Musical Computers Stories

(a multi-dimensional lesson)
Grades 3 and 4 discussed the parts of a paragraph, using the Brainpop Jr. paragraph
movie as a lead in.
http://www.brainpopjr.com/readingandwriting/writing/writingaparagraph/
They reviewed parts of the Microsoft Word program including:
Open, Close, Save
Toolbars and Menu
Home (formatting, centering)
Insert (ClipArt)
Picture sizing
Spell Check
Next they were asked to open a blank word document and select, insert, center and size
a picture to be used as a starter for their story. Students were asked to keep content of
the stories school appropriate.
They wrote a byline and the topic sentence of the story while listening to music. I used
Claude Bollings Suite for Flute and Jazz Piano. It has soothing and moving rhythms and
melodies but no competing words to distract the writers. Here is the YOUTUBE link if
youd like to experience it as well. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yW2QuZ8slUA
When each writer was finished with his topic sentence, they rotated clockwise moving
with the music to the next computer. Each student looked at the picture and text and
added the next sentence to the story. This continued until the authors reached the
story they began. They read the results and were happy, surprised, horrified or
entertained at what their stories had become! Each student wrote the completing
sentence to the story.
The authors enjoyed reading the collaborative stories dramatically to one another.
This lesson was well received by the students. It reinforced writing and reading
comprehension skills as well as technology skills and keyboarding. It used video, still
pictures, music and dramatic reading to stimulate each authors creative side while
preserving an air of suspense. They couldnt wait to see what their stories had become.
ENJOY THE CREATIVE RESULTS!

PDF processed with CutePDF evaluation edition www.CutePDF.com

By Aalaya and Friends

Once I had two cousins and a grandma and grandpa who lived in a mansion. I played with the two
cousins. At dinner my cousins did the hokey pokey on the table. Then they did the sprinkler and the dog
and the cat started to dance on the table too. The next day they had a cool party. Then they played with
games and danced like a monster. Then the parents came and everyone went home and we acted like
normal kids again. It was a very silly day.

By Carlie and friends

Yesterday I ate two cakes.
It was very good, it had a good taste like ice cream. People had blue mouths and blue teeth. I had
another red cake. That one tasted like monkey hair. Then I ate a other than tasted like pork chops.
Then I got full and exploded.

By Ethan and Friends

One day a ninja played games to get smarter.

It didn't work so he used ninja stuff on the games.
Then when he used his ninja stuff the
they put him on the high score board.
The next day he became world best player.
He was very good at video games but he was not smart. It was like he had no knowledge
owledge and was just
playing away. H
He learned his ninja moves from games.

By Kate and friends

Once, there was a hairy monkey who was kookoo and hung in the trees.
And he was a demon because he had green eyes.
He was so hairy and so kookoo sometimes other monkeys thought that he was a monster.
His hair was so long that it got in his eyes.
He was like a monster but the kookoo head had weird feet. The feet were so weird that they were
shaped like a dogs paw. He is bigger than a elephant so he couldnt climb.
And then he was as small as a big larva.
This is based on a true story.
The end

By Lauren and Friends

Once, there lived a bird, a monkey, and an avocado that thought that he wasnt an avocado.
The next day his mom told him he was.
But he was not an avocado. He was named avocado and was the color of it. The monkey tried to eat the
avocado. Then the monkey swung around the whole jungle and screamed.
Then the bird caught the avocado and brought it to his mother. The avocado realized that he was an
avocado and he was happy to be one.

By Michael and friends

One day a guy hit the ball into the net but some guy blocked it. The team was really close to getting it.
The team was angry. They threw the guy in the smelly garbage.
Then the referee disappeared.
Then he got angry and super ran home.
Then he played something fun.

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