Students are taught that stories have a beginning, middle and end. They learn that readers make predictions and are kept in suspense, waiting for complications to be resolved. Descriptive language can be a focus if appropriate for the cohort.

Typical sequence: For Tree story, Flower story or Pirate story teachers will:1. Hold up a familiar picture book with a predictable narrative structure beforehand and

remind students of elements of literary texts such as cover, author, illustrator, characters etc.

2. Look at the cover frame, the first frame in the wordless story which has been selected, and ask what the story will be about. They will create a book title, record the class name as the author and explain that, in this wordless cartoon picture book, the cover is the orientation.

3. Look at the first page frame and each page after that and ask: Who is in this picture? What are they doing? What is happening? Why is this happening? How are they feeling? How would you feel if this happened to you? What might they say? What do you think will happen next? How do you know? If there is a problem, explain that it is a complication. What students see on each frame may not be a complication, it may just be an event. An event is when something is happening. For each frame, the teacher records suggested sentences and from this bank of student suggestions, the class chooses which one the teacher or a student will scribe on the IWB.

4. Ask the whole class to predict how the problem will be solved. When the resolution frame is reached, discuss how the resolution has created a happy ending.

Additional activities include:On subsequent occasions, when continuing to work with the same story, students could:

1. Sequence the frames2. Label the frames or other books with story icons – using posters from teacher resources3. Re-read the scribed story4. Re-tell the story, using the picture frames – using booklets from teacher resources5. Suggest other ways that the problem could have been solved6. Discuss and write in speech bubbles or thought bubbles to express perspective7. Explore themes through events, characters’ expressions and movement lines8. Explore visual literacy: That friendships are shown by close proximity, friendly looks,

sharing food, spending time together, cooperating etc9. Build descriptive word banks with the teacher – use character posters10. Have a go at writing their own stories for the wordless picture stories

Tasks: Whole class, individuals, pairs, in small groups or with an older buddy student.


Phase One: Narrative elementsWriting Teacher scribes a story using student suggestions. Open Flipchart 1.

The same teaching sequence can be used for Tree, Flower and Pirate story.

Cover

Orientation

Modelled teaching

Narrative elementsBefore working with the IWB, re-read a familiar book to the students and use the book as a model for these teaching points. Explain that the cover of a story always gives picture clues about what might happen. It has a title and names the author. It names the illustrator.

Show the cover frame of Tree storyExplain that this is the cover of a story which the class is going to write together. Ask students to say who this character is and what s/he is doing. Discuss what a trampoline is. This cover is part of the orientation and shows who, what, where and when.

Teacher scribing / student writing on IWBAsk students to choose a title for this book – scribe this on the coverWrite the author’s name - this will be the class name.Write the illustrator’s name: Nik Scott

Page 1

Event

Modelled teaching

Narrative elementsRemind students of characters from familiar books, or from the book which has just been read.Explain that stories always have characters – these characters are Pig and Bear. We meet the characters at the beginning of the story. This is called the orientation. We find out about WHO, WHAT, WHEN and WHERE…

Teacher scribing / student writing on IWBAsk for student suggestions about what is happening. Record these sentences. The class chooses which one will be written on the IWB. Scribe the sentence under the illustration OR a student writes the sentence.

DiscussionAsk students to predict what will happen next and how they would feel in this situation.


Page 2

Complication

Modelled teachingNarrative elementsExplain that stories always have a complication to solve. This often happens at the beginning or in the middle of a story.



Page 3

Event

Modelled teachingNarrative elementsExplain that stories are made up of events – things happen to the characters. Characters do things. Events keep things moving along. Remind students that illustrations give readers picture clues so they can predict what might happen next. What are Pig and Bear doing? What will happen next?



Page 4

Event

Modelled teachingNarrative elementsExplain that stories usually have a resolution – the characters find a way to fix the complication. This often happens at the end of a story. Will this event lead to a resolution? Will Bear reach the apple?

Teacher scribing / student writing on IWBAsk for student suggestions about what is happening. Record these sentences. The class chooses which one will be written on the IWB. Scribe the sentence under the illustration OR a student writes the sentence. Discuss with students what will happen next.


Page 5

Resolution

Modelled teaching – narrative elementsExplain that we sometimes call the resolution a happy ending. How did they solve this problem? How do Pig and Bear feel now? [Themes: Cooperating and sharing as friends]


DiscussionAsk students if they think this is a good resolution for Pig and Bear.

Phase One: Narrative elementsSequencing

Flipchart 2 – Sequencing grid – Students click and drag to sequence frames in a grid.Flipchart 3 – Sequencing – Students pull hidden frames from behind a prop and sequence them to recreate the story.

Sequencing Click and drag these pictures to place them in sequence.

