Creating a story using Pixton

 

This is a creative writing activity in which students use Pixton, a tool to create digital stories and comics.

The aims of this task are:

1. To boost creativity.

2. To assess students reading and writing skills.

3. To practise different language functions (suggesting, refusing, acepting an invitation, apologizing) and the grammatical structures necessary to convey those functions.

4. To learn how to use Pixton.

First, students are presented with an incomplete short story which will be the starting point for their digital story. They are asked to read it carefully and in pairs or small groups try to invent an ending for the story. Then, students have to prepare the dialogues focusing on the expression of the different functions and grammar they have been working on beforehad.

In the next step, students will learn how to use Pixton, either the teacher shows them in class or sends them some tutorials for them to practice. Either in class, if there is possibility of using the computer room, or at home, students will have to create their story. 

The story goes...

Jon's story

One evening, Jon was sitting at home watching TV when the phone rang. It was his girlfriend Kate. She asked him if he would like to go out that evening. Jon had had a hard day at work and was feeling tired, so he declined Kate's offer and told her he was going to watch TV. Kate wished him sweet dreams and hung up the phone.

Half an hour later Jon's ex-girlfriend, Anna, called him. Anna was in town on business  and would be leaving the next day. She asked Jon if he could meet that evening. Jon and Anna hadn't seen each other since they split up two years before. They agreed to meet at a local restaurant for dinner to catch up. Anna and Jon met at the restaurant and they sat down for a meal together. They were half-way through their meal when in walked Kate with her friends. Kate was shocked and furious to see her boyfriend having dinner with another woman. She walked over to Jon's table ...

The activity was devised for a group of students in the  4th year of ESO who prepare to obtain the ISE I Trinity certificate. Students have to know a series of language functions and be able to use them in different situations. A variation of this activity is to act out the story. Students have to think about the ending and dialogues and act it out in front of the class. I´ve tried it out and it was really fun. The topic is not interesting or deep but I assure you students enjoyed doing the task.