Lesson topic: Digital Storytelling with Adjectives

Grade: 2nd Grade

Time: 2 class periods

Designed by: Lauren McNeela

Objectives: Students will be able to write a short story reflecting a colored picture.Students will be able to demonstrate proper use of adjectives in written language. Students will be able to present their stories to a public audience

Standards:SL.2.4 – Tell a story or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant descriptive details, speaking audibly in coherent sentences. L.2.1 – Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking

Materials: Whiteboard/chalkboard Quiver AppQuiver coloring page for each student (selected individually by student)Access to iPad (one for whole class or ideally multiple for several/all studentsColoring supplies (crayons, markers, colored pencils)Colored construction paperGlue

Background:This lesson would fit into a unit on basic conventions of speaking and writing. Students would be learning about adjectives, adverbs, punctuation, etc. and how to properly use them in writing.

Apps/Websites/Resource:The first resource I looked at is called Quiver. Quiver is a free app on the iPad that allows an individual to choose and print a picture that can then be colored to his or her liking. After the picture is completed, the app recognizes the picture and makes the drawing come to life. This app would allow students to design their own character and watch it come to life. This app combines the simplicity of coloring book pages with the technology of digital animation.

The other resource I considered was ThingLink, a website that helps users create engaging content by tagging links and placing text to various areas of a photo. This website would allow students to choose a picture of their own and add text to the areas which they are describing. If they choose a picture of themselves building a snowman, for instance, the students can tag the scarf they are wearing and write a description of the scarf using adjectives.

I chose Quiver as the app to use for this lesson because of its simplicity. Children are still engaging in the hands-on activity of coloring a picture but are able to see it shared in an active digital form. I also preferred this app to ThingLink because it allows the teacher to display colored pictures around the

classroom or in the hallway. With a strictly digital form, students cannot share their physical work to a more public audience in the school. The pictures and brief summaries will be mounted and displayed for anyone in the class/school to view freely. Students are able to take pride in their publically displayed colored pictures.

Lesson Development:The teacher will ask students to describe what he or she is wearing that day. Students may respond by saying a pair of pants, a blouse, or a suit, for example. The teacher will urge the students to be more descriptive by explaining what kind of pants or shirt he or she is wearing. The teacher can expect to receive answers like a “red, pretty shirt” or a “black pair of pants.” The teacher will write these phrases on the board.

The teacher will introduce the term “adjective.” He or she will explain that an adjective is a word that describes a noun. The teacher should remind students what a noun is and ask them to provide some examples of nouns. Prior knowledge of nouns is important in understanding the concept of adjectives. The teacher can then further explain that an adjective can tell how something looks, tastes, feels or sounds. Adjectives answer questions like: How many? How big? What kind?

The class will discuss what the adjectives are on the board in the phrases relating to the teacher’s wardrobe. Students should be able to point out the noun and list the adjectives that describe the noun. For instance, the phrase “red, pretty shirt” contains the noun shirt and the adjectives red and pretty. The teacher will ask the students what these adjectives describe (how the shirt looks). The teacher can then provide further examples or ask students for some examples.

After students demonstrate an understanding of adjectives and their purpose, the teacher will introduce the activity. He or she will show them a picture from the Quiver website. He or she will explain that they are going to be choosing a picture and describing the character in the picture. The students can color and design the picture however they please, but they need to be able to use adjectives to describe the character and his or her environment in 5-6 sentences.

The teacher will use one of the blank Quiver pictures to demonstrate to students what their picture will do through the app. The teacher will allow students to pass around the pictures and select one to write about. Students will be given the remainder of the class period and time during the next class period to color their pictures and write their summaries. The students will then be able to use the app to show the class their picture as a digital character as they read their short summaries. When all students have finished, the pictures and summaries will be mounted and displayed for everyone to see in the class/school.

Closure: Students will complete their writing/description and will share them with the class. Students can show their picture to the class on the iPad (which will be projected on a screen) and can read their story aloud. The teacher will encourage other students to be good listeners and applaud for each student when he or she finishes speaking.

Assessment: Informal: Students will submit their written portion to the teacher. It will be informally assessed according to the proper use of adjectives. Corrections will be made on the students’ work.

Reflection:Utilizing the Quiver app is more beneficial than just coloring a picture and describing it because students are able to see their picture come to life. They are able to visualize that the character they created is real. This will perhaps inspire them to write more about their character if they are able to see it in 3-dimensial form and moving. Students will become more excited and engaged with their work because they are viewing a picture in a form that is fun and new to them.