See how Nashville’s youth re-imagined stories about Nashville’s Mill Creek:

"I think storytelling is important for figuring out problems in the world and helping you to process it. So if you have a traumatic experience, you're probably going to talk about it. And climate change is sort of a traumatic experience...”

Podcast

Students interested in compelling audio stories worked with podcasting. They were initially presented with several short-form podcasts formatted around scientific inquiry. For construction of their own podcasts, students were asked to include an introductory “hook,” content that could be divided into different sections or topics, sound or music, an overarching theme, and a conclusive ending.

Students interested in compelling audio stories worked with podcasting. They were initially presented with several short-form podcasts formatted around scientific inquiry. For construction of their own podcasts, students were asked to include an introductory “hook,” content that could be divided into different sections or topics, sound or music, an overarching theme, and a conclusive ending.

Students created a podcast of two interviews with high school students and one interview with a professional ecologist, discussing the people polluting Mill Creek and the effects of algal blooms.

Augmented Reality (AR)

Students interested in stories with a visual, audio, and interactive element worked with AR. Emphasis was placed on how students could overlay virtual elements on the real world to engage in an enhanced version of reality. The program Zapworks housed student projects on a school account. Students were encouraged to think of the actors, time scale, and spaces of Mill Creek, and how to visualize these elements in the AR space as “scenes” that can change.

Students programmed an AR project describing the negative human impact on Mill Creek told from the perspective of a crayfish. Please click on the Next button to advance the story.

Students made an AR project with visual scenes accompanying a “Storytellers” podcast. The story concerns a father who loves eating crayfish and a son who is an ecologist. The QR code for this project is found in the link, with the accompanying audio found here.

Zine (short for “magazine”)

Students interested in combining illustrated art with narrative worked with Zines. Zines were introduced as self-published booklets, with emphasis placed on their history for underrepresented or silenced voices compared to mainstream media. Students were provided with example zines of a similar format, a six-page booklet with a front and back cover. In addition to the visual component, students were encouraged to think about the point of view, plot, and setting of the story they wished to convey.

Students made a zine telling the story of Belinda, who threw her pumpkins into the creek. She comes to learn how detrimental her actions were and now teaches others about the importance of environmental health.

A group created a zine accompanied by podcast audio to guide you through their story. They tell the story of Cooper, the crayfish, who seeks help from his friends about his issue of all the crayfish being forced to leave. The zine is found in the link above, while the accompanying audio file is found here.