LEGO® Education StoryStarter is the helping hand that kick-starts pupils’ creativity and boosts their reading, writing, speaking and listening skills. Pupils work together to create and build stories with LEGO bricks and figures, then use the unique StoryVisualizer Software to visualize, write and communicate their work. StoryStarter is a hands-on tool that also inspires students to collaborate while creating and communicating their stories. It is an innovative way of teaching a wide range of essential skills, including:
- Literacy skills, improving writing, language, and reading abilities.
- Communication skills, including speaking, listening, and presentation capabilities.
- Collaboration skills and pupils’ ability to work in teams.
- Comprehension skills and enabling pupils to compose new stories or analyze existing ones.
- Integrating the use of digital tools via the unique StoryVisualizer Software.
How does it work?
Using the building plates, bricks and special elements, pupils create their story a scene at a time, bringing their ideas to life. Once completed they then use the StoryVisualizer Software to write their story in a variety of visual styles and import the images of the scenes they have made. Storytelling, within a supportive structure, is a powerful tool for improving literacy and encouraging pupils to communicate confidently. Sequencing events in a natural order promotes understanding and stimulates the imagination, encouraging creativity and helping pupils to come up with innovative new ideas. There is a range of activities and plenty of ideas for rich literacy lessons in the curriculum pack (as well as worksheets and tips and tricks!), or your pupils could create stories from their own imagination, from a book they are reading or from a real life event. It is also a fabulous way to connect with other subjects, for example learning about key characters in history or understanding climate change in geography with a weather report.
The StoryVisualizer Software is a specially developed, easy to use application that enables students to combine words and images to help them to create a beginning, follow a sequence of ideas and then draw their writing to a logical conclusion. The software is available for PC/Mac and as an iPad App (Android version available late 2014) and includes a variety of layout templates, each designed to provide a suitable working platform for students depending on their educational level. The templates can be customized to suit students preferences and abilities, and for example, the ‘comic strip’ template allows pupils to use a sequence of images supported by text to tell a story. Using a web cam, digital camera or smart device, pupils can also take images of their LEGO creations and import them into the software.
As this kit was purchased with grant funding, this kit must be requested via email. For the first year, the districts outlined in the grant will be given priority access, however we will do our best to handle all requests in a timely manner.