How to...videos for Second Grade

Students in our second grade learn to create videos as a way to chronicle their science and social studies activities in the classroom. We have used school provided small camcorders and digital cameras. One teacher has a personal FlipCamera that we take advantage of using whenever we can. The Flip Camera is much easier for the child to hold and it works well on a tripod.
After mastering the video camera, with and without a tripod, the students also learn how to edit audio and video, by deleting sections that are not relevant, cutting out extraneous noises and adding in ambient noise. They add title and credit pages and finally add some background music. Each child in the classroom uses these skills throughout the year. For example, while studying circuits, water cycles or plant growth, videos and still digital pictures are compiled. A small group of students will then work to create a video based on the lesson. Most videos run from 2 to 5 minutes. The videos are downloaded into a computer, usually a Mac, are edited and saved on a DVD. These videos are then available for the rest of the class to use to review subject material.
Before shooting, students plan the video by making storyboards showing the progression of the video. Planning a video production teaches the important skill of organization and decision making. Some students work on dialog skills by making cue cards for the “actors”. This language arts component assists students who are learning to be concise in their language use. Some of the children enjoy being on camera while others may feel shy at the beginning of the year. By the end of the school year, every student has taken part in creating a “How To…” video. The use of this technology in our classroom has enhanced understanding of science and social studies curriculum and it has fostered collaborative learning. These videos are part of the curriculum instruction; the use of technology enhances the student understanding of the subject matter. One of the best outcomes is the fact that each student leaves second grade with the ability to shoot a short movie or documentary, edit and finalize the video and save it to a DVD. Because of the variety of resources used, this lesson plan works equally well for girls as it does for boys. The plan aslo encompasses all of the learning styles present in a second grade classroom.