The Students' Storybirds
Through Storybird, the students in the Afterschool Program at RFS embraced a unique opportunity to engage in completely original creative writing in English. The only parameter given was that they must create at least 5 pages, but the topic or plot could be anything they could dream up. Inspired by the artwork, the students' stories fell into several genres: fictional stories, personal fantasy, and what looked to me like journaling. Some common themes I noticed in the stories were family, elements from the students' home cultures, and loneliness. In many of their stories, the students seemed to be doing some emotional processing. These English learners were not only practicing writing in a fun and pressure-free environment, they were expressing themselves in their new language.
They own these stories.
They own these stories.
In the Computer Literacy Classroom:
A few snapshots...
Complete Storybirds...
The students could create stories no matter their proficiency level.
Below is an example of a beginning level English Learner's Storybird:
Hind's Storybird:
Using simple sentences, Hind brought these images to life through her language ability.
Some of the stories were quite advanced...
Janette's Storybird:
Jacquiline's Storybird:
Storybirds that were particularly emotional, and
looked a lot like journaling through fiction...
Paw Eh Soe's Storybird:
Paw Thaw Thaw's Storybird: