Lesson Plan

Objective

Students will write and create historical themed stories demonstrating their mastery of the subject by constructing a 21st century inspired animation using the iPad application, Toontastic. This project utilizes a unique 21st century learning environment delivered through the iPad to incorporate collaborative learning with traditional classroom instruction.


This lesson is an introduction to the iPad application, Toontastic.  Toontastic is a storytelling tool that introduces students to the storytelling parts:

Setup:  Introduce the Characters and story setting
Conflict:  Create a problem for your main character
Challenge:  Make the problem even more difficult
Climax:  Help the main character solve the problem
Resolution:  Show that the problem has been settled
 

Our lesson will only teach the first arc in the story, the setup.
 

Materials

 

Day 1 & 2:  Powerpoint presentations on George Washington and Benjamin Franklin, LCD Projector, Scripts, Pencils, and iPads that include the Toontastic All Access application.  Toontastic is an iPad application created by Launchpad Toys.  The free application enables students to create an animation on the iPad while learning about the Story Arc that makes up the cartoon. The Toontastic All Access application costs $9.99 at the iTunes store and adds over 40 different settings and characters to the cartoons.   The characters and the setup that we used in our lesson were from the All Access application. 

 

Day 3:  Scripts on George Washington and Benjamin Franklin, iPads for every two students, Toontastic: All Access application.

 

Standards

Language Arts: Writing Strategies:  

1.0    Students write clear and coherent sentences and paragraphs that develop a central idea.

Their writing shows they consider the audience and purpose. Students progress through the stages of the writing process (e.g., prewriting, drafting, revising, editing and successive versions).

Written and Oral English Language Conventions:

1.0.   Listening and Speaking 3.0, Writing Strategies 1.0, Writing Applications 2.0 and Reading Comprehension 2.0.

Social Studies:  

1.4    Students compare and contrast everyday life in different times and places around the world and recognize that some aspects of people, places, and things change over time while others stay the same.

ISTE’s National Technology Standards:  

1.  Creativity and Innovation: Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative products and processes using technology.

2.  Communication and Collaboration: Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others.

 

Introduction:

Tell students that they are going to be creating their own informative animation about George Washington and Benjamin Franklin.  While working in groups of two, they will be creating a cartoon adaptation using the iPad application called Toontastic.  

Build excitement and create buy-in by showing a story about a previously studied topic. Let the students know that they will be sharing their stories with each other on the large screen at the end of the story making process.  

 

Day 1 and 2 Procedures:

  1. Teacher led presentation on George Washington using the, "Meet George" power point.
  2. Students come up one at a time and try to share information about George Washington based on the pictures of each slide.
  3. Teacher discussed important facts about George Washington and models how to write the script for their Toontastic line by         line.
  4. The students are required to choose atleast 3 facts about George Washington but can choose more if they would like.  There         is also an extension activity on the back and the lesson can be modified for studentss that are still having trouble with their fine motor skills.  
  5. Students complete their script on George Washington by themselves and practice reading their script at their seat or with a partner quietly in the room.

Day 2 procedures are the same as steps 1-5 but the character will be Benjamin Franklin and the color of the script is blue to help students distinguish the difference between the two scripts and characters.

Day 3 Procedures:

  1. Make sure all students are in partners of two.  Each student should have four lines written out about George Washington or Benjamin Franklin.
  2. Go over iPad etiquette and partner sharing.  
  3. Model proper etiquette and how to create your Toontastic creation.
  4. Put students in groups of two and assign which character they are going to be in the project.  Students will take turns tapping the various instructions.  
  5. Could use Vimeo video to share
  6. Video Tutorial:  Toontastic
  7. Begin by Tapping the Toontastic Application on the Home Screen of the iPad.  
  8. Tap on Create Cartoon
  9. Tap on New Cartoon
  10. Listen to Story Arc
  11. Click on Conflict, Challenge, Climax and Resolution and click on the trash can and delete for each one.
  12. You should only have the setup on the Story Arc Page.
  13. Click on the Paint Brush
  14. Use your finger to slide through the settings and find, “The Signing” and Choose this Setting.
  15. Tap forward arrow to move on.
  16. Choose Characters to be in the scene:  George Washington and Ben Franklin.
  17. Click Forward to start animation.
  18. Have students lay the iPad flat on a desk so that many hands can reach it at once.  Tap “Start Animation” and have students retell the scene using narration and dialogue.  The app will give a 3 second countdown to the start of recording.  Tap, hold, and drag to move characters around the screen as the app records.  Students must tap “Stop Animation” when finished with the scene, which will instantly begin replay.
  19. If students need to rerecord their scene, they simply repeat the recording process.  If they are satisfied with the result, they can press the forward arrow to move on to music selection.
  20. Tap to choose an emotion, then move the scene up and down on the screen to hear the variety of music within that mood.  Choose the most suitable music for your retelling.  
  21. Each student will speak their part and animate their character.
  22. Press the Done Block when finished.
  23. Type in Movie Title:  History
  24. Directors:  Your First Names
  25. Story is About:  Drama
  26. Unclick ToonTube Share
  27. When Finished:  Click Done


Closure:

To summarize the lesson, connect one or two of students iPads to the LCD projector and share their finished work.
Assessment:  Rubric for following directions, content of production and sharing.

ToonTube is a online community for students to display their animations. It is a safe way to share and view student work.


Extension:

Have students write their own stories with a focus of your choice.  Then, allow students to use Toontastic to animate and record their end product.  This can serve as an assessment of literary skills, such as plot development, characterization, the effect of setting on plot, etc.  This works on a group or individual basis.