Thousands of schoolchildren are being encouraged to tell their own stories thanks to a new, colourful booklet that has been distributed free to schools across Northern Ireland.
Staff from Education Charity Into Film have invented Story Builder, an exciting and interactive teaching resource that uses the building blocks of filmmaking to stimulate young minds.
Into Film had originally distributed 2,000 Story Builder packs to 60 primary schools but it has proved so popular they printed another 2,000 to cope with demand.
As well as providing colourful workbooks that make it easy for children to create characters and stories, Into Film also offers free virtual workshops to participating schools, using Q&A sessions to encourage collaboration and teamwork. So far, 800 children have taken part in the free online workshops.
Story Builder packs are also now available in the Irish Language because of unprecedented demand from Irish medium schools.
“We have had an amazing reaction to Story Builder. Teachers love that it engages with the curriculum in a way that it makes it fun for the children, while the young people are using their natural, innate creativity and curiosity to learn new skills and tell their own unique stories.”
Sean Kelly (Into Film NI)
Among those who have benefited from the new resource are 130 pupils from two County Down schools, who have been taking part in a Shared Education creative writing project.
Teachers at St Ronan’s PS in Newry and the Bridge Integrated PS in Banbridge said that Story Builder had encouraged pupils not usually interested in creative writing to become fully engaged with the project.
The two schools were among the first to use the colourful new resource which helps children aged 7-11 to develop their understanding of the basics of film – colour, character, camera, story, sound and setting – and create their own narratives.
The initiative is backed by Northern Ireland Screen which encourages schools to use film and moving image in the classroom to deliver a broad and balanced curriculum.
“We are delighted to support Story Builder, it is a great example of high quality moving image resources that enable teachers to embed film across a range of subjects and curriculum areas. Bringing subjects alive, encouraging young people to use their imagination and building their confidence in storytelling is no mean feat.”
David McConnell (Education and Careers Manager of Northern Ireland Screen)
To access Story Builder, go to www.intofilm.org/storybuilder
About Into Film NI
Into Film, a UK-wide charity with a base in Northern Ireland, has developed a range of educational support materials that work with the curriculum and can be used in school or for home learning.