Tip:
So you want to have your students create videos as part of your curriculum, but you're not sure where to integrate videos? Here are a few ideas for a range of curriculum areas:
Language Arts
Alphabet Zoo: Have students...
- choose one letter and create a picture about an animal that contains that letter,
- combine all the letters into a slide show program or movie editing program (iMovie, MovieMaker, PhotoStory),
- add narration over their picture.
All About Me: Have students...
- create a timeline of the major events in their life,
- digitize the pictures of themselves that match their timeline,
- write a script about the pictures they collected,
- add narrative and music to pictures added to movie program.
Grandmother's Hands: Have students...
- brainstorm a list of questions for one of their relatives,
- interview their relative with short clips for each question,
- start with a picture of their relative's hands with a title and music,
- add transitions between questions and end with credits with music.
Mathematics
Math in the Real World: Have students...
- find examples of patterns, coordinates, area and perimeter or other math skills,
- video the example and demonstrate how this represents the skill in the real world.
Math Rap: Have students...
- Teach students the Multiplication Rap or the Math memory stories,
- Video tape class (a few students at a time reciting the song),
- Put it all together in a class video.
Social Studies
Revolutionary or Civil War Videos
- Digitize or capture pictures of battles, soldiers, weapons, famous generals and a few patriotic music clips,
- Cite your primary sources,
- Create a presentation with the images and music using Powerpoint or PhotoStory and convert it to a video or use iMovie or MovieMaker (tutorial),
- Video tape students recreating the Gettysburg speech, reading the Declaration of Independence, or have groups of students write a script about an event during the wars.
Where in the World is...?
- Follow the travels of Marco Polo or other explorers using Google Earth maps,
- Do screen captures of the maps and create a video timeline.
Public Service Announcements
- Create a public service video promoting a city and state as if you were the Chamber of Commerce,
- Choose your audience (Olympic Committee, Disney, or Investor) to promote your city.
History Museum
- Choose a "famous" person to share in your museum,
- Take notes, do research and storyboard a timeline about their person,
- Students are videotaped dressed as their "famous" person,
- Combine the videos of all the famous people as a video museum.
Science
Science Lessons and Experiments
- Design a science experiment using the scientific method,
- Storyboard each step using close-up shots,
- Include different perspectives and possibly time-lapse to grab your audience.
Weather is Weather
- Create a video about the seasons using pictures of one scene at different times of the year,
- Collect weather data and predict the weather. Present weekly video weather reports,
- Show the effect of weather and climate on the local area.
Cross Curricular
Field Trips
- Take digital pictures of students on a field trip,
- Record student interviews,
- Create a video of the pictures with the interviews
Class Yearbook
- Take digital pictures of events during the school year,
- Interview students asking them what they like about school, the teacher and each other, share stories and activities
Next Tip: The Art of Digital Storytelling
