Recently, Allison Byford shared the basic tools and steps for helping students to create stop motion animation movies in her post Stop Motion Animation Made Easy – Part 1 . Today we’ll take that a step further and share more examples, tools needed, step-by-step how to instructions, and some tips for a successful implementation.
Many of you have seen the OK GO video for their song “Here it Goes”, but have you seen the LEGO “Here it Goes”. It’s an example of how a student with a creative mind and a camera recreated the video. If you are an eMINTS teacher you have surely seen some of the great Common Craft videos covering topics such as “GoogleDocs in Plain English” or “Electing a US President in Plain English”. While common craft videos aren’t purely stop motion they include some content recorded in stop motion animation as well as video.
When thinking about how stop motion animation could be connected to curriculum teachers can use stop motion video to present new concepts, record what happens during an extended Science experiment, or to present learned content.
- Teacher Example – Parts of an Atom
- What Not to do in a Science Lab
- Plant Growth
- Stop Motion – Water Cycle
- Phases of Matter
- Student Example States of Matter Stop Motion
Stop motion animation can be used in creative writing lessons to tell story with or without words or retell stories.
- Paper Motion Animation – (very long but lots of ideas for different techniques)
- Mathy: A Girl Who Loves Math
- Joy of Books – an animated bookstore
- Rock,Paper,Scissors – The Toranto Zoo’s Endangered African Penguins (advertisement for new attraction at the Zoo)
Students can present their understandings of math concepts by creating videos that may be used to teach newly learned skills to others.
- Stop Motion Math Requirements Film
- Period 2-Math 1 2011 stop motion projects (9min long)
- Stop Motion Math and Me
- Adding Fractions Stop Motion (teacher made)
Students can represent historical concepts, create documentaries, or reenact historical events to show their understanding of the impact of history.
- Confederacy or Union?
- Sparta Stop Motion Project
- Star Spangled Banner Stop Motion
- Copper Inuit Stop Motion
Not only can curriculum content be covered but students can also focus in on using 21st Century Skills when creating stop motion animation projects. These kinds of projects can require students to Think and Work Creatively with Others, Communicate Clearly, Collaborate with Others, Adapt to Change, Be Flexible, Manage Goals, Time, and Projects, Produce Results, Create Media Products, and Apply Technology Effectively.
Tune in tomorrow to learn the steps for creating successful projects like these.
Brooke Higgins is an instructional specialists for the eMINTS National Center and Allison Byford is the Instructional Technology Coordinator with the Springdale Public Schools in Arkansas and is an eMINTS PD4ETS graduate.