Handy4class

What are Place Stories?
"Place" stories are defined by Tom Banaszewski (see “Digital Storytelling Finds its Place in the Classroom” http://www.infotoday.com/MMSchools/jan02/banaszewski.htm) as writing a detailed description of a place “where the writer felt comfortable, safe, or happy places where they could just be themselves.” Next, the writer answers these questions:

• What is your earliest memory of this place?

• What are your feelings when you are there?

• What difference does your place make in your life?

• What do you see in your place that no one else sees?

One image that best represents her or his place provides an anchor for the story and helps anyone coaching the story along to elicit more information from the student.

Advantages for use in the classroom:

• Excellent beginning composition activity

• Students develop a purpose for writing and a community of classroom writers

Disadvantages:

• Students must have independent time with the computer to construct digital stories

Student Example: Trains and Trucks: A Day at the Park