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This activity is designed to turn ākonga into digital storytellers, using ScratchJr to retell a favourite story or bring an original one to life through code. It builds skills in literacy, oral storytelling, critical thinking and creativity, showing how digital tools can turn ideas into shareable, multimedia narratives.
Learners will explore what makes a story work, choose a theme and a story to tell, then build profiles for their protagonist, antagonist and supporting characters. They’ll plan their sequence with a storyboard, write a script for narration and dialogue, then paint characters and backdrops and program them to move, speak and interact. They will carefully and creatively code, test, and debug along the way until their digital storybook plays out exactly as planned. Go on, and bring your story to life!
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[Video] | Example Digital Storybook Clip: Kupe & Te Wheke
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1stzcta7l1aaX0qojgriqrdskvJYqYrV5/view
A real example of a digital storybook created by a student to tell the story of Kupe and Te Wheke.
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Sequencing block-based code into an ordered stack that plays a program as planned
Using Repeat blocks to cause actions without stacking the same blocks over and over
Testing each part the program code, and fixing bugs when something doesn’t behave as intended
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Selecting and combining the Paint Editor, image library, and sound recorder to build specific characters, backdrops, and audio a story needs
Making deliberate choices about which blocks and effects to use for a particular storytelling purpose, like building tension or showing dialogue
Testing finished digital storybooks against their own storyboard and script, and revising anything that doesn’t match what they intended
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Composing a script with narration and dialogue, sequenced to match a storyboard plan.
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Designing characters and backdrops whose look and behaviour communicate setting and mood of a story.
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Anchor the story in a pūrākau from the Ministry of Education’s Māori myths, legends and contemporary stories collection, to ground the story choice in an authentic, ready-to-use narrative.
Open up story choice by letting ākonga retell a favourite story or invent an original one, so the activity stretches to match their own ideas, helping support confidence and creativity.
Weave in kupu Māori or te reo Māori dialogue to connect with Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori, layering language learning onto the storytelling.
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Build in an audience by having ākonga present their finished digital storybook to another class or whānau, to add an oral-presentation dimension to the wrap-up.
Challenge ākonga to craft their own narrative around a theme relevant to your class.
Practise storyboarding digitally first with Canva’s free online storyboard creator, before bringing the sequence into ScratchJr.
Guide more confident ākonga to utilise digital photography to take and edit their own photos for sprites and backdrops, adding a personal, real-world layer to their storybook.
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Teachers should consider:
Device access and setup, including charging batteries, loading applications, connecting to the internet, and that checking each device has enough storage for saved projects and recorded sound.
Session pacing, since this activity runs across multiple lessons, including deciding where natural break points fall, for example after storyboarding and before programming begins.
Group size and pairing, deciding whether ākonga work individually, in pairs, or in groups, including supporting collaboration, content focus, and technical experience.
Story and theme selection, including having a shortlist of suitable stories or pūrākau ready to support ākonga who need help getting started.
Recording location, including finding a quiet spot or time for ākonga to record dialogue and sound effects without disrupting others.
Tracking recordings, including a simple way to keep track of whose work is on which device, since ScratchJr projects and any recorded sound files save locally to the device they were created on.
Sharing finished storybooks, including preparing for or agreeing in advance how completed projects will be saved or presented to the class.
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ScratchJr is a free, closed, tablet-based app with no login or account required, no ads or in-app purchases, no internet browsing, and it doesn’t collect information that identifies a child by name, making it a lower-risk digital tool. ScratchJr works fully offline once installed, with all projects and files saving locally to the device they are created on. Even so, always take steps to make sure device use is safe, supervised, and purposeful throughout.
Before the activity
Make sure the ScratchJr app is up to date.
Consider turning off internet access on tablets since ScratchJr doesn’t need it to run.
Remind ākonga to handle tablets with care and to consider what is appropriate language or other sounds to include in their project during recording and programming.
Remind ākonga of your school’s digital use agreement before beginning any lesson that involves digital devices, digital platforms, or the internet.
During the activity
Set clear expectations around safe and purposeful device use at the start of each lesson.
Supervise and actively support device use throughout.
Discuss openly what is and isn’t appropriate to include in a ScratchJr project, as well as support ākonga to re-record a take rather than feel stuck with it.
Support ākonga to know that if they encounter content that feels inappropriate, confusing, or upsetting that they can flag this with kaiako without concern.
After the activity
Since finished storybooks and voice recordings stay on the device, agree how they’ll be identified and shared later.
If tablets are shared with other classes, agree who’s responsible for keeping track of or clearing digital storybook projects, so no one’s story gets lost, mishandled, or deleted by accident.
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>>> y0-3 | Y0-3 | 5+ Lessons (Guided, Whole-Class or Small Groups)
Lesson 1: What Makes a Story — Lead a whole-class discussion on the parts of a story and picture book.
Lesson 2: Choosing a Story — Guide ākonga to settle on a shared or simplified story choice, keeping the theme and characters small or manageable in number.
Lesson 3: Simple Storyboard — Model a short, 3 to 4 panel storyboard as a class before ākonga attempt their own storyboarding with support.
Lesson 4: Build & Programme Together — Work through painting sprites and backdrops and through basic Start-Say-Move-End code block sequences, sharing the process and supporting each other as a class, even if ākonga are creating their own versions in small groups.
Lesson 5: Play & Celebrate — Play back the finished storybooks together, celebrating what each ākonga created and debugging any issues in a supportive way that focuses on collaborating to find constructive solutions.
>>> y4-6 | Y4-6 | 5+ Lessons (Independent, Paired or Small Groups)
Lesson 1: Introduction & Story Planning — Guide ākonga through the parts of a story, then have them choose a theme and either an existing story or an original idea to tell.
Lesson 2: Characters & Storyboard — Have ākonga profile their protagonist, antagonist and supporting characters, then sketch a storyboard sequencing their scenes.
Lesson 3: Script Writing — Ask ākonga to write a script matching their storyboard, including narration, dialogue, and any sound or music notes.
Lesson 4: Sprites, Backdrops & Programming — Support ākonga to paint or choose their backdrops and sprites, then program them to move, speak, and change scenes in sequence.
Lesson 5: Testing & Sharing — Have ākonga debug their code against their storyboard and script, then share their finished digital storybook with the class.