Imaginative Sci-Comm

Critical Creativity

When students synthesize knowledge, I try to give them the option of imaginative science communication. In one recent activity, my 5th grade students researched a mineral's physical properties, uses, global distribution, and other essential characteristics. Then, they made their selected mineral into a character (superhero, villain, member of a profession, spoof/homage of a real person or fictional character etc.). They had to design a one-pager (infographic, comic, mini-poster, etc.) that depicted their character and educated the viewer about the mineral. I provided the example of Pyrite the Pyrite (right) for inspiration- and comic relief!

My provided example

I think nurturing critical creativity is important in the science classroom and, especially in remote learning, activities like these are a fun outlet for students. ​

Student Work Samples

Some students took the opportunity to hand draw (and photograph) their work, and some students worked with digital tools. Either way, the results were amazing. Check out some student work samples below.

Mineral as Norse God

Getting to the point.

A beautiful comic presentation.

A tribute.

Original storytelling.

Quite a cast of characters, right? Fellow science educators interested in incorporating this project into your curriculum, you can find the Make-a-Mineral Doc lesson on my Shares page.