Overview: Digital Storytelling Night Lesson Plan

Subject Digital Storytelling

Grade Level Grade 3

Materials/To Hardware: iPad,

ols/ Software/App: Voicethread, iMovie (backup tool)
Apps Other: Paper, pencils, writing worksheet
Setup: table covering, name tags, sharpie markers

Objectives To educate students about voicethread to share information about their

artifacts so that it can be shared with friends and family. They will become
familiar with digital technology that allows them to engage in storytelling while
using all the elements within voicethread to create a digital story product.

Third Grade Writing Standards: Text Types and Purposes

New York
3W2: Write informative/explanatory texts to explore a topic
State Next
and convey ideas and information relevant to the subject.
Generation
ELA 3W3: Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or
Standards events using effective techniques, descriptive details, and clear event
sequences.
Third-grade listening and speaking standards:
Presentation of Knowledge and
Ideas 3SL4: Report on a
topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience with appropriate
facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking clearly at an
understandable pace. 3SL5:
Include digital media and/or visual displays in presentations to
emphasize certain facts or details.

http://www.nysed.gov/common/nysed/files/programs/curriculum-
instruction/nys-next-generation-ela-standards.pdf
Grade 3: Social Studies Practices
New York A. Gathering, Interpreting, and Using Evidence
State K-8 2. Recognize and use different forms of evidence used to make meaning
Social in social studies (including primary and secondary sources, such as art
Studies and photographs, artifacts, oral histories, maps, and graphs).
Framework 3. Identify and explain creation and/or authorship, purpose, and format of
(CCSS) evidence; where appropriate, identify point of view.

http://www.nysed.gov/common/nysed/files/programs/curriculum-
instruction/ss-framework-k-8a2.pdf
Teaching Timeline (you may use bullets to make substeps )

Set-up Put coverings on all the tables. Have a table with refreshments set up.
Set up the table where students will write with paper and pencils. Set
up the tables where students will create their digital stories with iPads.

Step 1 Guests arrive at the welcome table and receive a name tag and
instructions. These instructions include that students should first start
6:00-6:10 at the writing tables to write out 3-5 sentences about each artifact.
Then move to the digital table to record their stories.

Step 2 Prescribing- Let the students know that their writings must include the
following open-ended questions: “what is the artifact” “why is it
6:10-6:20 important to you” “what is one interesting or fun fact about it”. Hand out
the worksheet with those questions on it. Allow for time for questions
from students or their families about the writing activity.

Step 3 Allow time where students discuss these questions with their family
members.
6:20- 6:30

Step 4 Students will write out their sentences to answer the three prompt
open-ended questions. There will be a guided teacher helper per table
6:30-6:50 to help students with their writing process as needed.

Step 5 Students will orally share their writing with their peers and their family
members at their table.
6:50-7:10

Step 6 A guided teacher helper at each table will introduce the voicethread
app and how it works to the families. They will then also model how to
7:10-7:20 use voicethread by creating their own digital story with the families
learning and following each step. Guided teacher will show how to:
• Take photos
• Add photos
• Add audio
• Add comments

Step 7 Family members will help their children create their digital story and
the guided teacher helper will be there to assist if necessary. The
7:20-7:40 guided teacher helper when modeling their example would have gone
over the following steps. These steps include:

• Create a voicethread account.

• Take a photo for each of their artifacts and upload those photos so
that there is one photo per page on voicethread.
 • Audio record the child explaining the importance of each artifact they
brought and coordinate the audio recording with the proper artifact
picture.
• Students will use the comment button to add a recording to their
pictures. The guided teacher help would have already shown them
how to do this by clicking the add button (+) and showing them the
four options that appear and they would use the audio recording
option.
• Families will then add be able to add comments on the students
Voicethread story

Step 8 After finalizing their digital stories:

• Place out the snacks for students and families
7:40-8:00 • One teacher will guide the “Is there anything new that you have
learned about your peers?” as another teacher will travel around
with a microphone for people to respond
• People will raise their hand to share out their responses
• Other volunteers will go around the space and collect all the
iPads from the tables
• Thank the families for coming out to the event

Step 9 Parent Extension: Create a digital survey within the google classroom
to get family feedback about this event. They will be able to rate the
event and also have the option to explain their ideas and input to
enrich this event in the future.

Classroom Student’s digital stories will be shared on google classroom in their

Extension: specific class and students of the class will be able to view them.
Students will be able to comment on what they liked about someone
else’s digital story. In addition, students who were not able to attend
this family night event will have the opportunity to make their own
digital story in class.