Movie Making in the Classroom

April ChamberlainTrussville City Schools and

Alabama Best Practice Center 21st Century Fellow

Movies are a great way for teachers to create background

knowledge, to showcase events, activities, field trips, etc. in the classroom, and as an alternative

assessment tool for projects.

Creating Background KnowledgeVietnam War

Showcase EventsRalph Masiello, Camp McDowell, Beginning of

School

Alternative AssessmentsPioneers, Civil War

Alternative AssessmentsClass Reporters

Ideas and Lessons for using movies in the classroom PRIMARY GRADES

• The ABCs of Conservation With this class iMovie project, students from McAuliffe Heights at Irving Elementary, PA, gain a deeper understanding of conservation as well as the letters and sounds of the alphabet. The project appeals to visual and auditory learners as it allows them to learn more about conservation by actively participating in making a movie. Apple Learning Exchange, http://ali.apple.com/ali_sites/ali/exhibits/1000933/

• Words, Words, WordsThe power to effectively communicate with others and the ability to derive meaning from nonfiction text are two of the greatest assets educators can teach their students. The purpose of this project at Long Branch Elementary in Virginia is to celebrate the literary efforts of young writers, illustrators, and researchers.http://ali.apple.com/ali_sites/ali/exhibits/1000915/

• A Day With Fractions Students from Newport Coast Elementary, CA, call on their knowledge of fractions to make real-world connections as they identify ways fractions are used in their daily lives. The concept of time is also integrated into this project as students explore the different times of the day when fractions are used. Apple Learning Exchange, http://ali.apple.com/ali_sites/ali/exhibits/1000972/

• Poetry in Motion After studying various types of poetry, third graders in New York City wrote their own poems, and then used the Internet to locate images that reflected their poem. Students were filmed reciting their poems, and then they created a movie combining their poetry reading with images. Apple Learning Exchange, http://ali.apple.com/ali_sites/ali/exhibits/1001142/

Ideas and Lessons for using movies in the classroom INTERMEDIATE GRADES

• America's Thirteen Colonies: A Journey Through TimeThe American colonial period came alive this year for two 5th grade classes in Yarmouth, Maine. With their teachers and technology coordinator John Martin, the children researched the original 13 colonies and created a web site to attract colonists from England. Using the Internet, email, and Apple and eZedia QTI and eZscreen software, they produced incredible products. Journey with them now back to 18th century colonial America.http://ali.apple.com/ali_sites/ali/exhibits/1001287/

• Open Ended QuestionsIn this project, students of Pat Nixon Elementary School, CA, identify a topic for an open-ended question, evaluate the question, and develop ideas leading to inquiry. They then investigate and research the topic using the Internet and other resources to present their findings in an iMovie project.http://ali.apple.com/ali_sites/ali/exhibits/1001140/

• Don't Laugh at MeQuarreling, teasing, and bullying stigmatize children and steal valuable learning time in the classroom. In this project, students from Agnes Risley School, NV, create their own movie to address these issues using the words from the song "Don't Laugh at Me" to understand the impact of bullying.http://ali.apple.com/ali_sites/ali/exhibits/1000935/

• The Properties of MatterEighth grade students in Highland, California, learned about the properties of matter, and then created a movie for future classes that described and demonstrated changes in matter. http://ali.apple.com/ali_sites/ali/exhibits/1001108/

• How Does Electricity Work As a culminating class project on the concepts of electrical energy, fourth graders in East Haven, Connecticut, created a movie to reinforce, apply, and share what they learned about how electricity works. http://ali.apple.com/ali_sites/ali/exhibits/1001117/

• Bugs SoundtrackStudents have been buzzing about the chance to write a poem about bugs. Once the poem is written, then they can use their poem to make a movie with a GarageBand soundtrack. When the activity is complete, students will have a greater appreciation for insects and the process of creating videos and music.http://ali.apple.com/ali_sites/ali/exhibits/1001538/

• Historical Interview ProjectEighth graders in Cerritos, California, interviewed a friend or family member about an important historical event. They then used iMovie to combine the video of the interview with images and facts from their research, and added relevant music. http://ali.apple.com/ali_sites/ali/exhibits/1001134/

Ideas and Lessons for using movies in the classroom MIDDLE GRADES

• Literature Through Silent Movies Students participate in an engaging, alternative assessment activity: making a silent film of an Edgar Allen Poe story. This project offers them an additional way to demonstrate their mastery of the topic. Using technology allows students to demonstrate subtle qualities such as mood and tone in a way they could not otherwise achieve. http://ali.apple.com/ali_sites/ali/exhibits/1001136/

• Movie Books-Children's Stories In this project, upper elementary students from Sacred Heart Parish School, MT, use iMovie to write, illustrate, and narrate a movie book to bring their story alive visually and capture the interest of and inspire nonreaders at their school. http://ali.apple.com/ali_sites/ali/exhibits/1000937/

• M3—Math Movie Minute In this project, students from Bedford Middle School in Connecticut explain math concepts to each other, using iMovie as the vehicle. Because each student group selects a different topic, the project results in a variety of mathematical objectives and outcomes. http://ali.apple.com/ali_sites/ali/exhibits/1000926/

• The Soundtrack of One's Life Students in Cedar Falls, Iowa research relevant pictures, film clips, music from the time period and contemporary tunes, to build an iTunes and iMovie biography. http://ali.apple.com/ali_sites/ali/exhibits/1000542/

• My School Students of Ohio's Columbus Academy use their foreign language speaking and writing skills and their creative talent to make a class movie about their school that can be sent to pen pals in another country. The goals of the project are to increase the students' interest in the language and for them to practice using their language skills in the real world.

• Stories of the American Experience Students from Century High School in Bismarck, ND, interview veterans in their community to retell their American experience. This project empowers students to study, record, and bring history to life, while making a solid connection between living history and the students' own communication skills. It also provides a service to the community, because it offers a way to bridge the generation gap. http://ali.apple.com/ali_sites/ali/exhibits/1000875/

Ideas and Lessons for using movies in the classroom HIGH SCHOOL

Sites Devoted to Movie Making in the Classroom

• Digital Video in Educationhttp://edtech.guhsd.net/video/videoideas.htmlDigital Video Project Ideas listed here focus on educational styles. Videos and films are often sorted by the characteristics they share. Familiar genres (kinds of films) include drama, action/adventure, comedy, science fiction, documentary, and more. Even horror films are known to share style, form, and similar content.

• Apple Learning Exchange GREAT SITEhttp://oldali.apple.com/ali/search_res.phpOver 301 examples with links of projects

• Technology 4 the Classroom GREAT SITEhttp://scnc.misd.k12.mi.us/technology/dig-video.htmlLinks to various web site resources that provide digital video production information for educators.

Services

Still Images Digital VideoMusic/Narration

Rock You yes no no

Photo Story 3 yes no yes

for Windows

Windows Movie Maker yes yes yes

iMovie, Mac yes yes yes

Photo Story 3 for Windows

Easiest movie making program to begin learning how to make movies.

You can use Photo Story 3 for Windows to create visually compelling and fun stories using your pictures and music. This article walks you through the basics of creating a photo story and shows you how easy and fun it can be!http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/digitalphotography/photostory/tips/firststory.mspx

Windows Movie Maker

Comes standard on all Windows XP machine

Online directions for making movies effortlesslyhttp://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/moviemaker/videos/create.mspx

Visit for more information and resources.

http://maythetechbewithyou.pbwiki.com/MovieMaking

Thank you for attending!