Recreating History with Digital Stories
Grade Level:
This social studies and technology lesson is intended for third grade students, but the project could adapted as an assignment for upper early elementary, middle school, and even high school students.
GLCEs:
3 – H3.0.5 Use informational text and visual data to compare how American Indians and settlers in the early
history of Michigan adapted to, used, and modified their environment.
3 – H3.0.7 Use a variety of primary and secondary sources to construct a historical narrative about daily life
in the early settlements of Michigan (pre-statehood).
3 – H3.0.10 Create a timeline to sequence early Michigan history (American Indians, exploration, settlement,
statehood).
MDEs:
3-5-2.CC.3. use a variety of media and formats to create and edit products (e.g., presentations, newsletters, bro-
chures, web pages) to communicate information and ideas to various audiences.
3-5.RI.2. use digital tools to find, organize, analyze, synthesize, and evaluate information.
3-5.TC.1. use basic input and output devices (e.g., printers, scanners, digital cameras, video recorders, projectors).
Objective:
Students will use digital photos they have taken from a field trip to the Michigan Historical Museum to describe a time period in Michigan history. Students will create digital stories using the digital photos and will narrate the information they have collected from their field trip. Students will ultimately learn how to create and share digital stories with background music, audio, and slide effects.
The Lesson:
Time Needed:
5 days, (one day for the field trip, and four days in the computer lab for work sessions), 8 hours (4 hours at the museum and 4 hours of computer lab time).
Materials Needed:
Digital Cameras, permission slips, bus access to museum, computer access, internet access, USB cords, Imovie or PhotoPeach account, and extra batteries (for digital cameras).
Lesson Outline:
Day 1: Students will get into groups of four. The groups will agree on a time period to research and will take pictures of and gather information on the time period from the signs next to the exhibits. Students will then go on a field trip to the Michigan Historical Museum to collect their project material.
Day 2: In the school computer lab, the groups will first learn how to upload their pictures to the desktop of the school's computer. Students will then set up a PhotoPeach account or begin a new Presentation on Imovie, and will watch Youtube videos or listen to a class lecture on how to use the different digital story programs.
Days 3 -4: These two days are work sessions. Students will then learn through experimentation, and asking the computer lab technician how to arrange their pictures, add audio, create a script, and set background music to their digital story. Each student should have a job in the group:
Day 5: The finished digital stories will be shown to the entire class in the order of the earliest to latest time periods. Each student will be asked to give feedback other another group's compilation. The student feedback will be grading: stylistic qualities, group creativity, correctness of the information stated, and how engaging the story is. At the end of all group's presentations an assessment will be administered. The assessment will be a test covering the main historical facts from each group's presentation.
Example Digital Story (this one is three time periods in one!)
Grade Level:
This social studies and technology lesson is intended for third grade students, but the project could adapted as an assignment for upper early elementary, middle school, and even high school students.
GLCEs:
3 – H3.0.5 Use informational text and visual data to compare how American Indians and settlers in the early
history of Michigan adapted to, used, and modified their environment.
3 – H3.0.7 Use a variety of primary and secondary sources to construct a historical narrative about daily life
in the early settlements of Michigan (pre-statehood).
3 – H3.0.10 Create a timeline to sequence early Michigan history (American Indians, exploration, settlement,
statehood).
MDEs:
3-5-2.CC.3. use a variety of media and formats to create and edit products (e.g., presentations, newsletters, bro-
chures, web pages) to communicate information and ideas to various audiences.
3-5.RI.2. use digital tools to find, organize, analyze, synthesize, and evaluate information.
3-5.TC.1. use basic input and output devices (e.g., printers, scanners, digital cameras, video recorders, projectors).
Objective:
Students will use digital photos they have taken from a field trip to the Michigan Historical Museum to describe a time period in Michigan history. Students will create digital stories using the digital photos and will narrate the information they have collected from their field trip. Students will ultimately learn how to create and share digital stories with background music, audio, and slide effects.
The Lesson:
Time Needed:
5 days, (one day for the field trip, and four days in the computer lab for work sessions), 8 hours (4 hours at the museum and 4 hours of computer lab time).
Materials Needed:
Digital Cameras, permission slips, bus access to museum, computer access, internet access, USB cords, Imovie or PhotoPeach account, and extra batteries (for digital cameras).
Lesson Outline:
Day 1: Students will get into groups of four. The groups will agree on a time period to research and will take pictures of and gather information on the time period from the signs next to the exhibits. Students will then go on a field trip to the Michigan Historical Museum to collect their project material.
Day 2: In the school computer lab, the groups will first learn how to upload their pictures to the desktop of the school's computer. Students will then set up a PhotoPeach account or begin a new Presentation on Imovie, and will watch Youtube videos or listen to a class lecture on how to use the different digital story programs.
Days 3 -4: These two days are work sessions. Students will then learn through experimentation, and asking the computer lab technician how to arrange their pictures, add audio, create a script, and set background music to their digital story. Each student should have a job in the group:
- The
story boarder (the person who arranges the slides in a logical order,
with interesting and creative slide effects).
- The composer (the person who chooses background music that is characteristic to the time period chosen).
- The narrator (the person who narrates historical information for each slide with correct historical facts in a charismatic way).
- The script writer (the person who writes the script in a concise way that the narrator will read during the digital story)
Day 5: The finished digital stories will be shown to the entire class in the order of the earliest to latest time periods. Each student will be asked to give feedback other another group's compilation. The student feedback will be grading: stylistic qualities, group creativity, correctness of the information stated, and how engaging the story is. At the end of all group's presentations an assessment will be administered. The assessment will be a test covering the main historical facts from each group's presentation.
Example Digital Story (this one is three time periods in one!)
