Telling True Tales

So here it goes!  Each task number corresponds to a resource number.  First read the task, and then scroll down and click on the link to the resource that corresponds to the task you just read.  Go explore!


1.  First, let's start where we've already been.  If you remember from before we read Strength in What Remains, we looked at a website called The Center for Digital Storytelling.  Here, we can find examples of multimedia projects created by teens telling autobiographical stories.  I'd like you to watch to at least 2 projects.  They must come from different categories, for example, you could use one from Education and one from Identity.  Then, open up your Google doc and respond to the following prompt in 100-300 words:  Briefly summarize the two videos you watched.  Which one spoke to you the most?  Why do you think that is?  What strategies did the creator of the video use to draw you into the story?


2.  Like Strength in What Remains, this next piece tells a true story with words only.  It's woman's story about her relationship with her grandfather.  I'd like you to scroll through and read the whole piece.  It will take some time, but I'll provide you with plenty.  Then, open up your Google doc and respond to this prompt in 100-300 words:  What did you think of this story?  How would you characterize Leslie's relationship with her grandfather?  What strategies did she use to tell this story.  Can you think of similarities to the other stories we've read/watched?



3.  Now, let's look at a different way of telling a story.  I'd like you to explore some pages in Dan Eldon's photojournal.  Eldon was a photographer who documented his life in Western Africa through journal pages that used text, photographs, and drawings.  Spend a couple of minutes looking through some pages.  Then, respond to the following prompt in your Google Doc in 100-300 words:  How does Eldon's work differ from the pieces on the Center for Digital Storytelling page, or from purely textual ways of telling a story?  Do you think Eldon's pages tell stories?  Give one example of a story they tell.  Is this an effective way to tell stories?


4.  I'm sure you've all seen a documentary at some point in your life.  It's tough to deny that when done wrong, documentaries can be dull.  How many times have you fallen asleep during a movie in history class?  When done well, though, documentaries can be nonfiction storytelling at its best.  I'd like you to watch the quick video on resource 4 which talks about the power of documentary film-making.  Then, answer the following questions on your Google Doc in 100-300 words:  Have you ever seen a documentary that stirred you?  What was it about?  Can documentary film-making be considered storytelling?  What does this have in common with the other methods of telling stories?  Do you agree with what the people in the video were saying--that documentaries can be very powerful kinds of films?


5.  Now comes the creative part.  I'd like you to tell your own story!  You can do it any way you want.  All I ask is that it's a true story that you know very well.  It can be about you or about someone else.  If you want to write a story, then type it up in your Google Doc.  As we discovered in reading Strength in What Remains and In the Woods, words can capture a true story beautifully and elegantly.  You can also choose from a list of digital storytelling tools on the website linked as the #5 resource.  If you want to use one of these or another digital tool you know of, pitch it to me in an email--I'll respond ASAP.  If you'd like to use Animoto, Voicethread, OneTrueMedia, iMovie, Glogster, Cosketch, or another tool that we've already used in class, log in and begin.  Explore what your tool has to offer and be as creative as you'd like.  Make sure I can access your project through your Google Doc, so if you use another tool, include the link.  Be sure to review the scoring rubric before you begin!