Seeing and Hearing Your Digital Story
Learning Goals
In this chapter, you will learn to:
- Use the root “aud” and the affixes -ible, -ate, and -ity to understand words
- Discuss and respond to the digital story Grand Canyons
- Analyze characters
- Compare and contrast
- Use commas with introductory words and phrases
- Use consistent verb tense
- Write a paragraph about the advantages and disadvantages of divorce
- Use a computer search engine
Get Ready to Read
- Do you think it is wrong to download music, TV shows, and movies without paying?
- Do you know how to do any of these tasks?
- Download pictures from the Internet
- Scan pictures onto a computer
- Transfer pictures from a digital camera to a computer
- Which of these would you most like to learn? Why?
Vocabulary
Scan Seeing and Hearing Your Digital Story to find a bold word for each of the following.
1. A document with a format for something that can be used many times
2. To be able to use or get something
3. When a file is copied from the Internet onto a computer
4. Computer files containing written information
5. Possible to get or use
6. Parts of something that are related to hearing or the ears
7. Parts of something that are related to seeing or the eyes
8. Someone who helps a workshop or discussion go smoothly
9. The right to do something, from the person with the power to make decisions about what is allowed
Word Patterns
aud is a root that means “hear.”
–ible is a suffix that means “able to be.”
–ate is a suffix that makes the adjective or verb form of a word.
–ity is a suffix that expresses a state or condition.
Use the vocabulary words and affixes above to build a word for each definition below.
10. ___________________________: able to be accessed
11. ___________________________: what a facilitator does (verb)
12. ___________________________: able to be heard
13. ___________________________: the state of being available
Reading Strategy
Readers use texts for many different purposes. We read stories for enjoyment. We read the news to find out what is happening in the world. We read cookbooks to follow a recipe. We read instructions to find out how to put together or use something new. Before you read, think about your purpose for reading. It is easier to use a text when we know why we are using it. The next text you will read is called Seeing and Hearing Your Digital Story. Below are some examples of purposes for reading this text:
- To get some ideas for the kinds of images and sounds you could put in your digital story
- To learn how to make a storyboard
- To find out about how copyright laws work
- To learn how to get or make picture files for your digital story
You may wish to re-read a text a few times, with a different purpose each time. This is a way to get as much information, enjoyment, and reading practice from a text as possible.
Try setting a purpose for reading both Seeing and Hearing Your Digital Story and Uploading Your Computer Files.
Check Your Understanding
1. What are some examples of visual elements found in digital stories?
2. What are some examples of audio elements found in digital stories?
3. What is copyright?
4. What is a storyboard?
5. How did Daniel’s feelings about his family photos from the Grand Canyon trip change over time?
6. What is the difference between a computer file and a computer folder?
7. Name three ways you can put images on a computer.
8. Follow the instructions in Uploading Your Computer Files to upload your images to a computer that is connected to the Internet.
Writing Task
Use the Storyboard template to plan your digital story. (You will find a printable version in Appendix 1.) You will probably need more than one copy of the template to fit your whole story. When you are done, keep your storyboard somewhere safe. You will need it later.
Commas with Introductory Words and Phrases
Grammar Rule
- Use a comma after introductory words like yes, no, well, oh, after all, by the way, okay, and so on.
Examples:
Yes, I would love to go to the concert with you.
By the way, that shirt looks great on you.
- Use a comma after linking words like first, next, then, also, for example, and so on.
Examples:
First, squeeze some toothpaste onto your toothbrush.
Next, run your toothbrush under some water from the tap.
- Use a comma to set off the name of a person you are speaking to or writing to.
Examples:
Sammy, the phone is for you.
I would like to join you, Raj, but I have to make dinner.
Put commas where they belong.
1. Sal can you remind me how to iron my shirt?
2. First set up the ironing board. Then plug in the iron.
3. Yes I did that already.
4. Now pop up the collar. Iron the front of the collar. Then iron the back of the collar.
5. What should I do after that Sal?
6. Unbutton the cuffs. Next lay the first cuff flat and iron the front and back. By the way you can spray some water on the shirt to help get the wrinkles out.
7. Oh this is a lot of work. I think I’ll just wear a wrinkled shirt. Anyway thanks for your help.
Consistent Verb Tense
Grammar Rule
Using a consistent verb tense means using the same verb tense in a sentence or paragraph. In other words, writers should avoid switching between past, present, and future tense, unless they have a good reason.
Can you spot the change in verb tense below?
U.S. President John F. Kennedy and his wife, Jackie, arrived in Texas on a sunny day in 1963. They drove away from the airport in a black, open-topped car and waved to the crowds gathered on the streets. Suddenly, three or four gunshots rang out. President Kennedy’s hand went to his neck. He has been shot. At one o’clock that day, the world hears the news that President John F. Kennedy is dead.
For no good reason, the paragraph shifts from past tense to present tense with this line: He has been shot. At one o’clock that day, the world hears the news that President John F. Kennedy is dead.
Underline the verbs in these sentences. Make any corrections to keep the verb tense consistent, unless there is a good reason for the tense to change.
1. The police searched for the murderer. An officer named J.D. Tippet noticed a man who was behaving strangely. Tippet wanted to speak to the man, but the man will pull out a gun and kill him.
