Pupils write and publish avatar book

When a class from St Ninian’s Primary had a virtual reality lesson it fired their imaginations so much they created their own fantasy tale.

Now the book they wrote has been published and they are selling it to raise funds for Tayside Children’s Hospital.

Avatar ME tells the story of fictional Discovery Primary School where, under a full moon, the children mysteriously transform into avatars they created during a lesson. To break the spell they must enter a virtual reality and solve a series of riddles.

With class teacher Lyndsey Robertson, the St Ninian’s P6 class collaborated to bring their ideas together into one story featuring their own avatars and launched a business enterprise project to bring it to their audience.

We met up with the class and asked them how they created Avatar ME and how it feels to be published authors.

What’s your avatar like? Mutembo said: “My avatar is like me in anime. My eyes are flaming blue. I have straight up, spiky blue hair.”

Cziara told us: “My avatar looks like me but with moon buns. I chose this hairstyle for myself because it is fun.”

What were the VR sessions like?

Aariz said: “My favourite game was Star Wars because it allowed you to explore an unchartered planet and made you feel as powerful as a Jedi.”

What was your role in the enterprise project?

Market researcher Ruby surveyed children in other classes about their reading habits. She said: “With the data I collected from the surveys I made bar graphs and noticed that the P5s enjoyed reading more than the P7s. We plan to give one book to every class to see if our book improves students’ opinions and feelings about reading.”

Amelia, illustrator, drew the front cover and blurb image. She said: “I got my inspiration from a cartoon called anime and soon found out how to draw in a similar style.”

The initial aim the project was to enhance pupils’ literacy skills by appealing to their senses. They learned how to create their own avatars and enjoyed VR experiences propelling them into new worlds and adventures.

Teacher Mrs Robertson said: “Using virtual reality as a stimulus to writing inspired the children to include increasingly adventurous vocabulary while setting the scene.

“Pupils shared their writing with their peers during literacy lessons and suggested that we create a story incorporating their personal recounts, resulting in this adventure book, Avatar ME.”

With Guildry Business Enterprise and sponsorship from local companies the class received funding to have the story printed by Tayprint.

The finished product is on sale at the school for £10.

CLASS ACT: The pupils at St Ninian’s Primary School with their new book Avatar ME.