Learning Objective

Students will learn how to identify symbolism in a story and create animated gifs on Brush Ninja to represent the symbols.

Materials

• A short story with clear examples of symbolism (e.g. “The Giving Tree” by Shel Silverstein)
• Computers or tablets with internet access for each student or pair of students
• Access to Brush Ninja website

Procedure

1. Introduce the concept of symbolism in literature and provide some examples.
2. Read the selected story aloud as a class, pausing at points where there are clear symbols to discuss them.
3. Review how to use Brush Ninja, including how to draw simple shapes, add text, and animate objects.
4. In pairs or individually, have students choose a symbol from the story and create an animated gif with Brush Ninja that represents it.
5. After completing their gifs, have students share them with the class and explain why they chose that particular symbol and how they represented it in their animation.

Assessment

Assessment will be based on students’ ability to:

• Identify symbols in the story
• Create an animated gif that effectively represents their chosen symbol
• Explain their thought process and reasoning behind their choice of symbol and animation

Extension

For advanced students or as an extension activity:

• Have them analyze multiple symbols in the same story or across different stories using Brush Ninja.
• Have them create longer animations that tell a story using multiple symbols.

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