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Press Release: LEGO® Education StoryStarter Enables Elementary Students to Build Their Own Stories
– LEGO® Education StoryStarter is a new language arts product for grades 2-5 that teaches students the basic mechanics of a well-composed story – making it a great tool for analyzing existing stories, writing new stories or discussing specific, current topics.
– LEGO Education StoryStarter supports select Common Core Standards for English and language arts and makes writing and reading an exciting and engaging experience for students of all abilities and backgrounds.
– LEGO Education StoryStarter includes specially-selected LEGO bricks, StoryVisualizer, Web-based interactive software for digital storytelling and a Curriculum Pack.
NEWS RELEASE – January 23, 2013 – Today, LEGO® Education announced its first language arts product – LEGO Education StoryStarter. Students can use LEGO Education StoryStarter to literally build their own stories. Through a structured and guided building process, students explore the components of story structure, different story genres and writing. They practice the art of idea generation and retelling stories, both spoken and written, using their LEGO bricks as props. LEGO Education StoryStarter is not meant to replace traditional language arts curriculum, but to supplement this important area and spark student engagement in language arts lessons. With LEGO Education StoryStarter, teachers can empower students with a hands-on experience with their reading and writing assignments, going beyond the traditional worksheet or book reading. The Curriculum Pack offers students and teachers a collaborative, hands-on experience, and through the use of open-ended solutions, students are inspired to create and communicate stories using LEGO elements.
“Using StoryStarter, student engagement is much higher in my classroom, as well as the quality of work. I like how the children think through the whole story before they begin writing. Developing dialogue and the other characteristics of the story really gives every writing piece a much better voice,” said Sarah Marsolek, second-grade teacher, St. Joseph Catholic School, Wichita, Kan. “My principal has been very impressed with the writing pieces I’ve displayed in the classroom. It is evident that the program is helping my students to write better.”
“The greatest impact I’ve seen from using StoryStarter is the team aspect. Peer teaching is amazing, and the teamwork skills they are learning are priceless,” said Erin Hardy, second-grade teacher, East Richland Elementary School, Olney, Ill. “I also really enjoy seeing my students who are not engaged in a normal literacy lesson completely engaged when using StoryStarter. Working with your hands helps your ideas come alive, and what do I want during writing time? IDEAS. I have also been able to see how StoryStarter can be used in our writing curriculum each week, and that really excites me.”
“Communication will become the most important currency of the future,” said Stephan Turnipseed, president, LEGO Education North America. “We must provide our students with tools like StoryStarter to ensure they can develop the writing and communication skills necessary to succeed in the careers of tomorrow, which will demand they can collaborate, think critically and problem solve.”
One StoryStarter set contains enough elements to equip up to five students with everything they need to start constructing their own stories. The core set includes LEGO bricks specifically chosen to support writing activities: five building plates; a cardboard spinner built with LEGO elements which can be used as a kick-starter to the creative process; the LEGO Education StoryVisualizer software, which integrates digital learning and can be used by students to record and visualize the stories they have created; and the StoryStarter Teachers’ Guide and Curriculum Pack. For more information about LEGO Education StoryStarter and pricing, please click here.
Students will be able to:
– Speak with confidence in a range of contexts;
– Create, sequence and (re)tell stories;
– Improve listening and comprehension skills;
– Improve reading and writing skills;
– Analyze stories and plots;
– Identify and understand genres; and
– Use digital technology in meaningful ways.
For press materials, please visit http://educationnews.legoeducation.us/