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Snow: A Digital Video Lesson for Preschoolers Tricia Kannegieter December 7, 2009 EDG 628 Doug Jenkins Grand Valley State University

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Snow: A Digital Video Lesson for Preschoolers I am currently employed at the Childrens Enrichment Center at Grand Valley State University; I am a lead teacher who works primarily with three and four year old children, all of whom have no experience with video production. I currently have ten children in my class on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and seven of those children are there on Tuesday and Thursday. About 80% of the students are showing higher levels of intelligence in multiple areas in comparison to other children nation-wide at the same age level, according to the Denver II Assessment that I administered earlier this fall (DENVER II). It is because of this preparedness in my students that I have decided to prepare a challenging video production unit for students that are part of such a young age group. During the week of January 25, 2010, I will be teaching a unit on snow. Usually, during the centers portion of the day (the time that we explore the theme for the day) I would read a book pertaining to the unit and base the centers around what we were learning. For example for snow week, on one day I would have them count snow flakes in the math center, put snow in the sensory table for the science center, have them build igloos in the imagination station, make snowflakes in the art center, and listen to music about snow in the media corner. This year, the snow unit will be much different because I feel that the students that I currently have already know all I could teach them about snow through these centers, so I prepared a digital video unit for them to express what they know and what they are learning about snow in a video. This will be very different from what they are used to and Im hoping that this

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will allow them to think more about what we are learning about than they would by doing the centers that we usually do. When we do the centers, I sometimes wonder if they realize that all of the centers connect and we are learning about one theme. In creating their own video production about snow, the students, for the first time in their lives, will be in charge of deciding what they are learning. They will have to connect what they learned about at Square Time to what they are doing during Centers Time. Though I will have the ultimate say about what they are doing in their video in order to keep them on task, they will be responsible for making the connections that I usually make for them. It will be a challenge for both me and the students and I think the rewards will be greater than anything that they could have gotten from our regular centers. Lesson Plan Overview In our unit about snow (lesson plans located in supplemental material), students will have the opportunity to choose which part they have in the filmmaking process. They can have any of the following jobs: storyboard/script writer, director, actor, camera person, audio specialist, and art designer. They are free to choose and change their jobs at any time they wish, for the four support staff on hand and myself will be there to pick up any slack where a student has decided to do a different job. The students will be completely in charge of what the video is about. My only requirement is that it be a non-fiction piece about snow. They may do an animation, a documentary, or show and tell the story of what happens to snow when it melts. I will introduce all of these ideas to them and let them choose what they want to do. The

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class size is so small that is it not difficult for them to vote on their decisions. I will then have a support staff member sit with them and the students will dictate to them what they want the script to say. They will be responsible for drawing their own storyboards while the support staff and I give them ideas about what will be happening in the videos. While the support staff are helping with these tasks, I will be assisting the children about how to use a video camera and the basics of how to utilize light in our video. When I am confident that they are prepared for filming and that they have all of their props, backgrounds, actors, and scripts ready, we will begin filming. Students that do not enjoy being part of the filming or are not capable of performing the tasks necessary to produce the video will be able to do some of the thematic centers that I mentioned earlier or they may do some of the more basic jobs, like decorating placards and watching me edit the video. On the attached page, I have included the lesson plan outline that we send home to parents every week. I have planned in advanced the Snow unit and have highlighted in blue the activities that are part of the video production aspect of the unit. Following the lesson plans for the week are the NAYCE standards that are being fulfilled by this unit, including, but not limited to: large motor skills, fine motor skills, outdoor activity, sensory exploration, logic/mathematics, science/problem solving, writing, language and literacy, creative representation, dramatic play, music/movement, initiative, and listening (NAYCE). Conclusion

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I am extremely excited to begin this lesson on January 25, 2009. I feel that my students will be enriched in their learning far beyond what I have been able to do previously by just providing them thematic centers. I am keyed up to see the results of this snow unit!

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Beginner Preschool II Snow: A Video Production Unit January 25 January 29 Video Production Activities Highlighted in Blue Teacher Initiated Activities Monday 25
Kitchen table activities (fine motor) Music and Warmups Free play Wash hands Breakfast Bathroom, Brush teeth Playground time/Free play indoors Names and Jobs Calendar and Weather Talk about Science of Snow

Tuesday 26
Kitchen table activities (fine motor) Music and Warmups Free play Wash hands Breakfast Bathroom, Brush teeth Playground time/Free play indoors Names and Jobs Calendar and Weather Story: The Mitten by Jan Brett

Wednesday 27
Kitchen table activities (fine motor) Music and Warmups Free play Wash hands Breakfast Bathroom, Brush teeth Playground time/Free play indoors Names and Jobs Calendar and Weather Story: The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats

Thursday 28
Kitchen table activities (fine motor) Music and Warmups Free play Wash hands Breakfast Bathroom, Brush teeth Playground time/Free play indoors Names and Jobs Calendar and Weather Story: The Snowman by Raymond Briggs

Friday 29 Show and Share

Kitchen table activities (fine motor) Music and Warmups Free play Wash hands Breakfast Bathroom, Brush teeth Playground time/Free play indoors Names and Jobs Calendar and Weather Story: The Winter Solstice by Ellen B. Jackson

Table Activities 6:30-8:00 Classroom Welcome 8:00-8:25 Breakfast 8:25-8:45 Outdoor/Free Play 8:45-9:15 Morning Square Time 9:15-9:30 Thematic Centers 9:30-10:30

Snow/Video Production
Technology Learning how to Use the Camera Science Section Practice Lighting Set-Ups Imagination Station Felt Board Exploring Snow Cycle Media/Literacy Corner Writing a Script

