Hunger Games Literacy Project

I chose to create a lesson around The Hunger Games, using an Animoto as the introduction tool, a blog as the class-discussion enhancement tool (running our own Arena, and requiring the students to use persuasive arguments to win the bid for District aid each day), and a digital story showcasing persuasive argument for who the winning District of our class should be as the final project.  Since I do not currently have a classroom of my own, the feedback I was given was verbal from some of my peers (other teachers of high school English, or those with some training in Higher Ed.)  I created an example of each stage of the lesson as my "show-and tell."  Any and all feedback is greatly appreciated.

Hunger Games Intro Animoto:




Hunger Games Discussion Blog:

Hunger Games Persuasive Argument Digital Story Example:


DomoNation.com: Hunger Games Digital Story Sample Final by emagdule

Again, any feedback, especially from those currently in a classroom, or those who have used similar tools, is very welcomed!

In fair Verona, where we Animoto

I wish I had found more images for public use, but I'm surprised with how well it turned out compared to what it looked like while creating it - not too painful, even for the first time!  I decided to use Romeo & Juliet as a topic because I knew it would be a likely subject for me in a public high school, and if not this play specifically, surely one of the Bard's other tragedies would be.  I owned the song, and forwarded the music to a more economic starting point, shaving off almost a minute of instrumental and initial verses.  There were other images I had in mind, but I really wanted to stay with what was open to use to have a better feeling of what my students would face as a challenge to being honest with their own work.

This Animoto would be for use in a high school English class as an introduction to Romeo & Juliet, before discussing vocab, setting or expectations.  It fulfills the NETS-T 1, 2, & 3 standards for Facilitating & Inspiring, Designing & Developing, and Modeling technology that would be further used in the classroom.  It could be the first time Animoto is used, as a way of also introducing one method a student could utilize it for in a later project.



Let me know what you think!

Domo Animoto...

The missing link between PowerPoint and Youtube, I like the concept of Animoto, but it seems that it has been mostly ignored by the secondary educators - or there just aren't that many of us in comparison to the early childhood educators.

This use of an animoto for introduction of vocab for science made me think of using one for a vocab intro at the start of a new book, or unit.  It could be especially useful if the unit/book corresponded with cross-discipline topics.  Studying WWI in Social Studies, reading All Quiet on the Western Front in English, the geometry or physics of a battlefield.  Or when studying the English Renaissance, Shakespeare, metrics...

Another example, from the Animoto site on Civil Rights made me think of how to enhance even just one event that might be minimally covered otherwise, with some specific images and music to reinforce the importance of that event.  A third on the same site for Math was an example on what music NOT to use.  I didn't make it pass 10 seconds before I stopped the video.

I'm not sure if I will end up making a vocab presentation or one on an event, but I feel like I've narrowed it down to at least those two concepts...and the Animoto technology is growing on me.  I've seen some that move too slow (in my opinion) and some with music poorly chosen, but I like that with moving images, and words, and sound, you can get the attention of a range of learning styles.