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Making Book Trailers


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Keywords: reading, story boarding, movie making, book trailers, technology, computers
Subject(s): English/Language Arts, Reading, Technology
Grades 5 through 7
NETS-S Standard:
  • Creativity and Innovation
  • Communication and Collaboration
  • Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making
  • Technology Operations and Concepts
View Full Text of Standards
School: Trillium Academy, Taylor, MI
Planned By: Jessica PSimer
Original Author: Jessica PSimer, Taylor

5th grade students will be creating short book trailer videos about a picture book of their choice. Students will have to identify persuasive elements of book trailers that add to the mood and theme of books, and make people want to read them. They will use Windows MovieMaker to create their own book trailers, and present them to younger students in March.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES: STUDENTS WILL...
1 Work cooperatively in groups.
2 Brainstorm with groups to select a book.
3 Watch example book trailers to identify elements of a book trailer that persuade the audience to read the book.
4 Create a storyboard as a plan for their videos.
5 Select free to use pictures and music that add to the tone and mood of the book they chose.
6 Create a 30 second to 1 minute book trailer in Windows Movie Maker.

STANDARDS
Michigan Educational Technology Standards for Students:
● Creativity and Innovation: 3-5-2.CC.3. use a variety of media and formats to create and edit products (e.g., presentations, newsletters, brochures, web pages) to communicate information and ideas to various audiences
● Communication and Collaboration: 3-5.CI.1. produce a media-rich digital project aligned to state curriculum standards (e.g., fable, folk tale, mystery, tall tale, historical fiction)
5th Grade Common Core Reading Standards:
● Integration of Knowledge and Ideas: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.5.7: Analyze how visual and multimedia elements contribute to the meaning, tone, or beauty of a text (e.g., graphic novel, multimedia presentation of fiction, folktale, myth, poem).

MATERIALS
● 29 laptop computers
● Book Trailer reflection worksheet http://tinyurl.com/b7298lh
● Resource list for gathering pictures and music (Located on my website)
● Storyboard worksheet http://tinyurl.com/bxqfa2b
● Student selected picture books
● Instructions checklist: http://tinyurl.com/a8b6ues



COMPUTER FUNCTIONS AND DATA MANIPULATION
Learning Task Computer Software/Tool Data Manipulation
Preview Book Trailers Book Trailers For Readers website
http://www.booktrailersforreaders.com/Home+Student+Book+Trailers

● Watch videos
● Analyze elements of multimedia that add to mood
Search for media (pictures and music) for their trailers Morguefile - Pictures
http://www.morguefile.com/
Purpleplanet - Music
http://www.purple-planet.com/#
● Select appropriate search terms
● Conduct search
● Select media
Create a citation list Windows Movie Maker ● Use the guidelines on purple planet and morguefile to properly credit the creative commons media they chose.
Create a video Windows MovieMaker ● Import media into program
● Drag and drop pictures and music onto the timeline.
● Add text from their storyboard script either as text on/before pictures or as narration.
● Add effects and transitions that enhance the video

Export Video Windows MovieMaker ● Select the appropriate file extension for their video
● Export the video to the specified network folder.


SPECIFY PROBLEM
(Anticipatory Set) Next month, March, is all about reading and being excited about books. Unfortunately, our school doesn’t have a very big library, so it’s hard to decide what books we want to read. Your job is to inspire students in 1st-3rd grade to pick up some of your favorite kids books and give them a chance. You will be making book trailer video to get young students excited about books.

PRIOR KNOWLEDGE
● generating keywords for a search
● distinguishing file formats (images vs. sound vs. document vs. video etc)
● Locating and saving to network folders
RESULTS PRESENTATION
Students will have 4 weeks from start to finish, working 1 hour per week during technology time. They will choose a book, plan a storyboard, locate images and sounds, import to MovieMaker, add text, edit and export the file as an .mp4 or .avi video. Videos will be shown at the school’s integration assembly for March is Reading Month.


PROCEDURE
Day 1: Preview Book Trailers
Before Going to Computer: I will introduce the project, and we will view 2 book trailers together. The first one is a student example from the Book Trailers For Readers website of a well made book trailer. As a class, we will generate a list of the elements of the trailer that made us want to read the book. Next, we will watch another student example which was not as well made, and we will add to our list of the parts of a good book trailer; this time adding parts that we will avoid.
Example:
Parts of a Great Book Trailer Things to Avoid
Pictures match the story
music choice sets mood that matches theme of book
It doesn’t give away too much of the book
Asks questions to get you hooked in
If there is narration, it is loud and clear, and not overpowered by music Background noise during narration
Text doesn’t stay on the screen long enough
Gives away too much of the book
Music choice doesn’t fit the book
Just summarizing the book
At the Computer: Students will meet in their project groups and preview more book trailers from the Book Trailers For Readers website. They will keep the parts of our list in mind as they watch the videos and answer questions on the Book Preview Reflection worksheet.
After the Computer: Students should work on reflection worksheet and brainstorm ideas for book choices. Each group must have their chosen book at the next meeting (one week later).

Day 2: Storyboard Planning and Gathering Media
Before the Computer: I will explain that they will be planning their book preview using a storyboard. I will show them an example storyboard, and go through the directions. They will have to have 5-10 sentences and 5-8 pictures.
At the Computer: Students will create a group folder in the network folder for their project files. They will use a tutorial video from my website to guide them in doing so. Using their storyboard as a guide, students will use morguefile and purple-planet websites to find appropriate media files for their trailers, and save them to their project folder.
After the Computer: Reread and finalize their script on the storyboard.

