Video Project...

Video projects are a great way to get children exciting learning. This project will allow students to get out of the classroom and interact with classmates to create a wonderful masterpiece that they can show to their classmates and families. Although a lot of preparation goes into these types of projects, the end results are well worth the time spent preparing.

Title: Light, Camera, Action
Age Level: 6th-8th grade
Content Area: English
Materials: Novel, Video Camera, Computers with Window’s Movie Maker, and Story board worksheets.
Project Description: Students will be placed in groups of four and will take the novel that they are reading in class and make a short commercial which is based on the book. The ideas for this project are endless, the children make a trailer for an upcoming movie, an infomercial trying to sell an important object that were used in the book or maybe even a dating commercial for one of the main characters. These are just some ideas that can get the children thinking. Students will create a story board, which will plan out all the situations that is going to happen in their production. Students will learn how to operate a camera and how to edit their movies in window’s movie maker. Then students will film their idea during class time. The final project should be on longer than 5 minutes. The students will present their final projects on the last day of the unit to the class.
Preparations: I would have to make sure there are video camera on the school grounds that the children can use, if not I have to see if the children’s parents have ones that they will be willing to let them use for the project. I would have to make sure the weather is nice, because the filming will be taking place outside to limit distractions to other classrooms and spread out the children so they are not interrupting each other filming.. I have to set aside time to show the students how to use a video camera and how to use window’s movie maker, so they can learn how to edit their movies. I would also make my own youtube. account, because I would not want children uploading videos to their own account, for their own safety. I would also send home content forms to the parents to make sure it was alright that I was uploading the children’s final projects to the internet, because I know some parents can have problems about that and I do not want to make anyone unhappy. If it was not alright I would just have the children convert their final projects to a DVD, so they can still showcase their final project.
Timeline:
Day 1-6: Read novel in class and out of class and complete activities relating to the book.
Day 7: Split students in to groups and have then start thinking of an idea. Clear idea with the teacher.
Day 8: Make storyboard, assign parts (cameraperson, main actress/actor)
Day 9: Teach how to use video camera. Let students begin filming.
Day 10: Filming Day.
Day 11: Teach students how to use window movie maker and how to use sound clips.
Day 12: Edit Day.
Day 13: Edit Day.
Day 14: Show presentations.
Day 15: Show presentations.