2. Police find the murderer, Lee Harvey Oswald, in a theatre. Oswald’s gun was found near a window that looked onto the street where Kennedy was shot. Oswald was charged with the two murders and taken to jail.
3. Two days later, Oswald was being moved to another jail. As he comes out of the police building in handcuffs, another man shot him. That man, Jack Ruby, said he wanted to save Jackie Kennedy from the pain of a long trial.
4. Today, people wonder whether Lee Harvey Oswald really killed John F. Kennedy. More than 50 people who were there that day will say that they heard gunshots coming from a small grassy hill in front of the president’s car. The mystery remains unsolved.
Writing Task
Grand Canyons is a digital story about how the divorce of Daniel’s parents affected him. Divorce is when a married couple decides to legally end their marriage.
Follow the steps below to write a paragraph on one of these topics:
What are the advantages of divorce? — or — What are the disadvantages of divorce?
1. Think: Try free-writing about both the advantages and disadvantages of divorce for five minutes. Free-writing is an activity where you write everything that comes to your mind. Don’t stop writing, even for a second. Don’t worry about grammar or whether your ideas are any good. The point of free-writing is to come up with as many ideas as possible. When five minutes are up, look back at the ideas you came up with. It’s time to make some decisions. What topic would you rather write about? What details can you use from your free-writing? Can you think of any additional ideas to support your opinion?
2. Organize: Ask your instructor for the Paragraph Outline worksheet, or open and print one from the link. You will also find a printable version in Appendix 1. Fill in the outline with your best ideas.
3. Write: Follow your outline as you write a first draft of your opinion paragraph. Don’t worry too much about spelling and grammar. Just get your ideas down in a way that makes sense. At this point, you may want to put your draft aside so you can look at it with fresh eyes later.
4. Edit: Use a different colour to make edits to your writing. Check to see how it sounds when you read it out loud. Is the meaning clear? Are there any details that are missing or off topic? Should you use different sentence types to make it flow more smoothly? Are there any words that you want to change to make your writing more alive? (Use a thesaurus to find more interesting vocabulary words.) Are all your sentences complete? Do you need to check the spelling of any words in a dictionary?
5. Rewrite: Write a final copy of your paragraph that includes all your edits. You may wish to type it on a computer. Finally, hand it in to your instructor.
Answer Key
| Vocabulary | |
| QUESTION | ANSWER |
| 1 | template |
| 2 | access |
| 3 | downloaded |
| 4 | documents |
| 5 | available |
| 6 | audio elements |
| 7 | visual elements |
| 8 | facilitator |
| 9 | permission |
| 10 | accessible |
| 11 | facilitate |
| 12 | audible |
| 13 | availability |
| Check Your Understanding | |
| QUESTION | ANSWER |
| 1 | Examples of visual elements found in digital stories include photos, drawing, maps, videos, letters, pages from a book, album covers, and clothing. |
| 2 | Examples of audio elements found in digital stories include a voiceover and a soundtrack. |
| 3 | Copyright is a law that says the owner of a creative work gets to decide how their work is used. |
| 4 | A storyboard is a place to plan what an audience will see and hear during each part of a visual story. |
| 5 | At first, Daniel thought the photos from the Grand Canyon trip were funny. Over time, he did not find them funny anymore because his parents divorced soon after the photos were taken. He thinks now that his parents’ happiness in the photos was probably fake. |
| 6 | A computer file is a picture, document, or recording on a computer. A computer folder is a place that holds files. |
| 7 | You can put images on your computer by downloading them from the Internet, scanning them, or transferring them from a digital camera. |
| Commas with Introductory Words and Phrases | |
| QUESTION | ANSWER |
| 1 | Sal, can you remind me how to iron my shirt? |
| 2 | First, set up the ironing board. Then, plug in the iron. |
| 3 | Yes, I did that already. |
| 4 | Now, pop up the collar. Iron the front of the collar. Then, iron the back of the collar. |
| 5 | What should I do after that, Sal? |
| 6 | Unbutton the cuffs. Next, lay the first cuff flat and iron the front and back. By the way, you can spray some water on the shirt to help get the wrinkles out. |
| 7 | Oh, this is a lot of work. I think I’ll just wear a wrinkled shirt. Anyway, thanks for your help. |
| Consistent Verb Tense | |
| QUESTION | ANSWER |
| 1 | The police searched for the murderer. An officer named J.D. Tippet noticed a man who was behaving strangely. Tippet wanted to speak to the man, but the man pulled out a gun and killed him. |
| 2 | Police found the murderer, Lee Harvey Oswald, in a theatre. Oswald’s gun was found near a window that looked onto the street where Kennedy was shot. Oswald was charged with the two murders and taken to jail. |
| 3 | Two days later, Oswald was being moved to another jail. As he came out of the police building in handcuffs, another man shot him. That man, Jack Ruby, said he wanted to save Jackie Kennedy from the pain of a long trial. |
| 4 | Today, people wonder whether Lee Harvey Oswald really killed John F. Kennedy. More than 50 people who were there that day said that they heard gunshots coming from a small grassy hill in front of the president’s car. The mystery remains unsolved. |
Attributions
Pictures
Image by jarmoluk is in the public domain.
Headphones
Headphones by Unsplash is in the public domain.
John F. Kennedy
JFK Limousine by Hohum is in the public domain.