LESSON REDESIGN

Original Lesson Plan

Class: Grade 12, University
Subject: English
Topic: Frankenstein
Duration: 2 Classes, trickling into 3 if need be
Materials:
Magazines, Newspapers, Bristol Boards, Markers and Pencil Crayons, Construction Paper, Glue, Tape,


Curriculum Expectations Met:
(Ministry of Education: 12 University Guidelines, 2007)

Text Features: Identifying a variety of text features and demonstrating insight into ways they communicate ideas (2.2)
Identifying a variety of elements of style in texts and explaining how they help communicate meaning and enhance the effectiveness of text (2.3 Form and Style)
Extended understanding of the text, including complex and challenging text, by making insightful connections between the ideas in them and personal knowledge, experience, and insights; other texts and the world around them.

Pre-existing Knowledge:

The students have read up to Chapter 5 of the text, in which a crucial episode of the plot is exposed—Frankenstein first looks upon the creature to which has created. Students understand the genre, historical context, and biographical nature of the text. As a class however, we have not high-lighted the underlying moral/thematic aspects of the text. The students were required to have Chapter 5 read for the class in question. The narrative was halted at this point to later consider the implications of such a turn in the narrative, the metaphorical representation of the creature, to facilitate discussion surrounding themes which resonate in the socio-cultural context of today, and to recognize nuances of visual language to represent ideas.

Activity
Student’s must create a visual of their choice (storyboard, poster, video, reenactment, etc) to flesh out a particular theme, or conflicting ideas which has resonated throughout the text. Such themes as immortality, science vs. religion, abandonment, power of knowledge, man’s power over nature, monstrosity, evolution, pursuit of knowledge etc.
Students would be given two periods to complete their assignment. They would be given the choice of working in partners, or alone.



REDESIGN

http://storybird.com/

Although, I was given inventive visuals which discussed stem cell research, the notion of immortality in the Harry Potter films, and a presentation on vegetarians and factory farming, I found that the student seemed limited with the materials which I provided for the class. Rather than assuming that all of them were artistically inclined. I would rework my lesson to incorporate computer lab time to allow them to use the Internet as a resource. However, I would encourage the use of a website “Storybird”, as a creative and imaginative tool to flesh out the themes they are striving to highlight. Instead of simply incorporating fragmented images and explanations of how Frankenstein links to their theme, they will be given the opportunity to create a narrative which can be used to see how the theme can be read in the context of their own story, or an alternative story. “Storybird”, is a website which has hundreds of templates and images which a student can use to create their own slideshow story, incorporating text and sound, to design and save a story which they have created online. Not only does Storybird give the students a lot of different options to play around with and manipulate, but it allows those students who struggle with artistic elements, but excel in written assignments, to weave their tales with ready-made images. The website also give autonomy to the individual to create a story at any length they wish to, not limiting or restricting their creative process. In the process of this assignment, I would like to see how the students respond to the use of Storybird; Was creating an original hard copy with class materials more fun, or was the landscape of Storybird a better tool for fleshing out their themes.

The above is an example of how the Storybird template works for each page you wish to create. As you can see, along the sides are a plethora of images which the students can choose from to stylize their stories/presentations.