Day 3: Importing Media and Creating a Project File in Windows Movie Maker
Before the Computer: I will show the students how to create a new collection folder in Windows Movie Maker to store their group’s media files. I will show them how to import their media files into the collection, and drag them, in order, onto the STORYBOARD mode of Windows Movie Maker. I will show them how they can add frames of text, and drag their pictures and text into different orders, and adjust timing. I will also guide them to the section of my website that has video tutorials of each step in the process, and show them how to access the Help menu in MovieMaker.
At the Computer: Groups will upload their media into MovieMaker, drag them to the storyboard mode, and save their project file to their group folder. They can begin to adjust times and add text.
After the Computer: Students will take an “exit ticket” form on socrative.com to tell me what they got out of the workday, ask any questions, and voice any concerns/frustrations, so that I can address them next week.

Day 4: Finishing Touches and Exporting
Before the Computer: I will review the basics of the MovieMaker program, and remind them to view my video guides and Help menus in the program if they need help with something.
At the Computer: Students will spend the hour finishing up and previewing their videos. With about 15 minutes left, I will show them how to export. Any group that is ready will do so, if groups are not ready to export, they will be responsible for coming in during a recess or free class time to finish the video. I will arrange this with the classroom teachers.
After the Computer: Students will view each other’s videos at the integration assembly in March, and can preview them ahead of time on my website.


ASSESSMENT
Objective or Performance Beginning
1 Developing
2 Accomplished
3 Exemplary
4 Score



Pictures



Picturesare missing all of the following requirements:
● At least 5 pictures
● Pictures match the mood and plot of the story.
● All pictures are high quality and not blurry. Pictures are missing 2 of the following requirements:
● At least 5 pictures
● Pictures match the mood and plot of the story.
● All pictures are high quality and not blurry. Pictures are missing 1 of the following requirements:
● At least 5 pictures
● Pictures match the mood and plot of the story.
● All pictures are high quality and not blurry. Pictures meet all of the following requirements:
● At least 5 pictures
● Pictures match the mood and plot of the story.
● All pictures are high quality and not blurry.



Text/Narration
(Script)


Textor Narration is missing 3 of the following elements:
● The script is well thought out, compelling, and makes the viewer want to read the book.
● It does not give away too much of the book, or simply summarize it.
● Text displayed on the screen is large enough to view and in an attractive font that matches the mood of the video.
● Narration is clearly spoken with feeling, well rehearsed, and free of distracting background noise. Text or Narration is missing 2 of the following elements:
● The script is well thought out, compelling, and makes the viewer want to read the book.
● It does not give away too much of the book, or simply summarize it.
● Text displayed on the screen is large enough to view and in an attractive font that matches the mood of the video.
● Narration is clearly spoken with feeling, well rehearsed, and free of distracting background noise. Text or Narration is missing 1 of the following elements:
● The script is well thought out, compelling, and makes the viewer want to read the book.
● It does not give away too much of the book, or simply summarize it.
● Text displayed on the screen is large enough to view and in an attractive font that matches the mood of the video.
● Narration is clearly spoken with feeling, well rehearsed, and free of distracting background noise.
Text or Narration includes all of the following elements:
● The script is well thought out, compelling, and makes the viewer want to read the book.
● It does not give away too much of the book, or simply summarize it.
● Text displayed on the screen is large enough to view and in an attractive font that matches the mood of the video.
● Narration is clearly spoken with feeling, well rehearsed, and free of distracting background noise.



Soundtrack (Music)



No music is included in the video. Music is missing 2 of the following elements:
● Music plays throughout the entire video
● Music sets a mood or tone that compliments the book
● Volume is adjusted so music does not overpower narrations Music is missing 1 of the following elements:
● Music plays throughout the entire video
● Music sets a mood or tone that compliments the book
● Volume is adjusted so music does not overpower narrations Music includes all of the following elements:
● Music plays throughout the entire video
● Music sets a mood or tone that compliments the book
● Volume is adjusted so music does not overpower narrations



Timing Video is under 15 seconds or over 2 minutes, little or no thought went into timing transitions, text and pictures are not timed out for the audience to view them. 1 of the following elements are present:
● Video is between 30 seconds and 1.5 minutes.
● All text and pictures are displayed long enough for the audience to properly view them
● Timing seems well thought out and planned (pictures transition with music, etc) 2 of the following elements are present:
● Video is between 30 seconds and 1.5 minutes.
● All text and pictures are displayed long enough for the audience to properly view them
● Timing seems well thought out and planned (pictures transition with music, etc) All of the following elements are present:
● Video is between 30 seconds and 1.5 minutes.
● All text and pictures are displayed long enough for the audience to properly view them
● Timing seems well thought out and planned (pictures transition with music, etc)
Comments
The assessment section was formatted as a table, but lost its formatting when pasted in. Each section has bullet points that will be graded on a scale of 1-4, which are labeled at the top.
Follow-Up
Have students present their book trailers as an alternative to a book report.
Materials: Authoring and Publishing, Headsets, Keyboards, Video Tools, Microphones, Digital Voice Recorders, Video Cameras, Mobile Labs, Student Resources, Assessment