Snow/Video Production
Technology Practice Using a Video Camera Science Section Audio: Practicing with Microphone Imagination Station Make props, costumes, and backgrounds Media/Literacy Corner Write/trace words on placards that will appear in video Art Table Decorate title cards and placards for video

Snow/Video Production
Technology Begin Filming: Camera People Science Section Begin Filming: Audio Imagination Station Begin Filming: Actors Media/Literacy Corner Begin Filming: Animators Art Table Make placards for credits

Snow/Video Production
Technology Filming: Camera People Science Section Filming: Audio

Snow/Video Production
Technology Filming: Tie Up Loose Ends Science Section Help teacher work on computer to edit previous days footage Imagination Station Setting up a Movie Theater Media/Literacy Corner Read Books About Snow Art Table Make Promotional Posters for Our Movie

Imagination Station Filming: Actors Media/Literacy Corner Filming: Animators Art Table Help teacher work on computer to edit previous days footage

Art Table Storyboard Ideas for Snow Video

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Snack 10:30-10:50 Outdoor/Free Play 10:50-11:40 Noon Square Time 11:40-11:55

Wash Hands Snack Bathroom Break Playground time/Free play indoors Story: Childs Choice Letter of the Week (R) Zoo-Phonics Gross Motor Activity Song(s) Talk about our video and make a final storyboard Wash hands Lunch Bathroom Break Books and Rest time Bathroom Break Books, Art table

Wash Hands Snack Bathroom Break Playground time/Free play indoors Story: Childs Choice Letter of the Week (R) Zoo-Phonics Gross Motor Activity Song(s) Get ready for filming the next day Wash hands Lunch Bathroom Break Books and Rest time Bathroom Break Puzzles, Stringing beads Wash hands Snack Bathroom Break Playground time/Free play indoors Story and Activity: Teachers Choice

Wash Hands Snack Bathroom Break Playground time/Free play indoors Story: Childs Choice Letter of the Week (R) Zoo-Phonics Gross Motor Activity Song(s) Finish up filming for the day Wash hands Lunch Bathroom Break Books and Rest time Bathroom Break Books, Art table

Wash Hands Snack Bathroom Break Playground time/Free play indoors Story: Childs Choice Letter of the Week (R) Zoo-Phonics Gross Motor Activity Song(s) Finish filming

Wash Hands Snack Bathroom Break Playground time/Free play indoors Story: Childs Choice Letter of the Week (R) Zoo-Phonics Gross Motor Activity Song(s) Show and Share

Enrichment Activity 11:55-12:15 Lunch 12:15-12:40 Rest/Nap Time 12:40-2:00 Quiet Room Activities 2:00-3:15 Snack 3:15-3:30 Outdoor/Free Play 3:35-4:00 Afternoon Square Time 4:00-4:20
Fine Motor - Kitchen table activities - Art table - Utensils at mealtime - Puzzles, Stringing beads - Tracing, Writing, drawing - Operating a camera Writing - White board easel open - Literacy/writing bucket open - Tracing Letters - Writing Placards

Wash hands Lunch Bathroom Break Books and Rest time Bathroom Break Books, Art Table Wash Hands Snack Bathroom Break Playground time/Free play indoors Story and Activity: Teachers Choice

Wash hands Lunch Bathroom Break Books and Rest time Bathroom Break Puzzles, Stringing beads Wash hands Snack Bathroom Break Playground time/Free play indoors Story and Activity: Teachers Choice

Wash hands Snack Bathroom Break Playground time/Free play indoors Story and Activity: Teachers Choice

Wash hands Snack Bathroom Break Playground time/Free play indoors Kids Helping Kids with Miss Melanie

NAEYC Standards
Large Motor - Warm-ups - Outdoor Play - Acting in a video production Outdoor Activity - Playground time - Possible Filming Outside Sensory Exploration - Music and Audio Books - Experimenting with Audio - Experimenting with what is seen in a video camera Logic/Mathematics - Math Center - Counting - Graphing - Comparing sounds - Problem Solving for the video about Snow Science/Problem Solving - Science Section - Problem solving for the video about snow - Learning about audio and video - Learning about snow and the snow cycle Library - Media Corner - Library open at all times - Books circulated biweekly

Language and Literacy - White board easel - Literacy bucket - Library/Media corner - Writing a script and storyboard

Creative Representation - Tracing and decorating - Acting in a video - Writing a Script - Expressing self through video

Dramatic Play - Dress-Up - Playing House - Acting in the video

Music/Movement - Morning warm-ups - Child song choice - Outdoor play - Experimenting with music while editing with the teacher - Moving while filming

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Initiative - Center choices - Child choice stories and songs - Free play choices/student initiated play -Choosing which part to be in the production of a video Listening - Square time - Media corner - Center directions - Songs/Stories - Language/Literacy Development - Listening to others ideas about the video Family/Community Involvement - Weekly newsletters, lesson plans, and family emails - Daily updates - Community and campus awareness Social/Emotional - Discuss feelings/emotions - Imagination Station dramatic play - Self-concept - Show and Share Multicultural/Diversity - Show and Share - Cultural representation in stories, dress clothes, dolls, graphics Safety/Health - Indoor and Outdoor rules - School safety - Proper hygiene practices (hand washing, teeth brushing, covering our mouths)

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References

DENVER II: Denver Developmental Materials, Inc. (n.d.). Retrieved December 08, 2009, from http://www.denverii.com/DenverII.html

NAYCE. (n.d.). Retrieved December 08, 2009, from http://www.naeyc.org/