This collaborative project begins in the English classroom. Students read a short story and write complex sentences to summarize a portion of that story. The project transitions to the library where students use computers and Scratch, a free program, to animate their summaries. At the conclusion of the project, students do a gallery walk, viewing each animation. During the gallery walk, they’re required to write three complex sentences summarizing three different narrations.
RESOURCES STUDENTS WILL USE
Scratch program, created by MIT. Available as a free download at: http://scratch.mit.edu/download
OTHER MATERIALS REQUIRED
Computers, student selected short stories
SOURCES/CREDITS
Melissa Julian, Technology Integration Specialist
Kristin Brennan, English Teacher
Prior to this library lesson, English classroom instruction is provided for summarizing and writing 3 different kinds of complex sentences. Students come to the library with a completed complex sentence summarizing their portion of a story.
Examples of Scratch projects created by the author’s students are available online at: http://scratch.mit.edu/galleries/view/72781
Day 1
Direct Instruction:
In the English classroom, instruction is provided in summarizing and writing three different kinds of complex sentences. On day 1, students come to the library with a completed complex sentence summarizing their portion of the story. Once at the library, students are given a basic overview of Scratch’s capabilities and introduced to the project’s goals.
Modeling and guided practice:
Students watch an example that teachers previously collaborated to create.
Students then are shown how to create a background for the animation.
Students create their own background.
Day 2
Modeling and guided practice:
Students are shown how to animate a character; all students are required to make their character execute the same basic movements.
Independent practice:
Students independently begin animating their characters to mirror the action in their sentences.
Day 3
Modeling and guided practice:
Students are shown how to switch between different backgrounds.
Independent practice:
Students continue to animate their characters and add the programming language to switch between backgrounds.
Day 4
Modeling and guided practice:
Students are shown how to add programming language to reset their animation back to the beginning, allowing for consecutive views.
Day 5
Sharing and reflecting:
Every team displays their completed animation. Students move from computer to computer in a gallery walk fashion viewing every animation. At three different stops during the gallery walk students are told to write a complex sentence summarizing the animation that they’re currently viewing. At the conclusion of the day, students verbally reflect as a class and discuss what they liked best about the project, what was most difficult, and what they’d do differently next time.