Topic: Integrating Technology into the Classroom – Digital Storytelling
Grade Level: Pre-K
Learning Target: Students will be able to retell a story and demonstrate understanding of the parts of a fairy tale.
Maine Early Learning and Development Standards (MELDS):
STANDARDS FOR CREATIVE ARTS
 Dramatic Play/Performance
o Shows interest in different art media and materials in a variety of ways for creative expression and representation
o Dramatic Expression
o Uses objects for other than their intended purpose to create representations of real life objects or activities
o Represents fantasy and real life experiences through pretend play and use of props and costumes
o Uses pretend play to represent known or anticipated situations
o Creates characters through physical movement, gesture, sound, speech and facial expressions
o Recreates dramatic play experiences, stories or poems for an audience
STANDARDS FOR EARLY LANGAUGE AND LITERACY
 Speaking and Listening
o Follows agreed-upon rules for discussions
o Engages in conversations with multiple exchanges
o Speaks audibly most of the time and expresses thoughts, feelings, and ideas
 Language Standards
o Demonstrates the ability to speak in complete sentences
o Uses words and phrases acquired through conversations, listening to books read aloud, activities, and play
 Reading Standards for Literature
o Retells at least one major event from a simple story
o Identifies main characters in simple stories
o Begins to make connections between characters in familiar stories
Time Needed: Two or three ˝ hour blocks for students to plan, record and share
Materials:
o iPads with a video app or storytelling opened in Guided Access
o Several fairy tale books
o Dress-up
o Puppets
o Stage
o Variety of materials to create props (paper, cardboard, markers, crayons, scissors)
Hook (How are you going to activate necessary prior knowledge/ how are you going to get learners interested): Having read several fairy tales to students over the past week, ask students what they now know about fairy tales – what do they have in common, how do they begin and end, what kinds of characters are in fairy tales? Tell students that they will now have the opportunity to create their own fairy tale or recreate a favorite. They will work together to make a movie of their fairy tale. Introduce the iPad and show them how to begin and stop recording.
Teaching/Learning Sequence for Lesson
(Models, Instructions, Check for Content Understanding, Check for Understanding of Process/Task/Skills,
Reflection, Guided Practice, Independent Practice, Closure, and Transition to Next Activity)
What will you be doing:
Rotate through the classroom and offer guidance and support. Help keep students focused and on task. Guide them to remember to include the important parts of a story. Model how to use the resources in the classroom (books, supplies, dress-up, props and stage) to help them. Ask guiding questions about their creation. Assist students needing more support and troubleshoot technology issues. When complete gather students to the meeting place where you can cast their creations onto the class monitor. Encourage students to celebrate each other’s creations. What will the students be doing:
Collaborating and creating scripts and props for their story. Demonstrating understanding of safety rules of the classroom and how to collaborate and problem-solve. Students will use technology appropriately to record and show understanding of the parts of a fairy tale. They will celebrate each other and their own successes at the end of the lesson.
Modifications/Accommodations/Extensions:
o With guidance, students can record a book walk through a story and tell what is happening in their own words.
o Students can act out a story themselves or using puppets
o Students can create a new fairy tale to act out that demonstrates understanding of the parts of a fairy tale
o Students can use the app to read a story they have created
o Using a story creator app, such as Story Map Interactive, students can create a story or retelling of their own
 Students that are sounding out words can write their story, for others you can use the speech to text adaptive setting on the iPad.
o Time permitting; you could create a ‘film award’ party when watching the videos. Have popcorn and juice available. The students could walk in on a ‘red carpet’ and take home awards or certificates that explain to families the lesson. This could be part of your ‘hook’ to get students actively involved.
Lesson planning needs to be done with purpose and intent and this includes integrating technology. According to our text, technology experiences should not take away from children’s social interactions, creative play activities, physical activities, or outside explorations. Instead, such experiences should be used to support those activities (Selmi 383-384). Apps and programs need to be researched and developmentally appropriate for this age level. For this lesson, I suggest activating Guided Access on the iPad. This accessibility option locks students into one app and helps to keep students focused.
Activities such as digital storytelling give students practice in planning, problem-solving, and collaborating. In this lesson, students have the opportunity to plan and create using their interests. It allows me to observe the children working together and assess their understanding of the components of a fairy tale.
According to NAEYC, effective technology tools connect on-screen and off-screen activities with an emphasis on co-viewing and co-participation between adults and children and children and their peers (Takeuchi 2011)
(https://atwww.naeyc.org/sites/default/files/globally-shared/downloads/PDFs/resources/topics/PS_technology_WEB.pdf). Digital storytelling allows students to demonstrate their understanding of the materials through technology but also connects students off-screen to create props and stories. Using apps such as Storybird Studio and Story Map Interactive allows me to differentiate or extend the lesson according to student needs.
The use of technology in this lesson is not what students are demonstrating a proficiency of and it is not what I am assessing. The technology in this lesson only enhances and encourages creative expression of understanding.
Sources:
Selmi, Ann M. Early Childhood Curriculum for All Learners: Integrating Play and Literacy Activities. SAGE Publications, Inc, 08/2014. VitalBook
file.
https://atwww.naeyc.org/sites/default/files/globally-shared/downloads/PDFs/resources
