Roald Dahl’s novel “The Twits” was the focus of Year 4’s English unit this term. As part of this study, the students cover many aspects of the Australian Curriculum – including these two content descriptors within the Literature strand:
Creating Literature
Create literary texts that explore students’ own experiences and imaginings.
Create literary texts by developing storylines, characters and settings.
Examining Literature
Discuss how authors and illustrators make stories exciting, moving and absorbing and hold readers interest by using various techniques for example, character development and plot tension.
As part of the study, the classes discussed how the development of the character is essential for an author to convey his story to the reader. Connected to this is the idea that the character may be represented within the setting of a well written story. To engage the students whilst discussing this aspect and to enable a connection with the students’ lives and interests – Minecraft PE was used as a tool. The students loved creating the setting from the story as they saw it in their mind, bringing alive the garden which contained the Big Dead Tree, the monkey cage and the spiky ugly plants that Mrs Twit had planted.
By combining this creation with the screen recording setting within IOS11, the students are then able to articulate their understanding of setting and character as they walk their audience through their Minecraft Twits world. Ruben’s examples is below: