My third graders love stories! They love listening to
stories, reading stories, writing stories and acting out stories. Toontastic
is a wonderful storytelling tool that allows students stories to “come
to life”.
The unit is titled “Toontastic
Fables”. After spending several lessons listening to and
discussing the genre of fables, students are asked to pick a favorite fable and
put their own spin on it. We chose fables from the website storyit.com.
I liked using this site because it provided a very brief version of some
classic fables and included the moral at the end of each one. This allowed the
students to be creative with the story. They were allowed to change characters,
settings and even add some dialogue. The only rule was that the moral or lesson
must remain the same. Once they had their fable they were ready to storyboard.
Students were reminded that a storyboard is a written plan of how they want
their publication to look.
With their storyboard in hand they are ready to create.
That’s one of the best features about this app, it allows
children the ability to create. They can draw their own scenes and characters,
which I prefer them to do. A few scenes and characters come with the free
version and for a small fee additional scenes and characters can be added. I
however, prefer letting students create their own scenes and characters and so
do they! Another great feature of this App is that it follows the story arc and
explains each element of plot; the set-up, conflict, challenge, climax and
resolution. The app also allows for music to be added to the scenes, which
helps set the tone of their story.
All this hard work culminates in a film festival where
students are given the opportunity to share their work. You can see the pride
in their faces as we watch their cartoons. Of all the Apps that I have
incorporated into my lessons, this is by far my favorite. I would recommend
this app to anyone who woks with students in the primary grades.
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