Advanced Composition students at Boone High School have stories to tell. For a recent assignment asking them to write a personal narrative or character sketch, these students shared snapshots in writing of important moments or people in their lives and focused on developing those moments thoroughly with specific, sensory details. The end goal for each student author was to create a clear picture in the minds of his or her audience and to convey a sense of significance about the event or person in their story.
For inspiration, students listened to an episode from NPR’s Snap Judgment podcast and noted observations of the author’s writing style. They also picked up on aspects of the spoken performance of his story, noting how the author used vocal inflection and music to manipulate the mood.
After writing their stories, students used an app called Soundtrap to record themselves reading aloud. Then, following the model of the example they listened to, they turned to choosing music they could add to the recording to enhance their story’s mood. Some students used music loops available within the Soundtrap app while others browsed the internet for their music options. They exercised digital citizenship skills as they learned to search for music labeled by artists for reuse through Creative Commons licenses.
Once the music fit with the words, students created mp3 files of their recorded stories. The final recordings were uploaded to Soundcloud. Like YouTube, Soundcloud allows users to upload their own content to share with the world, except the site focuses on audio rather than video. The result is a brand new podcast called Story Street (be sure to subscribe!). The first episode featuring stories from seniors Jenna Kirby, Michael Foley, and Sarah Schrupp is provided here for your listening enjoyment.
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