Summary
In this session, participants will explore the value of interactive story as a pedagogical tool, instructional strategies that can help to implement interactive story in existing instruction, and ways that Twine can support building interactive story as learning activities. Participants will engage in a collaborative and interactive script writing activity and demonstrate how to build with the Twine tool. While not required for this session, having a laptop will enable participants to better explore and participate in the learning. You don't have to be a tech master to learn Twine—just an adventurous and curious learner.
Essential Question
How can teachers use interactive story to create engaging content in their classrooms?
Learning Goals
Reflect on the value of interactive story for learning.
Identify strategies for implementing interactive story into learning.
Explore Twine as a tool for interactive story.
Materials List
Session Slides (attached)
How to Twine document (attached)
Computers with Internet access
Pens or pencils
Sticky notes
Engage
5 Minute(s)
Welcome participants, and introduce yourself. Using the attached Session Slides, display slide 2 to introduce the session. Show slide 3, and have participants share their familiarity with interactive story using the Fist to Five instructional strategy.
Move to slide 4, and discuss the different forms that interactive story can take in popular media. Show slide 5 and slide 6, and talk through the images of some popular examples from video games, television, and books.
Show slide 7, and introduce the essential question for the session. Then move to slide 8, and briefly discuss the session objectives.
Explore
12 Minute(s)
Show slide 9, and give a brief description of the K20 lesson “Food Fight: Difficult Conversations in the Classroom.” Move to slide 10, and introduce the lesson “Tricks of the Trade.”
Show slide 11, and have participants navigate to the reflection Padlet, where they will add their thoughts as they complete the following activity. Make sure that your participants open the Padlet before they access the interactive stories. Model the instructions on the slide for how to use Padlet with your participants.
Show slide 12, and give participants ample time to explore one or both Twine stories by following the links or codes on the screen. Have them complete the Padlet with their reflections as they do so. When you notice they are wrapping up, have them share with their table what they posted in the Padlet. One person from the table will share with whole group.
Explain
8 Minute(s)
After participants have added their reflections to the Padlet, lead a full group discussion on the many potential uses of interactive story in the classroom. Use the following questions to guide your discussion.
How would you situate an activity like this into a lesson plan? What other activities and strategies would you place around the activity to make it more effective?
What kinds of learning objectives do you think interactive stories could be used to support? Think especially about how you might incorporate an interactive story beyond an English or reading classroom.
How might you use the creation of an interactive story in your classroom? That is, what kinds of learning objectives could you achieve by having students create their own interactive story?
Extend
30 Minute(s)
Show slide 13, and direct participants to the interactive story Padlet. Share the new Padlet with your participants. Model the instructions on the slide for how to use the Padlet. Specifically, show them how to drag their text to the correct location on the timeline in the sequence of events.
Transition to slide 14, and have groups add plot points to the story. Have them add something between the beginning and middle, as well as the middle and end. Make sure that each plot point includes an action and an outcome.
When all groups have added their plot points, share your screen as you use their entries to create a Twine. When finished, click through the story, and show participants what they’ve created.
Evaluate
5 Minute(s)
Show slide 15, and introduce the I Used to Think… But Now I Know strategy. Distribute sticky notes to participants, and have them complete the strategy on the sticky note and place it on the wall on their way out. If time permits, feel free to share the list of interactive story resources on slide 16 with participants.
Research Rationale
Interactive storytelling allows students to experience a narrative while choosing their own adventure along the way. Rather than using a traditional story, interactive storytelling in the classroom creates student-centered learning personalized to each student’s interests, and it invites student input while navigating lesson content (Kaput, 2018). Additionally, incorporation of student choice in instruction yields improvement in both motivation and classroom engagement (Evans & Boucher, 2015).
Resources
Easter, B. (2015, March 20). Lesson plans. Teaching with Twine. Retrieved February 6, 2023, from https://teachingwithtwine.wordpress.com/resources/
Evans, M., & Boucher, A. R. (2015). Optimizing the power of choice: Supporting student autonomy to foster motivation and engagement in learning. Mind, Brain, and Education, 9(2), 87–91.
Kaput, K. (2018). Evidence for student-centered learning. Education Evolving. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED581111.pdf.
K20 Center. (n.d.). Fist to five. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/68
K20 Center. (n.d.). Food fight: Difficult conversations in the classroom. Lessons. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/lesson/1761
K20 Center. (n.d.). I used to think… but now I know. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/137
K20 Center. (n.d.). Padlet. Tech tools. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/tech-tool/1077
K20 Center. (n.d.). Tricks of the trade. Lessons. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/lesson/1804
K20 Center. (n.d.). Twine. Tech tools. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/tech-tool/1840
Long-Wheeler, K. (2017, August 23). Student Twine games collection & resources. KeeganSLW.com. Retrieved February 6, 2023, from https://keeganslw.com/student-twine-games-research/
Thirteen Productions LLC. (2022, November 15). Play - Mission US. WNET/Thirteen. Retrieved February 6, 2023, from https://www.mission-us.org/play/
Twine contributors. (n.d.). Twine is an open-source tool for telling interactive, nonlinear stories. Twine. Retrieved February 6, 2023, from https://twinery.org/
Twine contributors. (n.d.). Welcome to the Twine cookbook. Twine. Retrieved February 6, 2023, from https://twinery.org/cookbook/