Reflection

iMovie trailers can help students get a glimpse or perhaps peek their interest over a lesson.  I enjoy using I movie trailers, especially for book reviews. The figurative language trailer that i shared was the first one that I created that was designed specifically for a  lesson. I actually enjoyed it and think that using iMovie trailers provide a good hook for a lesson. I will definitely use it again in this way. 

So far, my students have loved using iMovie trailers to make their book commercials, which are a requirement on a few of their own badges in our 5th grade badges for books page! I will use it again,because it is fun and engaging, I am also okay with students using the template version or making their own, whatever they are comfortable with!

With the right adult/big kid support I think this is a fun project for my 1st graders. In the future- maybe later on this year- I'd like to partner up with a 5th grade class and have the big kids help my kids create a story complete with illustrations and turn it into a movie using iMovie. They would need several plot points and an illustration to match each point. If they photograph the illustration and match it to audio of them reading the corresponding sentence from the writing piece, we could make some really cool presentations! Now that I'm typing this up I am going to go plan this right away... 5th graders could help my 1st graders plan out the story with story maps and story element graphic organizers one day, the next meeting day they could help them with their rough drafts, and then over several days/meetings they could help them with the production of the iMovie after my kids create their final draft and illustrations. We'll have a movie screening... I can't wait!

Anyway... I think my kids will love using iMovie and it will be such a motivating tool because it will allow them to see their work come to life. Beyond being able to record themselves- which is still the coolest thing to these 1st graders- they get to show off their work to others and have a real audience in mind.