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What's In A Name?


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Keywords: Flip Video,
Subject(s): Art, Technology, Geography, Writing, Music, Reading, Information Skills, Journalism, History
Grades 6 through 12
NETS-S Standard:
  • Creativity and Innovation
  • Communication and Collaboration
  • Research and Information Fluency
  • Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making
  • Digital Citizenship
  • Technology Operations and Concepts
View Full Text of Standards
School: Mayfield Woods Middle School, Elkridge, MD
Planned By: Charla Phillips
Original Author: Charla Phillips, Elkridge
1. Students will research the origins of their name through bookmarked internet sites and a collection of books about etymology. The notes cited from these sources will constitute their secondary research.

2. Students will create a list of interview questions about how they got their names and the significance of the name choices, and then interview three different family members. The notes collected from these interviews will constitute their primary research.

3. Students will compose a paragraph expressing their feelings about their name, their memories associated with their name and personal stories connected to their name.

4.Students will begin the movie process by writing a script for their movie about their name. The script must have the following sections: 1. Introduction 2. Secondary Findings 3. Primary Findings 4. Expert Opinion 5. Conclusion. The script will be printed in a size 48 font for easier reading on the set.

5. After a lesson about storyboarding and basic camera shots, students will storyboard their movie. Each section of the script must be a different camera shot.

6. Students may bring props and/or wardrobe pieces for their Name Movie.

7. The class will be divided into groups of four. Each group will be assigned a set location. The roles will be Director, Script Holder, Actor and Videographer. The Actor will be the student who wrote the script. All rolls rotate in order, so that every student experiences each job once.

8. The movies will be shot using a Flip camera. The movie must be "camera ready", meaning no re-takes.

9. After all movies have been recorded, the students will take turns downloading their footage into iMovie in the computer lab.

10. Students will read to perform a task, using written directions and pictures to add a title and credits, and if time allows, transitions and music.

11. Students will export their movies to a teacher hand-in folder.

12. The teacher will make a DVD containing the student Name Movies.

13. The students will watch the movies during class (with popcorn).

Comments
I tried this lesson this year and the sixth grade research students loved it. The Flip cameras were old and didn't hold enough footage, so the project took longer than I would have liked. Because I did not have enough Flip cameras, I had to also use camcorders, which took longer and were not as user friendly as the Flips. This was a fun and effective way to showcase the students' research.
Cross-Curriculum Ideas
Original music could be added as a soundtrack. Photography could be easily incorporated. The movie procedure could be adapted to any subject.
Follow-Up
Students will be able to see what worked well and what did not work for future film projects. If the movie procedure is used again in place of a report or poster, the final product will increase in sophistication, as technology skills also increase.
Materials: Mobile Labs, Flip Video, CDs and DVDs, Batteries, Writing