ABSTRACT
Because the children are working intensively on a short piece of writing which contributes to a larger whole, they need to think carefully about the way the information on the page is presented and the effect it will have on their intended audiences. When completing QCA ICT Unit 3A: Combining text and graphics, rather than producing a class magazine, the children could produce a class branching story. As an alternative to writing the newspaper article in Unit 4A: Writing for different audiences, the children could produce a branching story centred on a theme or topic related to their other class work. Creating simple branching stories with text, images and hyperlinks lays the foundation for later multimedia work with combining sound, video and animation effects. Some fascinating research by Rupert Wegerif and Lynn Dawes has indicated that computer-based branching stories can prove valuable in helping children develop and use thinking skills.
