Six-Word Story Educational Narrative & Film

This assignment, a riff off of Ernest Hemingway's "For Sale: Baby Shoes, Never Worn" flash fiction and Don Goble's Six Word Story, Six Unique Shots: Enhancing Writing Through Multimedia, allows students to write and show their literacy narrative. It allows for students to make use of multiple methods of communication and creativity to share their own personal stories. The six-word story film can easily be shot, edited, compiled, and produced on any relatively modern smartphone or tablet. My students used iPads and iPhones and apps like Clips and iMovie. After reading the assignment description, check out the real student examples below.

The Assignment

Essay: We all have a story to tell. Some of the most powerful stories we can tell are related to our life journey. This assignment is designed to give you space to tell your own personal story (narrative) in relation to your experiences with writing, being placed into this course, and education in general. Using the five elements of storytelling (lead in, conflict, suspense, climax, resolution), tell your literacy narrative. Discuss your relationship with reading and writing and how it has impacted you today. Consider any/all of the following questions before and while you write this narrative. What has been your experience with education so far? Think of your own family history, where you went to high school. What are some of the positive influences? Negative? What is your first memory of education/writing and how did you feel about it? What are some difficult memories that may have shaped your feelings towards education/writing? What are some of the best and worst parts of education, school, reading, writing, and learning for you?

Six-Word Story Film: Based on your written narrative, create a short film that dramatizes your essay and focuses on six important words. These words should be visible in your film and the film should tell your literacy narrative using a different medium. Read up on the history of the six-word story and flash fiction, and check out tips, tricks, and examples in Don Goble's Six-Word Story, Six Unique Shots: Embracing Writing through Multimedia.