Sequencing activity: storyboarding preparation

Guided teachingBuild on the scribing/writing work which has been done with Tree story, by undertaking sequencing tasks. Encourage class discussion using narrative terms such as orientation, complication, characters, resolution. Please see the demonstration videos in the Teacher resources section if required.

Grid-based sequencing: Demonstrate how to select frames which are in jumbled order and drag them into the grid in the correct sequence. Students then have a go in pairs or individually at completing the sequencing task.

Free form sequencing: Demonstrate how to drag hidden images from behind a prop and place them in sequence. Students then have a go in pairs or individually at completing the task.

Free form sequencing can also involve the teacher or students manipulating all the pages freely and discussing which frames go at the beginning, middle or end of the story OR what would happen IF A PARTICULAR PAGE was moved, deleted etc – it’s more conjectural and offers more open-ended possibilities.


Sequencingsolution

This is the worked solution for the Tree story grid-based sequencing task.

Phase One: Narrative elementsStory icons – Click and drag

Flipchart 4 – Students click and drag story icons from the bookshelf to label frames.Each frame will have a number of the elements present – the focus is on metalanguage.NB This is a whole class extension task to prepare for digital storytelling.

Students drag relevant story icons from the book shelf on to each story frame. See demonstration video.

Follow upYou may wish to use the story icons posters from the Teachers’ resources when students are discussing literary big books in an after-reading context in your

Modelled teachingNarrative elementsRead a familiar story to students and revise elements of narrative, using the book as a model.Remind students that every story has an orientation, a complication, events and a resolution. Introduce the term prop – an object used in a scene. [N.B. In Flower story, the flower pot is a prop. The flower is a character.] In this context, the orientation is the front cover of each book.

Preparatory game: Pull toys and objects out of a bag, students say whether they are props or characters. Students can also role play stories to show complications, events and resolutions.

Explain to students they will drag story icons from the bookshelf and place them on each frame on the IWB to indicate which aspects of story are visible in each frame. See Demonstration video in Teacher resources section of Cover chart.Story icons

Orientation Character Prop Complication

Event Resolution

Favourite page

NB The event icon shows legs because events keep things


English sessions.moving!

Cover Modelled teachingNarrative elementsAsk students who they can see on the front cover of Tree story. What is happening? What will this story be about? This story will be about Pig and a trampoline. Ask students what we call the part of a story where we first meet a character. We call it the orientation. Show students how to drag the orientation icon from the book shelf onto the cover frame.

Solution: Orientation

Page 1 Guided teachingNarrative elementsAsk students to describe what is happening in this illustration.Ask students to drag relevant story icons from the bookshelf and place them on this frame. As they do so, they will name the icon and say WHY they are placing it on the frame.

Solution: Character , prop , event Page 2 Guided teaching

Narrative elementsAsk students: What are Pig and Bear doing now? Why are they doing this? What happens next?Ask students to drag story icons from the bookshelf and place them on this frame. As they do so, they will name the icon and say WHY they are placing it on the frame.

Solution: Character , prop , complication

Page 3 Guided teachingNarrative elementsAsk students: How are Pig and Bear working together? What is their plan?

Ask students to drag story icons from the bookshelf and place them on this frame. As they do so, they will name the icon and say WHY they are placing it on the frame.


Solution: Character , prop , event

Page 4 Guided teachingNarrative elementsAsk students: Do you think that this idea will work? Will Bear reach the apple?Introduce the reader as an important person – the author keeps the reader waiting and hoping.Ask students to talk about stories, television shows or movies where they were on the edge of their seats with suspense. Suspense is really wanting to know what is going to happen next.Ask students to drag story icons from the bookshelf and place them on this frame. As they do so, they will name the icon and say WHY they are placing it on the frame.

Solution: Character , prop , event

Page 5

Place this icon on whichever page is voted the class favourite.

Guided teachingNarrative elementsRemind students of the resolution that comes at the end of so many stories. In this story it is a happy ending.

Ask students What has happened? How do Pig and Bear feel? How do you know? What are the picture clues that show this? At the conclusion of the process, ask students to name their favourite page in the story. Count the number of votes, and choose one student to place the favourite page icon on the frame which received the most votes.

Solution: Character , prop , resolution


Phase Two: Storyboarding Whole class extension task which will prepare students for digital storytelling

Cat’s story

Cover – Cat’s story

Orientation

Complication

Event Resolution =

Happy ending

Modelled teachingExplain that stories can be planned using pictures and a storyboard grid is useful for this process.Show students a completed storyboard as a model. Use a completed sequencing grid, such as the one used earlier with Tree story. Remind students of important narrative elements: Orientation, characters, complication, events, resolution.

Model the process of creating a storyboard for Cat’s story about what annoyed the cat, so that students understand how to drag the objects into the empty 4 frame storyboarding grid.

