Summary
We are all unique and special in our own way. Unfortunately, others don’t always see our differences as a good thing. In order to further explore and teach others to embrace our differences, students are creating their own “Ugly Dolls” and creating a unique story about them. Each story will weave a tale about how these dolls realized that although they are different, uniqueness is what makes them special. To teach others this very special lesson, students will be collaborating electronically to plan, create, edit, illustrate and publish a children’s book to donate to the L. Douglas Wilder M.S school Library, and the “Reach out and Read” Program at the Childrens Hospital at VCU.
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Using various search engines, students found the history of Uglydolls and also researched how Uglydolls have been marketed. Using this inspiration, students made their own line of original dolls in the Pu Family which would be the center of their originally created stories.
This assignment models a range of communication methods and digital tools, allowing the students the access to the Webspiration software as well as the Google Docs to communicate their story arcs, and collaborate effectively. The lesson furthermore is designed to promote collaboration within the classroom setting, and also outside of the classroom environment, prompting students to work with each other remotely via these sites while at home, thus allowing the students to create with purpose without the need for direct instruction.
Students were asked to take their research of being different and UglyDolls to apply the writing process, knowledge of story structure, and intended audience to create their book. Along the way, they applied the use of Webspiration to create a story map and Google Docs to collaboratively incorporate elements of their story. Students constantly reflected on their work and adjusted base on digital feedback from teacher.
In order to create a unique Pu Family Doll, students were asked to think of how their doll may or may not fit into a social situation. With a blank sheet of paper, they sketched out a rough draft of their doll and the features that would make it distinctive from other dolls. Each doll produced was completely different and unique, just like the student herself. One had a missing arm, one was overweight and one was from a dysfunctional family. Each doll was singularly produced by the student. The students came up with their own ideas for what made this doll uniquely theirs and then translated that to an original story which gave the dolls their own world. Names and life situations were also assigned to each doll by the creator
Student Artifact
