First graders at Holladay Elementary have been learning to distinguish among past, present, and future (SOL1.1). Today students in Ms. Valvoda’s class used StoryboardThat to create imaginary scenes from the past, present, and future. We started with the present, since that is the time we are most familiar with. I showed them how to find modern backgrounds using the Scenes tab. Next we clicked on the Characters tab and chose a person that was dressed in clothes from the present. I demonstrated how to change the color of the person’s hair, skin, and eyes using the pop-up menu items. Then we went to the U.S. History Scenes tab at the top and chose a background to represent the past. We discussed ways that the past scenes were different from today (they used fire for lighting and cooking, buildings were made of wood and stone, animals were used for transportation and work). For our Characters, we clicked on the 1600s-1800s tab and chose a person from the past. We noticed that the fashion styles for men and women were very different. Finally, the students had to be creative to think what life might be like in the future. They could pick any background scene and any character they wanted, as long as they could explain how it showed the future. Some of their visions of the future were very interesting–from military distopias to underwater cities! You can see them all here.

First graders at Holladay Elementary have been learning to distinguish among past, present, and future (SOL1.1). Today students in Ms. Valvoda’s class used StoryboardThat to create imaginary scenes from the past, present, and future. We started with the present, since that is the time we are most familiar with. I showed them how to find modern backgrounds using the Scenes tab. Next we clicked on the Characters tab and chose a person that was dressed in clothes from the present. I demonstrated how to change the color of the person’s hair, skin, and eyes using the pop-up menu items. Then we went to the U.S. History Scenes tab at the top and chose a background to represent the past. We discussed ways that the past scenes were different from today (they used fire for lighting and cooking, buildings were made of wood and stone, animals were used for transportation and work). For our Characters, we clicked on the 1600s-1800s tab and chose a person from the past. We noticed that the fashion styles for men and women were very different. Finally, the students had to be creative to think what life might be like in the future. They could pick any background scene and any character they wanted, as long as they could explain how it showed the future. Some of their visions of the future were very interesting–from military distopias to underwater cities! You can see them all here.