Ed. note: App of the Week picks are now being curated by the editors of Common Sense Education, which helps educators find the best ed-tech tools, learn best practices for teaching with tech, and equip students with the skills they need to use technology safely and responsibly. Click here to read the full app review.
Story Wars
What’s It Like?
This choose-your-own-adventure approach to storytelling has enormous potential for creative writing and critical reading. If you’ve ever played Exquisite Corpse and added your own line-by-line submissions to a folded sheet of paper, you’ll instantly recognize the fun of adding to someone else’s story piece by piece. Even if students only vote on other people’s submissions, it’s an exciting reading task to think critically about several possible pathways for a story’s narrative to take. Plus, writing the next chapter of an existing story is a fun way to get creative and imagine how existing characters might progress.
Price: Free, Paid
Grades: 7-12
Rating: 4/5
Pros: Terrific concept invites students to read critically and write for an authentic audience.
Cons: Some users might balk at openly licensing their creations on the site, and some stories might not be classroom-appropriate.
Bottom line: A cool, competitive approach to online storytelling with a lot of learning potential–just be aware of the iffy content and licensing risks.
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