The processOpen up the images folder and identify the characters and props which are available to tell the story.Drag the cat and create the front cover – Say This is the cover, it’s an orientation.Drag the mouse in to annoy the cat. Say Here’s the mouse, it’s the complication.Drag the cat with its claws out and the mouse running away. Say Here’s an event. What’s happening here? Finally, create the resolution frame…at

This is a worked solution for Cat’s story.


Cover – Cat’s storyOrientation

Complication

\

Event Resolution = Happy ending

Create a storyboard 1

Bear’s partyBear and his friends were dancing at his party.

Suddenly Bear slipped on the cake.

His cake was ruined!

Bear felt very sad. Pig saved the day!

The cover is provided as a prompt...

Storyboarding skills practice 1Guided teachingInvite student to drag characters from the Bear’s party folder to create a storyboard. The cover has been provided and so has the text for the story. If you wish, you can also gather images for this storyboarding practice from your own images library OR have the students create their own.

Looking ahead to digital storytellingThis is a practice session before a small group of students is selected to create their own storyboards, which will be used in making a digital story. The focus is on planning an orientation, a complication and its resolution, leading to a happy ending. Their digital story may feature Pig and Bear, students themselves, or it may involve other characters chosen or created by students.

This is a worked solution for Bear’s party

Bear’s party

Bear and his friends were dancing at his party.

Suddenly Bear slipped on the cake.

His cake was ruined!

Bear felt very sad. Pig saved the day!


Create a storyboard 2

Pig’s present Pig got a present.

Unwrapping it was easy!

But how did it work?

It needed a key. Pig turned the key.

Out came music and a jack in the box!

Storyboarding skills practice 2Guided teaching

Invite student to drag characters from the Pig’s present folder to create a storyboard. The cover has been provided for you and so has the text.

This is a worked solution for Pig’s present


Pig’s presentPig got a present. Unwrapping it

was easy! But how did it work?

It needed a key.

Pig turned the key.

Out came music and a jack in the box!

Phase Three: Digital storytelling This task requires two teachers – one teacher works with six students on storyboarding and digital stories. The other teacher works with the whole class on narrative-based activities. The teacher librarian, ESL teacher, STLA, parent helper or older buddy student can provide support for the six students in this group...

Overview

Work with a group of six students, in pairs or threes.

They will:1. Choose a problem and a solution which may feature Pig and Bear, themselves, or

characters of their own choosing to make a suspenseful story.2. Complete a storyboard to plan the 4-8 frames of their story. Teachers may use students’

drawings, captured images from their IWB storyboarding work with students OR may use stills taken with a digital camera.

3. Use Photo Story 3 to produce their stories, with intensive assistance if required.

Using the narrative text which has been discussed, jointly complete the following scaffold.

Characters Setting and props

Complication

Events Resolution

Revising elements of narrativeRevisit a simple, familiar narrative – it may be a Pig and Bear story. Use the scaffold to revise elements of story within this familiar story.

Structured interviewDiscuss the following questions either as a whole group activity or individually to collect baseline data on students’ current understandings.

Ask:1. What is a story?2. Can you think of some things that every story has to have? (e.g. characters, orientation,

complication, series of events, resolution)3. What is a character?4. How do stories usually end?


N.B. It is possible that Phase Three: Digital storytelling, may follow intensive work about the nature of story using drama role plays rather than following on from Phase One and Two in the preceding learning sequence. Digital storytelling offers students a chance to show what they have learned about narrative structure and a chance to enjoy telling their own stories. What is important is that students demonstrate that they know that stories are different from recounts because they always have complications and some recounts just tell about happy events in a sequence.

Group brainstorming chart – story ideas

Brainstorm a set of interesting possible complications for the digital stories FIRST

Orientation – Some possible characters and settings

Complications – Some possibilities

START HERE!!!

Resolution – Some possible solutions

Introduction to the digital storytelling task

Tell students that they are going to write and publish their own narrative using photographs as illustrations. Students will act as the characters in their books.

Discuss the fact that the story will be a made up story that they will act out. They will be pretending to be a character in their book. The story will have to have an orientation, a complication and a resolution. Focus on the fact that they will be creating a fictional text not a recount/documentary.

Make a chart with 3 sections. In the middle section, brainstorm a list of complications as the first step. Then, as a group, create possible introductions and resolutions linked to each complication. This will require intensive teacher support and rich discussion of options.

Guide all six students towards a simple, workable scenario for each student.

Group size: Groups of three students working on each digital story are ideal because they allow for a photographer and two characters in the narrative. By the end of the digital storytelling process, each student will create their own digital story, making a total of six individual stories.

