Last week, a handful of students participated in an experimental module: using LEGO to inspire a story. (Ok, sure, since this is my first year teaching at CCHS, most of my modules are experiments - but this one broke the mold more than most.)
This module's inspiration came from an episode of the podcast Note to Self. I love this podcast because it is full of discussions about how to use technology in today's world and still retain some humanity.
The episode in question, "Why You Should Care about LEGO and Creativity" (you can listen to it here), questioned whether LEGO kits are ruining kids' creativity... and if so, what impact that has on our future in a society where creativity and innovation are essential to most jobs.
Listening to this episode, I wondered how my students would answer this question about LEGO kits - and I wondered what would happen if I gave students a bunch of LEGOs, let them play with them for a bit, and then use their creations as the basis for a short story.
And that's what we did! The students, no surprise, loved having the opportunity to play with LEGOs in class. They also had interesting responses to the Note to Self episode. In short: kits are great because they give you cool pieces you don't get in the regular bins, but the point is that you get the kit and integrate the pieces into your collection at large.
So in a way, LEGO kits don't hamper creativity, they expand your creative possibilities. But, as with most things in life, it comes down to what you, the builder, brings to the project. Your creativity will be as limited or expansive as you allow it to be.
Check out the LEGO module page on this site for more information about how the module was set up, and to see pictures of all the creations students came up with and used as the basis for their stories.
How did the stories turn out? Let me tell you, I was so impressed. I decided to stretch the students in a new way with this assignment. Rather than writing out a story as we usually do, I gave students tools to build characters, setting, and plot, but then talked with them about oral storytelling techniques and asked them to prep their story to tell the group, rather than polishing it in writing. So they planned, performed a "rough draft" with a partner, and then performed the final product.
Here's a sample of one story, told by Eli (premise: meteorite hits Earth, causing a pandemic... one survivor finds himself running from other survivors who are out to get him) -
Pretty great storytelling, no?
All in all, it was a fascinating module. I can tell the students were pushed with the idea of telling a story in front of other people, rather than writing it down behind the safety of a computer screen. We don't practice the "speaking and listening" C-TACHs (standards) as much as we address the writing standards, so this was a valuable exercise for the students - and helpful for me to see what worked and what can be improved!
I have a feeling this isn't the last time LEGOs will make an appearance in English modules at CCHS.
Christine Bailey: teacher of English, user of fountain pens, fan of Calvin and Hobbes, and advocate of parallel structure.