Urban Academy’s commitment to ‘educating for tomorrow’ includes fostering creativity and digital literacy from an early age. Recently, our Grade 2 students embarked on an innovative Language Arts project that blended classic storytelling with cutting-edge technology.
The final Language Arts project in Grade 2 was an opportunity to integrate technology skills into classic story writing. The students were tasked with writing their own Fairy Tale. This year we added a twist by giving students the opportunity to build their story setting in a 3D design software called CoSpaces. They then told their stories in front of a green screen so that the footage could be overlaid on their 3D setting. The students were delighted with the results, sharing amongst others in the class.
From Concept to Creation: Writing and Storytelling
Before all the technological magic began, students spent a few weeks diving into what makes up a story, learning about plot lines, characters, problems, and solutions. They read and listened to many stories to try and titrate the story out into its individual parts. Students recreated the stories through summaries to show they understood how to break it down.
Adding a Digital Dimension: CoSpaces and Green Screen Magic
Next, it was time to learn all about what you find in a fairy tale. After an initial introduction of Cinderella and all of its classic tropes, two new versions of Cinderella were introduced. First was the Algonquin tale called The Rough-Faced Girl. Students looked for similarities and differences. Next was the Chinese version of Cinderella entitled Yeh-Shen, where they did the same.
Now that they had a great handle on what makes a fairy tale, students got writing. They created their outline, wrote each component of the story and ultimately put it all together to have a consistent flow. It went through several edits and was ready to publish.
After publishing with their neatest writing, it was time to build their settings. Cospaces allows students to drag and drop various characters, buildings, and objects into a chosen landscape. They purposefully staged their settings to represent key moments in their story, such as a cat diving from a waterfall, or a dragon swooping past a field of flowers.
Finally, they read their stories with energy and enthusiasm in front of a green screen so that their whole story could be edited together. Students were all proud of their final published story as well as their storytelling video. The use of technology gave students a chance to build up their own digital literacy skills while also seeing technology as an opportunity to amplify their creativity in a way to provide unique results.
Celebrating Creativity and Digital Literacy
The culmination of this project was met with excitement and pride. Students not only produced beautifully written fairy tales but also developed mastery of digital tools that amplified their creativity. Through this experience, they developed essential digital literacy skills while realizing the power of technology as a tool for self-expression and storytelling.
At Urban Academy, projects like these exemplify our commitment to preparing students for a future where creativity, critical thinking, and technological proficiency are integral. We are proud of our Grade 2 students for embracing innovation and showcasing their talents in such a remarkable way.