Student-Authored Book Trailer

Lights – Camera – Storytime

Topics: Language Arts, Writing, Digital Technology, Visual Communication

Audience: Second-grade students

Goal: To align the traditional “book report” with 21st century tools.

Reflection: Providing a way for students to implement engaging multimedia learning strategies helps to maximize learner engagement.


Feedback

“I really enjoyed reading over your project, Danielle! You did a nice job providing the lesson’s audience, subject area, and 4 objectives. The objectives are clearly stated and are supported within the lesson activity. Nice job, including the detailed materials used for the lesson. Your activity sequence is very organized and flows nicely. I like how you kick off the lesson by doing a think-pair-share on student choice for reading books.

I also like how the students will watch book trailer videos and discuss common elements and what they liked about the trailers. Well done providing several resources for images, music, and applications to create the book trailer. Your rubric is very detailed and supports how you assess the students from IC – Excellent. Nice job completing the lesson critique for your project. I really like your completed storyboard on ‘There’s No Such Thing as a Dragon.’ You did a great job including the script, images, timing, and text on the screen. Thank you for your hard work!”

M. Lynn, Instructor

Lesson Overview

Assignment Instructions

This project aims to design a lesson for students to make a student-authored book trailer video.

  • You will not be producing an actual video for this project.
  • You must complete and submit a script/storyboard, along with the lesson design/critique from a student’s perspective.
  • The focus is for students to pitch a book they have read.
  • You must complete and submit a script, storyboard, and lesson design/critique for this project.

Lesson Objectives

By the conclusion of the lesson, students should:

  • Analyze visual communication messages about books.
  • Utilize and cite images and soundtracks in accordance with copyright guidelines.
  • Be able to analyze a story and determine how to communicate the critical elements through images and text.
  • Use technology to create a book trailer for the book of their choice.

Evaluation Overview

Evaluation / Assessment: Rubric

Tips for Other Teachers Using This Lesson:
Successful implementation of this lesson will be highly dependent upon the familiarity and comfort level of the student and the available technology.

For materials, resources and reference list download lesson

Lesson Critique – Did the lesson meet the principles?

Write learning outcomes/objectives that are specific, focused, and achievable. Yes, the objectives are clear and achievable.

Use short video clips (The optimal length is less than 2 minutes) to address each learning outcome. Segment or edit the video if necessary. Only use part of the program for teaching. Yes, All clips are less than two minutes. Students will produce a book trailer shorter than 2 minutes.

Use multi-sensory media content: Use multiple video clips or other multimedia content (photos, PowerPoint, web pages, text, audio, etc.) or other reading resources (from the textbook, books, articles, etc.). Students will utilize video clips, complete worksheets, and explore websites for additional resources.

Could you give students a personally meaningful objective or purpose for watching the video clip? For example: pose a challenge question, present a puzzle or problem to solve using the information presented in the video, and relate the learning objective or the video to the student’s personal experience or interest. Multiple video viewings will encourage students to develop their own book trailers and understand the many elements that go into creating a book trailer.

Ensure that including the digital video “adds value” to the lesson. Yes, viewing and creating the videos add value to the lesson by asking the student to consume and produce a video.

Lesson Design Highlights


Introduction

How do we decide what to read? Instructor reviews the types of stories covered in the class.


Establish What We Know

Discussion and Think Pair Share: Introduce book trailers — Start with movie trailers. What are they? How do they work? Then transition to books.


Visual Analysis

Watch book trailers.

SOURCE
SOURCE
SOURCE

Discuss Book Trailers

  • What were the common elements in each trailer?
  • Which was the favorite? Why?
  • What did you not like as much? Why?

Explore

Review the nursery rhyme, Humpty Dumpty (Write it on the board or project it as a slide)

“Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
All the king’s horses and all the king’s men
Couldn’t put Humpty together again.” SOURCE


Class Discussion

  • How should we tell this story?
  • What kind of images should we use?
  • What should we say?
  • How should we say it?

Each student completes the Humpty Dumpty Book Trailer Planning Worksheet


Watch and Discuss

SOURCE
  • Did you choose similar images to tell the Humpty Dumpty story?
  • What did the segment do well?
  • What would you change about how they told the story?

Explore

  • Review steps for completing the project, expectations, and rubric.
  • Now that we have looked at all the pieces that go into a book trailer. It is your turn to develop a book trailer for a book you have read.
  • Let’s take a look a the requirements for this project. Students will review book trailer project instructions.
  • What will you talk about? Complete the Book Review worksheet
  • Now that you have thought about your book let’s develop our storyboard.
    Complete the Book Trailer Planning Worksheet
  • To create this video, you will need to find some images to include. And no, you can’t just find them on Google. Here are a few sites to try … Let’s see if we can find some images you can use.

Find Resources

Stock Photography Sites

Now, let’s see if we can find some music to use with your images

Now it is time to work on your trailer. Here are a few technology solutions you can use to make the trailer.


Review

Peer review groups for trailers. Now that we have made our trailers, it is time to share them with our groups. Show trailers to a small group.

  • Complete the TAG review worksheet
    • Ask a question
    • Tell them something you liked
    • Give a suggestion
  • Make corrections and edit book trailers with peer comments in mind.

Upload

  • Share the login information for the class channel for upload. 
  • Upload the trailer to the class YouTube channel
  • Be sure to change the password after the project is complete

Share

Screen the trailers as a class.


Evaluate

Review the project as a whole. Complete the Book Trailer Reflection Worksheet

What’s Next?

Let’s find a way to work together … Contact Me