The activity consists of a video production supporting a reading, that the classes realized as school year ending activity.
The video, based on a “backstage” scheme, has narrative elements and gives the opportunity to record the cognitive biography of students involved in the project.
The reading, though as a public event, has the same characteristics of a proper performance projected and realized by the students: from the leaflet, the invitation, the theatre setting and the choosing of the final reading till the text manipulation to be reproduced in the specific school context.
The specific competencies to be developed were:
At the end of the activity the children will be able to:
The project is based on two months of cross-curricular activity involving different school subjects such as Italian, ICT, Art and Music, so the organization as well will involve these different school subjects.
The final reading is going to take place in the school theatre. The work initially takes place in the classroom, in particular for the text manipulation activities and the preparation of the readings.
The ICT, Art, and Music laboratories are going to be used to realize the different materials (video, scene materials, music for the narration).
The different steps are going to be managed in different ways:
In order to choose the text students and teachers are going to start with a brainstorming activity, to identify eventual critical issues in the texts.
The text manipulation and the adjustments are going to be carried out with the cooperative learning: in each group, there are rules for every single student in order to make sure that everyone takes an active part in the work.
The group’s organization is going to be at random, using some internet tools, the teacher is going to be a supporter in case of problems.
The preparation of the expressive readings is going to take place under the teacher supervision that is going to give tools and advice.
The video making and the connection to the expressive narration are going to be projected by the students, using the LIM as ideas collector. Each group is going to use a tablet and the use of a green screen is going to be realized after a frontal lesson where the teacher is going to teach how to use it.
Tablet, editor video, an online tool for the group making, LIM for brainstorming and ideas collection.
Technologies are going to be used by the teacher as support for the students’ activities and by students as video makers for the readings.
Paper, pens, colors, images, books, and photocopies for stories to be read.
As said before, the final product is going to be a video or more to be used during a reading in the backstage style.
Videos are going to be of different lengths, but never longer than 3 minutes.
Goals achieved
The activity is going to take place with the all-class and sometimes in small groups. Children are going to have the opportunity to organize, project, discuss all the work phases. The teacher is going to support any discussion children are going to start.
Parents’ interest
The project is going to be presented to parents in a public event.
Strengths and critical points of the practice
The most difficult part of the project is going to be the teaching of the video making using the software, so this step is going to take place in a small group.
How the practice fostered children’s inclusion
The activity is thought to be inclusive as the children in need are going to have several options and languages to choose from. Moreover, the group organization and cooperative learning allow everyone to do something and being an active part of the project.
INCLUDED – Digital Storytelling for Inclusion