Storyboarding introduction

Review one possible story scenario generated during the last lesson using a four frame scaffold with front cover, orientation, complication and resolution. Explain that the most basic structure of a narrative requires four frames but more frames are required to build suspense for the reader or viewer.

Guided teachingStudents contribute to a general discussion, and draw elements such as characters and props into each frame to build a sample simple narrative together from the suggested scenario.


Long shot

Close up

Sample storyboard – scribe student narrative under each frame

___________ ___________ ___________

Cover=Orientation Complication Event Resolution

Modelled teachingLong shots and close ups

Explain to the students:

Now we need to learn something new. Whenever we see a character from head to toe it is called a long shot. Show an illustration which utilises a long shot.

Whenever we just see a character’s face it is called a close up. This is used to show characters’ feelings during complications and some resolutions. Show an illustration with a character in close up.

Now let’s label each of these four frames with the types of shots that have been used.

After this labelling activity it will be clear that more than four frames are needed to include close ups if required and also to include more events to build greater suspense and reader involvement. Suspense makes the viewer want to know what will happen next.

Student design their storyboards

From the list of brainstormed options, ask each student to choose which scenario s/he is going to make into a digital story.

Introduce students to a story board graphic organiser with six frames which they will use to plan their stories.

Explain that the whole story will be told in six pictures, with the first picture being the cover of the digital story. They may choose to use only four frames, but can use no more than six.

Remind students that they will use long shots to show more of the setting or a character’s whole body and may use close ups for frames which require intensity.


___________ ___________ ___________

Students role play reactions before filming

Freeze frames: anger, shock, joy

Introducing the concept of freeze frames

Explain to students that they will be actors and will have to freeze at each frame of their story to express the essence of the complication and resolution they have chosen. Teach them that they are going to create a situation from their imaginations – even though they will be taking photographs of each other, they will be acting in a story.

In these stories, they may convey stereotypical reactions of happiness, sadness and surprise. Students will practise showing these expressions by playing a game of freeze frame when the teacher calls out an emotion, before students draw their storyboards.

Storyboarding by students

This storyboarding process will require intensive teacher guidance because students have to imagine and act out the moments they are going to freeze frame for each frame BEFORE recording these key moments in their storyboarding scaffold. This would be an ideal opportunity for STLA or ESL teacher support, since discussion of concepts and the use of metalanguage feature so strongly at this stage. This is an opportunity to build substantive communication and collaborative skills within each small group. The teacher scribes a sentence beneath each frame in the stories; these will be used in students’ digital stories.

Students plan which props they will bring to the photo shoot session.

ICT tips

Students will need some practice taking photographs. They may need to take at least 3 photographs of each frame.

Taking the photographs

In playground or in class, instruct students on how to use the digital camera. Remind them of the long shot and the close up from their story board, which they will carry with them to plan their shots.


Download the photographs into separate student name folders for each story within the class folder.

Students experiment with the different types of shots and then they take the photographs which they planned in their storyboarding session.

Download and save photographs into school shared learning space, using named folders for each student.

Photo Story 3

Students use the photographs they have taken in the last lesson to create a digital story. First, they are shown their own named folders where their downloaded photographs are

kept. Students are then instructed to open Photo Story 3 and are explicitly taken through the steps

to import their pictures one at a time. Once all the pictures are imported, the story is saved. Students can then return to the slide titled Add a title to your pictures. The classroom

teacher or teacher librarian then types a scribed sentence on each picture. These six students would benefit greatly from the help of an STLA, ESL teacher or parent helper.

The story is saved again and the student reads their own created story on the computer.Sharing session

Send invitations to other classes, the principal, or parents to come and view the digital stories created by the small group/s. This may take place in the library using a data projector. Students may like to say a few words about their stories.

Share the digital stories with other ES1/S1 classes. Students can read the stories as part of their independent reading activities during literacy sessions on computers.

Reflection questions

Ask the same questions as at the beginning of Phase Three to see how far students have come.

1. What is a story?2. Can you think of some things that every story

has to have? (E.g. characters setting, orientation, complication, series of events, resolution)

3. What is a character4. How do stories usually end?

Reflection session

Make two circles – an inner and an outer circle with students sitting opposite a partner.Ask each pair to take turns to answer the first question.

1 If you could do it again, what would you change?The inner circle stays where they are and the outer circle moves one along. Again, both partners answer the following question.2. What did you like best?Once again the inner circle stays where they are seated and the outer circle moves along. Students answer the following questions.


3. Did anything go wrong? What did you do to fix it?After the last rotation of the outer circle, students answer:4. Do you think your friends would like your story? Why or why not?Students may report back one interesting comment to the whole group.


Documents

swsrtls.weebly.comswsrtls.weebly.com/.../1/.../storyboardinglessons.docx · Web viewA joint initiative of the NSW Department of Education and Training and Australian Government