Storyboarding Activity

This activity is designed to help you flesh out the details of your paper or project in a flexible format. You will need a pack of index cards, the size depending on your handwriting. If you’d prefer a digital approach, you can use PowerPoint or one of the many storyboarding apps available today.

To begin, using your notes from gathering, taking inventory, organizing, and structuring, create a checklist of the different sections of your project. For each section, note the content components you will need to include. What are the questions you must ask and answer? Be sure to include all essential components, such as your research question and your thesis statement.

Once you have your checklist ready, you can begin filling out your index cards. For each card, write the section and content component at the top, and then answer the question to the best of your ability. If you do not have a solid answer yet, you can either write in a placeholder idea or explain what you still need to do to get your answer. Write all answers in complete sentences. Each checklist item should have a minimum of one card, and you can always add more cards if you’d like.

For the most part, you can fill out the cards in the order that makes the most sense to you. Try to fill out as many cards as possible as soon as possible—it’s okay if your answers change over time! You can always swap out cards if you need to. As you go, try different story layouts by rearranging the cards for each section. Which layout works best for your story?

For a sample storyboard checklist, download the PDF version of this activity.

Timed Essay Activity

Would you like to see how much you can accomplish in just one hour? If so, try timing yourself as you work through the project development tasks to write a short essay.

Before you begin, choose two or three very short pieces to work with. These can be poems, blog posts, news articles, short peer-reviewed journal articles, and so on. They should all address a similar theme or issue.

Gather: 10 minutes

Quickly read through each piece, highlighting any key terms, ideas, and so on. (Check out the Write Oceania unit on engaging with sources for more information on what to look for.)

Take Inventory: 10 minutes

Using a blank sheet of paper and markers, write down everything that comes to mind regarding your topic and the pieces you’ve read. What are the most important ideas? Are there any key terms? Examples? What do the pieces have in common? How do they differ? (Check out the Write Oceania unit on the talanoa for more questions to ask of your sources as they relate to one another.)

Organize: 5 minutes

Look for major themes and sub-themes in your inventory. Choose the three major themes that you feel most prepared to address in your essay. Next, choose the sub-themes you would like to cover for each major theme. These could include concepts, examples, definitions, and so on.

Structure: 5 minutes

For this activity, try using the three-point essay structure. In this structure, you should have an introductory paragraph, three core paragraphs, and a concluding paragraph, all with smooth transitions in between. Think about your major themes and the order that would best allow for smooth transitions. Think about what you need to include in your introductory paragraph to establish your topic and the themes you plan to address. Finally, think about what you would like to include in your concluding paragraph (along with a summary of your main ideas). For example, do you have any recommendations for future research? (Check out the Write Oceania unit on structures for more information on how to structure your paper.)

Write: 25 minutes

Take this time to draft your essay, and try not to worry about editing yourself! The goal here is simply to get your ideas onto the paper. If you’d like, you can start with your three core paragraphs and return to your introduction at the end—just be sure to leave enough space for it.

Review and Revise: 5 minutes

Now is the time to edit! Quickly read through your essay and correct any errors you find.

That’s it! In just one hour, you’ve planned, written, and revised a full essay. Imagine how much more you can accomplish by spacing out these tasks across a week or even a semester, returning to different project development tasks as needed!

• Patrick Dunleavy (The London School of Economics and Political Science): "Storyboarding Research: How to Proactively Plan Projects, Reports and Articles from the Outset"