Interactive Story Maps: Design, Maker & Legends with 3rd Grade Part 3

The final step of the Native American Interactive Story map project was for 3rd graders to share their final project. Student wanted to be able to share their maps with not only their classmates but with the whole third grade. We were able to find a shared time for the whole grade and they were able to share with everyone. The interactive story maps were setup around the library. Students connected their elements, started their maps up and then walked around to see their classmates creations.


Everyone did a wonderful job with this project. Students really embraced the idea of creating an interactive map for their Native American legends study. They worked at all the stages of this project from the summarizing, ideating and designing, testing and reworking to creating a final project. What was also wonderful was that some of the projects had some technical difficulties but the students embraced that as well. They figured out how to make the project work in a new way. The fact that the students were able to take their original idea and rethink it when it did not work to find a way to make it work was, I think, one of the best outcomes of the project. I also feel it was another example of how the maker culture and movement can fit with literature and literacy studies.

Interactive Story Maps: Design, Maker & Legends with 3rd Grade Part 2

The next step of the process was to introduce the students to the elements they would be using to make their storyboards interactive. We started with having the different materials that would be available for them to play around with and try to become familiar with how they worked. The options were Makey Makey (http://www.makeymakey.com/) , LittleBits (http://littlebits.cc/), simple motors, and paper circuits (https://chibitronics.com/) and LED lights.  Makey Makey turns everyday objects into touchpads that students connected to sounds they recorded in Scratch. LittleBits are simple magnetic connective circuits. Paper circuits by Chibitronics are LED lights and copper tape that can be taped to cardboard and paper. The simple motors we purchased from Amazon with AAA battery packs. The petting zoo allowed students to walk around and play with the options and familiarize themselves with how they worked so when they moved to the planning stage they had a idea of how everything worked.

Then we assigned the students their interactive element. We assigned the elements for two reasons, one so that each story had four different interactive elements and second so that we would have enough of the materials to share across the grade.

Then the students did their planning. They designed what their storyboard would look like and how they would use their interactive element with their section of the legend. Students had to think about how the interactive element would highlight an important moment in their section of the story. They also planned out what materials they would use. Then they started making!

We spent 2-3 forty minute sessions building. In addition to the interactive elements students had paper, markers, cardboard, tape, playdough and more to build and create their interactive boards. Some of the student’s plans worked the first time. Some of the students needed to rethink and rework their original plans to make their boards work. Students were so engaged and so involved in the process. They were focused on their tasks and worked so hard to make their boards work. When they needed to rework their ideas that they were open to rethinking as well as receiving feedback from others on their ideas. Students were engaged and committed to figuring out what they needed to do. Those students that finished earlier went and helped other students who needed some assistance with their boards.

The final step will be our share out! The whole third grade will share their storyboards in a share out day. Students are so excited to share their boards with their grade mates as well as share their work.