Sound/Video Classroom Activities

Classroom Activities

The following lessons all include engaging activities that incorporate adding sound and movies to Web pages. They can be used as is or adapted/ modified to best meet your curriculum objectives.

Primary: My Favorite Animal

Instructions:

1. Have students select their favorite animal and place the image on a Web page.
2. Have students write a sentence or two explaining why they like this animal.
3. Add a sound link under the picture that lets students hear weather favorite animal sounds like.
4. When the students have finished their page put them all together to create a "Critter Collection"' that includes all the different animal pages.

Extension/Enrichment

Have a cover contest where students create the cover art and title for the book. The cover can be created in several ways. Students can draw and color the cover with crayons or colored pencils that you can scan and include in a Web page or students can use a paint program to create the cover and title. Let the class vote on which cover design they like best. The remaining covers can be included in the book as section dividers or at the end of the book as a student art gallery!

Intermediate/Upper....It's Our Show!

Students will work in groups to prepare a three to four minute report that incorporates an audio or a video clip. Each group will present their research in a presentation or "show" forfeit. This activity can be constructed in a specific academic discipline or can incorporate reports across the curriculum. Example used here is United States History.

Instructions:

1. Divide students into groups of four or five
2. Assign each group a period in U.S. history from a timeline
3. Each student in a group will take a specific event, person, etc. to report on and using various resources will research and write a report.
4. The finished reports will be turned into group Web pages or PowerPoint Presentations.
5. Each group should come up with a name for their show.
6. Each show should have an intro page that includes the name of the show and credits for group members.
7. Each report should be on a separate page and have at least one audio clip file. A video clip is optional.
8. Completed projects are linked in chronological order as Web pages or in sequential slides in Powerpoint.
9. Opening page can be designed by a separate design group or the design group can have the additional responsibilities for creating site templates, the overall look and feel of the project, graphics, etc, and be responsible for production of the finished project.

High School.....Video/Web Chronology

Students will chronicle assignments, projects, and events that can be unit based, semester based, or activity specific which culminate in the production of a multimedia Web site. Students can be paired, grouped, or given individual assignments such as photographers, researchers, reporters, writers, Web producers, graphic designers, etc., to chronicle the class and the work of fellow classmates over a specified period of time as it relates to the project. This activity uses sonnets as an example but the project can include a multi-discipline approach.

Instructions

1. Introduce the sonnet unit to your students.
2. Create student groups that will prepare projects based on a specific sonnet.
3. Introduce and familiarize students, if necessary, with the technology and the technology tools they will be using for this project.
4. Have students volunteer for assignments or assign specific duties and responsibilities.
5. Determine when, and for how long during class, students will be allowed to take photos, shoot video, take journal notes, etc. A good rule of thumb is to have 2-3 students be historians for 10-15 minutes during each session. This will allow more students to try different duties and will prevent having one or two students spend and entire class documenting progress.
6. As a requirement for class, all students must journal, capturing their observations, feelings, and reactions to their classmates and surroundings. These journals will become the written part of the project and will be matched with corresponding digital pictures or video.
7. The class should agree on a metaphor that will be the foundation of the Web site.
8. A variety of writing activities can be included in the project as they relate to your specific curriculum goals.
9. Students can have digital pictures taken or be videotaped as they deliver reports, discuss group progress, demonstrate examples of iambic pentameter, etc.
10. There should be time allotted for production meetings and computer work. If students go to a computer lab, this time could be utilized collectively to prepare documents and images/movies.

If the length of the assignment or unit is less than two weeks, all materials can be gathered and organized for final production that will occur at a later date. If the project will continue beyond that time, a production process should be established to organize, categorize, and begin work on producing a draft of the final project. This will prevent students from amassing too much information, pictures, video, etc., at the end of the project and becoming totally overwhelmed with what to do with it all.

Compile everything, notes, bloopers, journals, candid shots, video, research, art, sounds, etc. into a Web site as the final product. And while you're doing all this, try and keep your sanity!

When the site is complete, burn a CD-ROM for every student.

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