Go Forth and...Animate!

In order to work on research with our 4th graders, we decided to implement a Big 6 Research Project with the final product being something fun and different: animated science videos!  Of course, this was only possible once we received a cart of (slightly!) outdated mini laptops to use during our double library classes. (That's right! We have 2 classes at a time in the library, totaling up to 52 students at a time.) The original 20 "Media Minis" just couldn't handle the needs, but the additional 29 laptops have made a world of difference.

We chose to use goanimate.com (the free version) for this project for several reasons. Our first plan was to use studentpublishing.com and have students write and illustrate storybooks teaching their science topics. This website has had free paperback copies available to students in the past. However, the website's new policy charges $14.95 per book now. That is too expensive for our budget and for many of our students. When we looked around for a "Plan B", we decided to challenge our students creativity and thought process by having them make a 2 minute animated video teaching the topic. (That's all that is allowed in the free version.)

Throughout this project, we have learned several things:

1. Even though their usernames and passwords have not changed in over a year, some students find remembering the spelling of their names and 4 numbers very difficult.

2. Although they have step-by-step instructions for the research, specific directions for the order of activities, and very plain directions for how to make the video, students do not like to read or follow those directions!  If step one says "turn on the computer", 1 of every 10 students will ask, "What do we do first?"

3. Despite spending 3 different lessons on how to make the works cited page, which is a required part of the project to teach this skill, students still are copying their notes on the page instead of the citations.

4. Some children will truly, and wonderfully, surprise you with how hard they work and how much fun they have in making a video project. The videos, despite some setbacks, are starting to take shape.

We are still helping students wade through the research process, but overall this project is finally beginning to take shape. Hopefully we will be able to watch some great videos in the future.