Teaching with Videogames: Creative writing using Twine
Capture even the least engaged students with the user-friendly Twine software and interactive fiction, then watch them produce a successful playable narrative on any topic of their choosing.
Year levels: 9-10
Subject areas: English
Suggested duration: 4-5 week Unit (50 min lessons)
Technology required:
- individual devices with Twine (download or browser)
Download the full lesson plan
The lesson plan includes links to the Australian Curriculum, indications of lesson timing, and ideas for differentiation and assessment.
In this lesson, students will
| 1. | engage with free-to-access playable interactive fiction texts. They deeply explore the features and context of interactive fiction (IF), developing their knowledge of core concepts |
| 2. | explore second person narrative perspective which is an important feature of this text type. |
| 3. | plan, develop, build and review their own playable interactive fictions using opensource Twine software. |
By the end of this lesson, students should
| the features and context of interactive fiction (IF) |
| the role of the player as audience and how language can be structured and manipulated to achieve specific effects |
| the impact of language, devices, features and structure on core concepts of ambiguity, [player] complicity, and word/concept building through the expert use of prose |
| the use of second person narrative perspective |
| engage with a range of free-to-access playable interactive fiction texts |
| explore, discuss and evaluate the features of these texts and the genre |
| plan, develop, build and review their own playable interactive fictions using opensource Twine software |
| skills in providing others structured feedback |
| improve work based on feedback |