Video Project Ideas

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