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Myths and Legends Website and Storyboard Creator




 * Printscreen of storyboard creator from **[]**


 * __Explanation of the Resource: __**

The myths and legends story creator is an internet accessible resource suitable to be used as a website for gathering information about myths and legends, to view multimodal myths/legends created by other people, and to supply students with a framework for creating their own multimodal text. The focus of using this resource will be for students to create their own storyboard using image, text and audio, as a planning tool for their PowerPoint presentation.


 * __Relevance to the Outcome: __**

This resource provides a means for students to demonstrate their understanding of the chosen outcome. Through selection and use of appropriate images, text and audio, students will display their knowledge of aspects of Greek mythology. In doing so, they are meeting elements of the HSIE cultures strand by describing and exploring the myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks concerning their gods and heroes, and the origins and significance of their beliefs.

__**Aspect of Literacy Suitable to be Explored: **__

This resource is central to the unit of work for assisting students to develop their understanding of multimodality, and enhancing their knowledge of how to utilise specific tools in the planning of their own multimodal text. The site provides a multitude of multimodal stories (many made by children) that students can view as examples in considering the creation of their own multimodal text. By viewing examples prior to planning their own, students creative and imaginative skills will be stimulated, and motivation will be enhanced. It assists them to understand how multimodal texts work, and provides high expectations for students to strive towards.

The blank storyboard graphic organiser adapted from the site will allow students to plan and organise their ideas prior to commencing their multimodal text. As outlined by Stewart-Dore (2007, p. 1), research surrounding graphic organisers has shown they can assist students to synthesise and select the key pieces of information, and transform understanding of ideas ‘into concrete, visual forms.’

The resource will further allow students to integrate their knowledge regarding how visual, written and auditory texts work, with specific focus on how these texts can work in unison. In considering the presentation of their storyboard, students will demonstrate their visual literacy understanding through making decisions about their images related to layout, size, shapes, colour, line, angle, position, perspective, frames, reading pathways and use of vectors, and so on. These features will complement, and vary according to, their use of written text and audio, highlighting the ‘dynamic interrelations’ that may occur in the creating of a multimodal text (Walsh, 2006, pp. 35-36), through the combination of five design elements; ‘linguistic,’ ‘visual,’ ‘audio,’ ‘spatial,’ and ‘gestural’ (Healy, 2004, pp. 20-21).

Learning about and experimenting with multiliteracies ‘has potential to prepare students as interactive citizens and competent communicators across modes and media.’ (Healy, 2004, p. 21) The pedagogy to be used with this resource incorporates explicit teaching, scaffolding and student autonomy and ownership, to provide a challenging, yet stimulating and motivating environment that will enhance student learning.


 * __References: __**


 * Healy, A. (2004). The critical heart of multiliteracies: four resources, multimodal texts and classroom practice. In Text next: new resources for literacy learning (pp. 19-35). Newtown, NSW: PETA.
 * Stewart-Dore, N. (2007). Learning with graphic organisers. PEN159. Marrickville: PETA.
 * Walsh, M. (2006) The ‘textual shift’: examining the reading process with visual and multimodal texts. Australian Journal of Language and Literacy, 29(1), 24-37.


 * Cassie Muller**