“I just started the program with my 7th graders yesterday and they are hooked! Today they have all asked if we could work on it; not something you usually hear from 7th graders. After viewing the Alice stories and discussing what makes a good digital story, the students will be creating a digital story about our town – Lakewood, Ohio – in whichever literary genre they prefer. I am finding your teacher resource material helpful and focused.”
Belinda Lowrie Harding Middle School, Lakewood, Ohio
“I’ve been using ‘Inanimate Alice’ in classes for some years now, with classes of all ages and abilities. Engagement with Alice’s story is impressive and students are desperate to find out what happens next. Their creativity is tested to the full and they are challenged to use skills and strategies which they may never have used in English – animation and audio-visual tools, for a start. Working on ‘Alice’ allowed classes to collaborate in a way which made me, the teacher, superfluous. And their final product was often breathtakingly good. What more could we ask for as teachers?”
Kenny Pieper, Duncanrig Secondary School, East Kilbride, Scotland
“Canada, especially this region, close to Toronto, is extremely multicultural, and this story has really been able to reach so many of our students. It talks to the students of all different ethnicities, touches those who also have moved around all their lives like Alice, and reaches those students who think they hate to read. It allows so much thought about media and the connections to reading, writing, media, and the geography curriculums are great. My students have been so highly engaged and can’t wait to do more! They even wanted to know if they could do it at home, and that is unheard of in our school community!”
Jill Reiner, Laurentian Senior Public, Ontario
“Alice definitely has longevity! I think I have taught it every year since my initial email. This year, I taught a digital narrative unit to a group of grade 6 English Language Learners and it was the unit that really allowed some students with limited English proficiency to start using English to communicate and engage with reading and writing. Inanimate Alice really brought some students out of their shells and had them running into the classroom asking, “are we watching a new episode today?” I love how the language is so supported by the graphics that even beginner English language learners can understand it! We worked on reading fluency and comprehension as well as speaking and writing skills. At the end of the unit, students who had written very limited amounts of English successfully constructed their own episodes of Inanimate Alice. The grade 6 group will be so excited to know that the new episode has been released! We are on a week break right now and I think I’ll keep the final episode as a surprise for the end of the year after reports have been written. Thanks again for such an incredible resource. I plan to keep it in my curriculum for many years to come!”
Kerrilyn Thacker, Chair of the EAL Department, Antwerp International School
“My 2 reading classes and I are so hooked on inanimate Alice. Is there an episode 5…will there be more episodes to come? This is just a wonderful and innovative way to get students engaged and into reading and understanding multimedia elements and how they add to the beauty of the text. This has been a lifesaver for the end of the school year when it’s easy to lose the kids’ attention. I have begun making smartboard lessons to go along wiith each episode…suggested vocabulary. I’ll e-mail them to you when I think they’re good enough.”
Jessica Miller, Will Beckley Elementary School, Nevada
“Yes! My students can now access all four episodes on any of our devices!! So the only question left is when do we get more? 🙂 My students love the novels and beg to be allowed to read them both in class and at home. I love the visual presentation and engaging activities that keep my Deaf students and reluctant readers so engrossed that they forget it is learning!! Also, thanks for the Spanish version. One of my students was able to share with his family at home using that and improved our relationship with that family!! Thanks so much!!”
Jenny Williamson, Henderson Mill Elementary School, Georgia
“I am a Library Media Specialist and just wanted to let you know that I am using your site in a presentation I am doing at the Digital Literacy Institute at the University of Rhode Island on July 14-18 in Providence, Rhode Island. I am speaking about the teaching I have done with Inanimate Alice and the multitude of ways it engages students and stimulates learning. I have had such fun and success using Alice’s story in the classroom, and I hope to encourage many others to get involved with it as well. Thank you for creating such a wonderfully innovative form of storytelling and for the education support materials that are so helpful!”
Tara Hixon Cashion Public Schools, Oklahoma
“My class at Wakefield has been using Inanimate Alice the past few weeks and I think it was probably us that spiked the usage for the loop. 🙂 I have 38 year 5/6 students in my literacy group and they are so into Inanimate Alice. I decided to use it in my programme to try to engage the students that ‘don’t like reading’ but they can’t get enough of it now, both online and reading the text only version. The story line offers many options when it comes to guided reading or follow up activities. Some of the reluctant readers have shown a real change in attitude towards reading which has been a great start to the year!”
Kathy Jessop, Wakefield, New Zealand
“I have used the series as an end-of-the-year activity for the past two years. I have created literacy questions for episodes 1-3. I have students watch episode 4, and then answer two short essay type questions. As a final activity, I have students write and produce their own episode 5. It is a perfect activity to complete our year. Students are very engaged while working on the activities. The grade level is 7th.” The following year… “And yes, once again, Alice is providing a quality ending to my 7th grade students’ reading curriculum. Love Alice – perfect end of the year work: focused and fun!”
Merrily Ellis – Reading Specialist, Mt. Angel Middle School, Oregon
“I wanted to let you know you all are doing a wonderful job! Teachers and students alike love Inanimate Alice, and it’s especially good to use with our reluctant readers.”
Megan Hallenbeck, Gloversville Middle School, New York
“21st century schools must keep up with technology, engage students and create life-long learners. Inanimate Alice does it all. Inanimate Alice is a wonderful combination of audio and visual text features which lures in reluctant readers and leaves them wanting more. Thanks to Inanimate Alice, I was able to bridge the gap and take students from averse, to reading with enthusiasm, in a short period of time!”
Donna Terra, Grade 5 Teacher, Morse Pond School, Falmouth, Massachusetts
“I’m pretty passionate about the project, as I used it in a unit of teaching for the full registration process that graduate teachers have to go through. So, Inanimate Alice helped me get my full registration.”
Alison Bain, 7D Learning Advisor, Victoria, Australia
Find out more about Inanimate Alice: Teacher’s Edition Suite
Visit the Create Digital Gallery of Student-made episodes
