For the last two weeks, my Pre-AP ELA classes have been brainstorming, storyboarding, writing, filming, and editing their own original short films for our study on drama.
Last year, after my students had studied the elements of drama, they created their own original one-act plays. They wrote their one-act plays on Google Docs, collaborating together, then performed them. It was a hit. But this year, I thought, "Why not take it a step further?" So, I presented the idea of the First Annual Catdance Film Festival.
We're the Wildcats at our school, so I thought I'd do a little riff on the Sundance Film Festival. Sundance. Catdance. No?! Oh well... it got the job done.
My overall objective was for them to create a literary drama. Experience the inner workings of a drama on a higher level. Instead of just LEARNING about it, our learning would be much deeper if we CREATED our own drama. Instead of just learning what stage directions were, we were going to USE them to enhance our own original plot. You get the idea. No memorizing of terms. Putting into action!
Here's how it went down.
1. We reviewed drama vocabulary terms: stage directions, playwright, dialogue, act, scene, etc.
2. We read, analyzed, and viewed the classic Twilight Zone Episode, "The Monsters are Due on Maple Street." ( I HIGHLY recommend using TWZ episodes to enhance the study of drama. Two thumbs up.)
3. I showed them this short film created by middle school students at a Orefield Middle School. It's pretty dark, but it provided a great example of editing, dialogue, and theme.
4. I gave them some guidelines and a rubric, but I'll be honest, this was an experiment for me as well, so I definitely learned a few things along the way too. I used a version of this last year, so this year, I changed it into this.
5. I then basically gave my students the next two weeks to plan, write, edit scripts, produce, film, and edit their films. I checked in with them along the way and had them turn in a planning sheet and a storyboard before they began filming. They also turned in their collaborative script on Google Classroom.
6. After students created their films, they uploaded their videos to our Google Classroom assignment.
7. Today, all of their hard work paid off when we had our First Annual Catdance Film Festival. I supplied popcorn and drinks as we watched each submission.
8. After it was all said and done, students reflected on their experiences through writing, and we voted for a Fan-Favorite Award and Editing Award.
Overall, I'd definitely do this assignment again, but as most lessons go, there will always be tweaks to refine and innovate along the way. Most of my students told me that they really enjoyed this activity, and I had several, today, ask if we were going to do another one because they realized what they would do differently next time. Pretty cool. Already ready to improve.
Have you ever had your students create films? If so, what worked or didn't work? I'd love to hear from you.
Megan Gordon
7th Grade ELAR
Last year, after my students had studied the elements of drama, they created their own original one-act plays. They wrote their one-act plays on Google Docs, collaborating together, then performed them. It was a hit. But this year, I thought, "Why not take it a step further?" So, I presented the idea of the First Annual Catdance Film Festival.
We're the Wildcats at our school, so I thought I'd do a little riff on the Sundance Film Festival. Sundance. Catdance. No?! Oh well... it got the job done.
My overall objective was for them to create a literary drama. Experience the inner workings of a drama on a higher level. Instead of just LEARNING about it, our learning would be much deeper if we CREATED our own drama. Instead of just learning what stage directions were, we were going to USE them to enhance our own original plot. You get the idea. No memorizing of terms. Putting into action!
Here's how it went down.
1. We reviewed drama vocabulary terms: stage directions, playwright, dialogue, act, scene, etc.
2. We read, analyzed, and viewed the classic Twilight Zone Episode, "The Monsters are Due on Maple Street." ( I HIGHLY recommend using TWZ episodes to enhance the study of drama. Two thumbs up.)
3. I showed them this short film created by middle school students at a Orefield Middle School. It's pretty dark, but it provided a great example of editing, dialogue, and theme.
4. I gave them some guidelines and a rubric, but I'll be honest, this was an experiment for me as well, so I definitely learned a few things along the way too. I used a version of this last year, so this year, I changed it into this.
5. I then basically gave my students the next two weeks to plan, write, edit scripts, produce, film, and edit their films. I checked in with them along the way and had them turn in a planning sheet and a storyboard before they began filming. They also turned in their collaborative script on Google Classroom.
6. After students created their films, they uploaded their videos to our Google Classroom assignment.
7. Today, all of their hard work paid off when we had our First Annual Catdance Film Festival. I supplied popcorn and drinks as we watched each submission.
8. After it was all said and done, students reflected on their experiences through writing, and we voted for a Fan-Favorite Award and Editing Award.
Overall, I'd definitely do this assignment again, but as most lessons go, there will always be tweaks to refine and innovate along the way. Most of my students told me that they really enjoyed this activity, and I had several, today, ask if we were going to do another one because they realized what they would do differently next time. Pretty cool. Already ready to improve.
Have you ever had your students create films? If so, what worked or didn't work? I'd love to hear from you.
Megan Gordon
7th Grade ELAR
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