Instagram Stories are a creative and engaging way for students to demonstrate their learning. Students can create short videos with images, text, animation, and filters in an Instagram format. Use this feature for students to create a book trailer or an explainer video. Students can answer a driving question in a short amount of time deciding the most essential details needed for a viewer.
I initially generated this idea after finding the New York Public Library Insta Novel stories. I loved the idea of creatively using the Instagram format to express ideas or new learning.
New York Public Library Inst Stories: View information about all NYPL Insta Novels. If you click on the books below, you will be prompted to log into your Instagram account to view.
Click to view Part 2 of the book, Metamorphosis. |
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| Click to view The Raven.
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Getting Started
- Review social media etiquette. For example, remind students to not include a picture of another person without permission.
- Start with a storyboard for students to plan and sketch their videos. Each Instagram Story slide is limited to 15 seconds.
- Determine the tech tools to create a story. See below for details about popular tech tools.
- Use a rubric creator tool to assess the final product. Quick Rubric | Rubistar
- Determine how students will present the Instagram Story.
*We do not post our stories on Instagram. If you choose to do so, check with your district’s policy or ask for parent permission. In the past, students presented their videos to the class along with any additional information and answer any follow-up questions.
Tech Tools
The following two websites provide Instagram Story templates, Adobe Creative Cloud Express and Canva. The templates make it user-friendly to set up and share a link or download the story.
Adobe Creative Cloud Express (free) –
- Set up a free account with Adobe Creative Cloud Express (formerly Adobe Spark).
- Search Instagram Story templates.
- Filter the template options located on the left sidebar.
- Once you determine your template, edit the text, image, and other features.
- Share the story by downloading, saving it to Google Drive, or accessing it by a provided link.
Canva
- If you do not have a Canva educator account, click here to create one.
- Once logged in, choose the Instagram Story template or click here.
- Use the left sidebar to add text, change the template, add animation, and more.
- Click the Share button to download, view by link, and save to Google Classroom.
Resources
Use Instagram Stories to Build Reader Engagement: Details about using Instagram Stories to generate excitement about books.
New York Public Library Insta Stories: Provides links to all of the amazing Inst Stories.
Use Slides to Create Instagram Stories: A more in-depth look at using Google Slides with Instagram Stories.
Canva – Create Instagram Stories: Quick overview of Instagram Stories.
Author: Becca Munson
Becca Munson, Librarian, is a National Board Certified Teacher with over 24 years of experience in education. Becca is the Coordinator for Library Systems in the Blue Valley School District. Previously, she was school librarian at Blue Valley West High School. She opened two buildings in Blue Valley and spent some time as an Ed Tech Specialist before returning to libraries. Becca supports over 45 librarians and support staff as they work to fulfill the mission of flexible scheduling, collaboration, and literacy.
Categories: Blog Topics, Student Engagement/ Teaching Models, Technology
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