Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH Final Project

Students will be working in collaborative groups of 2-3 to complete a digital story FLIP video. These videos will be presented to the class. They are able to choose from the following topics:

1. Retell the story of Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH including the beginning, middle, end, as well as all important details and characters.

2. Come up with a story about what happened to the rats once they reached Thorn Valley. What was life like for them once they left the farm?

3. Write your own ending to the book. Pick up from the point after the rats moved Mrs. Frisby’s house. Try to include all of the main characters that were included in the original ending.

Once students have picked the topic they want to focus on, they will start writing their "script" together. Once their script is done, it needs to be checked off by the teacher. After their writing is done, they can find pictures that can help tell their story that they wrote. Students will be using a white posterboard on the floor as their background. One student will be responsible for reading their script, one will move the pictures in and out of the screen, and one will be videotaping (if there is a group of 2, they will need to use a tripod). Students may make a title slide with their names on it to put in front of the video camera as they start recording. One student will then start reading the script while the other student will move the pictures they have chosen to help tell their story in and out of the frame on the white posterboard. Pictures may be used more than once for certain characters or places. These pictures can be found in magazines, on the Internet, or students may draw their own. This will require practice before they start recording, as well as several takes during the actual recording.

The video will need to be minimum of 2 minutes, not to exceed 4 minutes. Students will be given a planning sheet to help their organize all of the tasks they need to complete