Digital Storytelling 101: Using Brush Ninja for Narrative Storyboarding and Creation Lesson Plan

Learning Objective

Students will learn how to use Brush Ninja, an animated GIF maker, to create a narrative storyboard and produce an animated GIF.

Materials

• Computers or tablets with internet access
• Brush Ninja website
• Paper and pencils for sketching storyboards

Procedure

• Introduce the concept of digital storytelling and how it can be used to convey ideas and emotions using animation.
• Explain that students will be using Brush Ninja to create their own animated stories.
• Show students the Brush Ninja website and demonstrate the basic features of the software.
• Explain how they can use different brush strokes, colors, and frames to create a moving story.
• Ask students to brainstorm ideas for their own stories on paper before beginning their digital creations.
• Instruct students to sketch out a storyboard detailing their story’s events on paper before starting their digital creation.
• Encourage students to use their storyboard as a guide while creating their animation using Brush Ninja.

Assessment

Student animations will be assessed based on creativity, quality of artwork, clarity of storytelling, and effective use of animation techniques.

Extension

As an extension activity, students can share their final animations with classmates or even post them online for others to view. They can also explore other digital storytelling tools and create more complex animations.

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