#visual framework

[snublrdk]

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[ankestohlmann]

The lifecycle of the collaborative storytelling framework (2nd draft)

I have updated the lifecycle of my visual framework—it has now three digital touch points: 1. Site where the teacher can learn about the tool and download (paper) or order (physical object) it; 2. App with which the students can record their stories (images + audio / video); 3. Online gallery that can be shared with parents.

I’ve also just heard through the grapevine that New York is moving towards a BYOD (bring your own device) strategy … which would support the idea of having the students record their stories as part of the activity.

[ankestohlmann]

My framework and common core

Over the last few weeks I have been reviewing the common core standards for grades K-5 to see how the framework lines up and what common core learning goals can be achieved by using the framework.

I learned that the framework aligns pretty well. Grades 1-3 focus on understanding of story structure, story elements, listening and speaking. The visual framework supports these goals. In addition it also fosters collaboration and the use of digital tools—both common core goals.

The framework works especially well for 2nd grade reading standards and writing standards, if the created story is developed further into a published story. Starting in 3rd grade, the focus slowly shifts towards informational reading and essay writing, while creative writing slowly vanishes from the curriculum.

[ankestohlmann]

Team 406: Storytelling during reading club

(Test2-1)

Every morning Team 406, a 2/3 class at PS 3 has reading club for 45 minutes. During this time students are divided into groups and are reading books, working on reading responses, etc. Charly, their teacher, will sit with each group for 10-15 minutes and check in with everyone. One of the groups had finished their book, so Charly invited me to come in and have this group create stories together based on their reading using the visual framework.

There were 5 second grade kids, who I divided into two groups. They used the acrylic board with dry-erase markers. Overall it was a big success, the kids had a great time. They continued to create stories, when they had finished their first one (creation of story + sharing with other group) and we realized that we had enough time left for a short second story.

(Test2-2)

As this was the first time the kids were using the framework, I decided not to use the disruptions, so they could get used to the system. By the time they started on the second story, they were seasoned pros and didn’t need any further prompting. 

Learnings • This was the first time I worked with a small group. It was quite nice, as I was able to facilitate and prompt the kids a lot more than when I was working with the 24 kids in the 1st grade classroom. This I believe amplified the learning—I asked specific questions about plot and they told me the problem their character had to solve. • When asking both groups to put character underneath the first input box, one group wrote character, the other group wrote the name of their character. This was quite interesting. It confirmed my findings from the customization prototype earlier in the week, but added a new twist: the teacher could simply put “Character: bear” underneath the story box instead of using “bear” inside the story box. • The acrylic board worked really well. After the first story the kids readily erased it, because they wanted to tell a new one. So here it didn’t seem that important to keep it or at least the option of creating a new one was more enticing. • While the dry-erase maker was great, as the kids could quickly erase something, it was at the same time a challenge. We were working on the rug, so the kids lay on the floor and it was a little tricky not to erase any part of the story by accident. Next time I’m going to try wet-erase markers. If we have a damp towel one can easily erase things, but not accidentally erase something. • It would be good to add a date to the board. • Initially I had asked the kids to stop at 9 boxes, but they wanted to continue and tell a 15 box story. Maybe it’s not so good to have both options on one board, but rather have a 9 box board and a 15 box board, depending on the age/grade? • I had given each kid their own marker. This led to kids drawing around the story boxes, working on their characters or adding side effects. • The markers were thick–on one hand it was good because it kept the kids from getting too detailed in their drawings, but on the other hand, they seemed to be a little bit too thick. • It was very practical to have a small eraser on the back of each marker and then a big eraser when erasing the whole board. • When prompted “what’s the plot of your story”, the response was “the problem is …” … I was quite impressed, how articulated the kids were. • The kids liked best: drawing, working together, the plot of their story