Summary
The Lord of the Rings. The Hunger Games. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. In the last decade, juvenile and teen fiction novels have become golden at the box office. Selecting the right novel to be made into a film is a billion dollar decision. For every successful film, there are bombs such as A Series of Unfortunate Events, Eragon, and Inkheart that for many reasons failed to connect with audiences. In their push to create the latest box office hit, movie producers are asking students to submit movie trailers of their favorite books that have not already been turned into a movie.
Students will analyze movie trailers for literary plot elements and filmmaking techniques. Then they will use this data to collaborate on a novel-based movie trailer to be featured on our school newspaper website. Finally, our newspaper’s readers will vote on the movie trailers they feel should be sent to Hollywood! In the future, our movies will be shared on a class website where reluctant readers will be able to get a taste for books they may be interested in reading in the future.
TIPC Ratings
Ideal/Target: Students had to first sort through the information from their novel and then synthesize how they could bring the key characters, settings, and moments to life using the tools at their disposal. They had to learn how to use their specific device. I did not model any specific editing programs or techniques in class. They developed their own questions, such as how I can create a close-up in GoAnimate? Many students researched online and made self-discoveries through experimentation. As a teacher, I facilitated these discoveries, helping when needed and offering suggestions to students when they became stuck. I am also accessing their final product, which includes the use of various techniques, as you can see on my rubric.
Ideal/Target: Students were allowed to work by themselves or in groups for this project. Students collaborated on the research portion of this assignment by using Google Presentation to collect data for their movie. By creating a product that can be uploaded to the internet and/or embedded on a website, they are able to reach audiences beyond our classroom. Our movies will be shared with the current student body, future students, as well as a real movie producer. As a teacher, I developed a rubric that gives students an opportunity to reflect and evaluate their own performance as well as their peers’.
Ideal/Target: To be successful with this project, students were constantly having to evaluate their progress by asking questions and uncovering answers. They had to decide which tools to use and how to use them effectively. For example, many groups wanted to use their own iPods to record their videos, but editing on the iPods was difficult. Transferring a file from iPod to their school lap required video conversion tools. This was an open-ended, real-world task with many possible solutions. At the end of the project, students were given a chance to reflect on the experience and then set future goals for our next project.
Ideal/Target: Students were given only a few parameters: they had to create a movie between 1-2 minutes in length that featured their novel’s plot elements as well as basic movie making techniques. How to do this was left entirely up to them. Some groups chose to reenact and record their videos using digital cameras, others created digital animations using GoAnimate, and others opted for stop-motion animation using existing props from their homes. Students further displayed their creativity by using special picture and sound effects. Many took risks, such as using the green screen, that may or may not have worked out for them. Students had the opportunity to reflect on this experience, which was part of the project’s assessment as can be seen by my rubric.
