Improving Literacy and Deepening Learning

10 years ago, in a small school district in Texas, students were given an incredible opportunity to incorporate a Maker Space and Robotics into their school Libraries. This integration not only sparked interest in the students who didn’t typically get excited about going to the library, but it also created an incredible merge between the worlds of reading, writing, storytelling, and robotics. What especially inspired both students and educators was the introduction of drones. For the first time, teachers were using drones to teach writing and storytelling! With the constant need for innovation in classrooms, and the necessity to build engagement with literature and creativity – drones can offer captivating ways for students to explore classic themes using new tools. DroneBlocks would like to share some of these amazing opportunities teachers have presented to their students over the years to do just that!

Narrative Perspective

Most states require students to learn to write from different perspectives, and Mrs. Martinez, a 4^th grade teacher, provided an unforgettable lesson to her class! Students were taken outside and allowed to choose a comfy place in the field to watch a drone fly from their perspective. Beforehand, the students programmed flights and were able to watch the patterns they had coded. After watching the “show”, they returned to their classroom to tell a story from their perspective of viewing the drone from the ground. Their next assignment was to write a story from the perspective of flying from within the drone. (Think “Stuart Little” flying the toy plane and cue the creative writing!)

We have seen our DroneBlocks educators use drones in the most amazing ways to tell stories through writing, video, and even the arts. Here are more of our favorite ideas:

Procedural Text

Coding a drone in itself is a master class in procedural “text”. Use the drone’s flight pattern to introduce procedural text to students. This is much more engaging and thought-provoking than the classic “How To Make A PB&J Sandwich” procedural text lesson!

Adventure Storytelling

Drones are becoming commonplace in many fields and for a variety of purposes. Whether a drone light show, security around the Capital, or for search and rescue missions, drones experience an adventure with each takeoff. Have your students write about it! Is the drone conducting a mission overseas to locate soldiers? Is it searching for a missing surfer off the coast? Or, is the drone filming the Olympics? Maybe a football game? Write about it! Let your students tap into their interests and tell their adventure story.

Folk and Traditional Storytelling

One of our teachers brought their Drone while traveling to record footage to inspire students to develop and tell their own stories about Native American Lands and Culture. After seeing the footage of Native Festival grounds, students created their versions of Native stories they had been told. Then students programmed their own drone flights during wildflower season and wrote their own stories, similar to “The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush”. Another teacher chose to use the drone to retell Fables and Folktales with a modern twist. Think: “Why Mosquitos Buzz In People’s Ears”… to “Why Drones Buzz In People’s Ears”!

Obstacle Courses

Many of our teachers and students enjoy building Drone Obstacle Courses – but we loved it when one Junior High class constructed their obstacle course in tandem with reading Homer’s The Odyssey. Each drone’s flight path represented a different stage of the hero’s quest. Students built towers of jumbo lego blocks to represent Scylla the 6-Headed Monster and an oscillating Fan to mimic the whirlpool Charybdis. This allowed students to connect to the material in ways other than writing the traditional essay while merging their piloting and coding skills.

Spelling Bee

Building Phonics Fundamentals is, well, fundamental! But it’s not always fun. Spice-up your average spelling bee or typing course by taping the alphabet down to your gymnasium floor and having students chart courses to land on each letter with their Drone as they spell out words. Spelling simple words using a Drone requires renewed focus and attention to succeed – not to mention the unique challenge leaves an indelible memory!

Travel Brochure 

Explore the area around your campus with the drone, then have students design a travel brochure of your campus or the town around the school. This is an activity that applies to any level of learners. Go outside of the box and reach out to your Chamber of Commerce. Maybe the winning brochure can be featured!

We hope these shared ideas spur fresh approaches in your classroom. And if you have a great story to tell about your Drones, share it with us! At DroneBlocks, we’re excited to see how our products are helping teachers push the boundaries of traditional literacy education. By transforming stories into interactive experiences, educators are making literacy more engaging and relevant for today’s students and introducing them to cutting-edge technology, and we’re here to help.