Plans for Implementation

The Social Studies curriculum in 4th grade covers all of California History. Some of the studies include learning about volcanoes, the Indigenous People's and their many past and present contributions to the state, the landscapes, and the well- known and, perhaps unknown change makers of California's government and society. At this point of the year, we are covering the four regions - the coastal, central valley, desert, and mountain regions of California. The final project of this unit allows the class to share their expertise on a particular region. Teachers split the class into 4 groups, each covering one region, and as a collaborative group, students research and learn about their region together. Once the research is completed, students will create a final display, to present all of their learning. Teachers usually would give many options, such as creating posters, tri- fiolds, or my personal favorite- travel brochures. Because of the current hybrid learning format we are in, teachers had to get creative.

This is where Animoto came in! Teachers collaborated and decided that instead of our usual in- person assignments, students could create digital projects, such as an iMovie commercial, a booklet on BookCreator, or their very own Animoto video. We began presenting Animoto as an option to students by showing the example I have created on this website covering all 4 regions. Two of the four groups decided to choose Animoto as their project choice and were excited to learn how to use it. We scheduled a small group Zoom, where I taught students step by step how to create their Animoto video. Because of all of the many settings, and choices, it was slightly overwhelming at first, but after two hour long meetings with both of the groups, they figured it out. I unfortunately do not have access to share this work just yet, but I hope to be able to soon. Teachers and students alike, enjoyed learning about and using Animoto, and plan to implement it in the classroom moving forward.