Colonization Project

You and a partner if you like, will be creating a digital story to demonstrate one of the following:  

a.   Demonstrate why the English settlers came to Roanoke, Jamestown and Plymouth and the hardships they faced.

b.  Demonstrate why the settlers started colonies in the New World, why the settlements failed or were successful and how the English settlers got along with the Native Americans.

c.   Demonstrate features of the 3 colonial regions.

d.  Demonstrate the beginning of slavery and how people in Africa and North America reacted.

e.  Demonstrate the life of a pilgrim.

Step 1: Prewriting

·      Write down (in Microsoft Word) what you have already learned in class but be sure your information is correct.

·      Use Kidspiration to brainstorm and organize the kind of information you want to include in your digital story.

Step 2: Storyboard

(There will be a class demonstration for this step.)

·      Using the ideas you created and organized in Kidspiration, create a storyboard in Microsoft Word.  Click here to find out what a storyboard looks like.  Notice you will use the table tool to make the grid.  At this point you will probably need to go online and research more for rich, indepth detailed information.  Your storyboard will be as many pages long as it takes to demonstrate your task.  Each section of the storyboard will become one slide of your digital story.  IMPORTANT: Number EACH section of your story board.

How to give credit to a website where you got your information: 

·         Go to the website.

·         Click in the box at the top of the screen where the web address is located.

·         This will highlight the web address. 

·         While the address is highlighted, hold the ctrl button with one hand and hit the C key with the other hand.

·         Now go to the Word document paste the web address. 

Step 3: Pictures

(There will be a class demonstration for this step.)

·      Find pictures to demonstrate each section of the story board.  For each do the following:

• First create a folder to keep your pictures you find.

  • Go to my documents

  • right click in white space

  • new

  • folder

  • type a name for the folder in the box such as "colony pictures."

• Use Google Images to find your pictures on appropriate sites.  Use simple one or 2 word phrases.  Go to Boolean language for tips.

  • Find picture (use one that gives you permission to use in school projects.)

  • Start a word document to keep record of the list of websites you found the pictures.  You will paste this list on a credits slide at the end of your movie to give credit to the sites you used. 

    • Click one time in the web address box to make it blue. 

    • Right click,

    •  copy,

    • Right click in your Word document

    • paste

  • Right click on the picture

  • Save Target as

  • Navigate to the folder you just made

  • Name pictures by number to match the section of the storyboard.  For example name picture 01 that will go in section 1. 

  • Save

Step 5: (There will be a class demonstration for this step.)

·      Use Movie Maker to put your digital story together.

a.  Create a title

b.  Import pictures and place according to storyboard

c.   Add transitions

d.  Add narrations by reading storyboard to go along with pictures.

e.  Create ending slide.

f.     Create a credit slide by copying and pasting all the web address to show where you got your pictures and information.

Step 6:  Once your movie project looks like you want it to look, you must "Render" the movie.  This will put all the pictures and narrations together into a .wmv file when your Windows Media player will be able to view.  This will also allow you to save your movie to a CD or Flash Drive so you can watch it without opening Movie Maker.  To do this:

• On the left bar under Finish Movie

• Choose "Save to My Computer."

• Save to "desktop" which is the one at the very top of the list that pops up for you.

• Accept all other choices.

Step 7:  Add music to your movie

• Go to the (T) drive and find the music folder.  Preview the music and decide which files you would like to use in your movie.

• Open Movie Maker to make a NEW project.

• Import the movie you just rendered and saved on your desktop.  Navigate to find it on your desktop where you saved it.

• Import the music files you chose.  Navigate to the (T) drive.

• When the movie is finished follow the directions in Step 6 to render your revised (music added) movie again.

Step 8:  Completed!

Rubric