Collaborative Animation

The challenge was on. Create a 90 second video heralding the benefits of tap water.  Prize for the top three submissions.  We haven’t won yet, but our recipe for success is this:

  1. Students in two grade four classrooms collaborate on a padlet to brainstorm their researched ideas about why choosing tap water is a good idea.  This digital document serves as major touchpoints for…
  2. Mr. D. writes a song on the guitar using the students’ ideas (and trying hard to make it rhyme).
  3. Students learn and perform song.  The 90 second limit is a concern!
  4. The song is split into 14 parts to be animated.  Between the two classes we have 14 groupings of 4 desks – perfect for teams to complete stop motion animation with iPads!
  5. Students create the ‘stage’ and artwork that will be in their animation.
  6. The classrooms turn into production studios.
  7. Finished products are airdropped to one device and sewn together to make one 90 second video.  Our song is added as the soundtrack and voila!

Here’s hoping we win some recognition.  The great news is that it was fun, meaningful and community-building anyhow and we’ll definitely use it again as a way to explore literacy and media.