World's Biggest Bubble

Learning Intention:

I am experimenting with a range of software functions so that I can create a visual representation of the text.

Success Criteria:

• I can understand the narrative expressed in a poem.
• I can identify the key points of the narrative to visually represent in a storyboard.
• I can demonstrate my understanding of the conventions of a storyboard and apply these conventions to the software program Canva.

Essential Knowledge:

More information on the commonly understood arrangement of text types can be found in the English Textual Concepts video Code and Convention.

The NSW DoE has a site license to Canva Premium. Information about using Canva in the classroom can be found on the Canva page of the Digital Learning Selector, Canva for Education on the Technology 4 Learning Page, or the Teacher Resources page in Canva itself.

Read the poem to the class. If you have a digital subscription you may like to listen to the poem as an audio recording. After reading, summarise the poem’s narrative using a ‘Who, What, Where, When, Why, How?’ chart. An interactive version of a WWWWWH chart is available on the Digital Learning Selector in the section on Graphic Organisers.

Outline the task. Students will turn the narrative poem into a storyboard. To do this, they must identify the eight moments in the poem that can be captured effectively with an image. Each image may have a short caption, but it cannot contain all the words that appear in the poem. The purpose of the task is to compose a summary of the text using visual storytelling.

Inform students of the process of composing a storyboard:

1. Reread the text and identify the eight moments to feature in the storyboard.
2. Provide each of the eight panels with a heading that summarises the key moment.
3. Find, photograph, or sketch an image that visually captures the moment in the text.
4. Add a caption that provides essential information. This could include quotations or keywords from the text.

Using the process as a guide, construct class success criteria of the conventions of a storyboard. Criteria may include: well chosen events, catchy headings, interesting images.

Canva has approximately 150 storyboard templates in its library. These can be selected and edited to suit the needs of the class. Canva also has an image search function which facilitates the discussion of copyright and Creative Commons image use.

Provide students with time to navigate the features of Canva and construct their storyboard. Allow for creative interpretations of the “key events”. For example, in the first rhyming couplet:

I’m blowing the world’s biggest bubble

With gum that I bought from the store.

Some students may choose to focus on the big bubble, while others may focus on the action of purchasing the gum from the shop.

Assessment for/as learning:

Once students have completed their storyboards, the files can be downloaded as a PDF and printed. Conduct a gallery walk so that students can compare the way that they have summarised and visually represented the text. A peer assessment strategy such as 2 Stars and a Wish can be used to structure feedback.