Saturday, May 31, 2014

Surviving the Chaos- Film a Class Movie





End of May, Beginning of June...
AHHHHHHH! It is the end of the year disaster...er... mess...er....chaos! Yeah, that's it. Chaos. It is a time when state (school) testing is over and students minds are already on their swimming pools, friends, and late nights!

There is a cure for this that I use with my 6th grade students. In the last month of school, we divide into groups and film class "movies". Depending on your students, you could even let them edit them, themselves. I use Power Director and spend a few hours (okay LOTS of hours) editing them together. I also throw in random pictures I have taken over the year (see below) as a slide show between videos. 






This year, our year end "movie" was over and hour long with the different pictures, videos of holiday performances, dance festivals, and tons of pictures of school events. The students LOVE it every year AND they have to WRITE the script, PRACTICE reading it, and then ACT it out. It takes about two weeks if I let them have 30-45 minutes a day. The best part is that they bring all the props and everything else they need. Don't have a video camera?
Good, they are a pain to get the footage off. I use our regular camera from home and just use the video function. 

I know that you will enjoy this project once you get going. If you can't record them, you could always do LIVE productions of each group.

Ideas to use:
-Infomercial
-Commercial
-Spoof on a Popular Movie/TV Show
-News Report
-Tips for Next Year
-Play/One Act
-Class Memories


Thanks and I wish you great success as you bring your year in for a landing-
WAHOO!
-Mr. Hughes


Thanks for joining our end of the school year blog hop today. Twenty teacher bloggers got together to celebrate the end of the school year with you. Be sure to visit each one for a great end-of-the-year survival tip or activity!

Happy Hopping!



6 comments:

  1. I love this suggestion, Mr. Hughes! As usual, you have a wonderful idea to share. Happy End-of-the-Year!

    Kim
    Finding JOY in 6th Grade

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Kim! You are always so kind. I LOVED this years movies. I divided the class in to 5 groups and they each filmed a commercial OR film preview. The kids had so much fun. In the last 13 years, I have created 11 movies! Have a great day.

      Delete
  2. Great idea. I take so many photos during the year and never do anything much with them. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey Lynn-
      You are most welcome. Take the pictures and make them into a slide show! The kids LOVE it! Lots of giggles, laughs, and smiles!
      Have a great summer. :)

      Delete
  3. What a great way to remember the year! Not sure if I could survive countless hours a film editing though.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Diplo-
      I hope they do remember it for at least the summer. The editing is NOT my favorite part, but it is always worth it when I hear the laughing and excited whispering as they saw pictures.

      Delete

Thanks for sharing your thoughts...

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.

You Might Also Like Reading These:

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

ShareThis