PowerPoint and the Digital Camera

Claymation/Stop Motion Animation Assignment

In this assignment we are looking again at some issues from Universal Designs for Learning, Constructivist learning, Curriculum standards, and the use of technology. We will be using some familiar technologies such as the Digital Camera, microphones, iBook laptops and thumbdrives. On the theoretical side we will be revisiting Multiple Ways to Express Knowledge, Multiple ways to engage students, project-based learning, cooperative learning, multimedia, hypermedia and how to use these techniques to meet curriculum standards. There are many techniques to learn, and many issues to consider in this assignment. We will be introducing them and covering them in class as needed.

Part One : Plan a claymation activity you could use in your classroom (Individual assignment worth 50 points)

In Part One, review the standards for your subject area or grade level. Select at least two SC Standards and one NETS-S standard that students in your classroom could meet by producing a claymation movie. Design a Claymation activity that your (hypothetical) class can complete. Please include your name, grade level, subject area, SC standards, NETS-T standards, activities your class will do before they use technology, activities your class will do while they are using the technology and activities your class will do after they produce their video. You will do this just like you did for Digital Video. Use the same template and type your plan in Microsoft Word. You need an activity and a rubric.

Keep in mind that claymation is "stop motion" animation. It is using a series of still images to show movement. So you can use just about anything, and use no clay. You can use plastic figures, or stills of people if it would make more sense to your project. Here are some sample claymation projects that may give you ideas:

Math: Order of Operations; Identifying shapes and objects in Geometry.

Social Studies: Illustrate the bill of rights; How a bill becomes a law; The path of an explorer.

Science: Laws of motion; Volcanoes; The solar system.

Language Arts: Identifying nouns; demonstrating verbs; explicating a poem or story.

Foreign Language: Vocabulary; Translating stories.

Music: Parts of an orchestra; how to make a chord; chord progression.

Art: Color wheel; Creating in 3 dimensions.

Drama: Parts of a stage; presenting a drama.

PE: Plays on a basketball court; kinesiology; proper diet.

Dance: Choreography; proper foot/body positions.

Try this link for many samples of claymation done by students in a different class and for an outside perspective on Claymation. The activities and the rubrics are included here. Be careful not to copy somebody else's work.

Please note that you don't actually have to produce a claymation movie that matches your Activity Write-Up. The actual claymation movie you create will be related to class content and will be completed in groups of three or four.

Using the same format as Claymation, propose an activity that would use digital video in your curriculum area. Here is the template for the write up.

Part Two: In groups create a claymation movie that illustrates / explains / parodies one issue from the list below:

Food chains and webs

Opposites

Metamorphosis

Foreign language vocabulary words

A scientific principle such as gravity, the water cycle, laws of motion etc.

The Pilgrims voyage and landing on Plymouth Rock

How the Planets orbit the sun

Any fable or children's story (Jack & the Beanstalk, The Tortoise & the Hare, etc.). You may need to take one part of the fable.

Any other idea that you clear with me first. (NOTE: This is important, because we must finish this movie Saturday).

Required Components of the Movie

Your movie should be free of offensive material and representative of positive ideas that could be shown to a P-12 audience. If not, your movie will receive a grade of 0.

The film should be between one and two minutes. It will likely contain between 30-45 pictures, though it could have more.
It must include a title.
It must include credits.
It should include transitions.
It should include visual effects.
It must use voice over or CD audio. You can use both.
It should show movement through the following uses of Clay or other Material:
> Facial expressions (eye rolling, talking, winking, etc.)
> Full character movement (Somebody or something "walking" horizontally across the stage or "flying" vertically up and down the stage)
> Character element movement (hands waving, mouth chewing, toes tapping, etc.)
> Background movement (clouds drifting, sun beams shining, stars twinkling, etc.)
> Non character movement (lines that draw on the screen, walls being built, foot prints moving on the screen, etc.)
It must have some kind of background.
It must use clay.
It must use non-clay materials.