Book Trailers: Digital Storytelling Project
In this extended digital storytelling project, students will create a book trailer video for a favourite book. This can be used with grades 4 through 9 and may be spread out over 8 to 16 class sessions.
This project leverages students’ familiarity with movie trailers and motivation for videos to encompass multiple curricular goals. The emphasis is on an iterative and extended process to create an authentic, public product students can be proud of.
This instructional plan is intended for use with Chromebooks and Google Classroom, but could be easily adapted for use with any number of other video creation or digital storytelling tools.
Overview
This project is designed to be integrated into English Language Arts units encompassing several weeks. Each step in the project may take one or several class sessions, depending on students’ familiarity with the technology and the level of individual support necessary.
Step 1: Know What You Want
This step will introduce the book trailer project by scaffolding on students’ familiarity with movie trailers, providing some examples of what their finished products should look like, and co-creating an evaluation checklist or rubric.
This lesson may be completed in one or a few class sessions (optional activities provided).
Preparation and follow up (for teachers):
- Optional: Read “ How to create the perfect trailer: 10 pro tips ” by Creative Bloq
- Search for trailers to show in class
- Review existing evaluation rubrics/checklists and decide which criteria you will require on the rubric/checklist your class will develop together (i.e., what will you introduce if students don’t suggest it on their own). For example:
- http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/lesson-docs/30914TrailerChecklist.pdf (intended as a peer review activity)
- http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/lesson-docs/30914Rubric.pdf (intended as summative assessment)
Part A: Discuss movie trailers
- Show a movie teaser/trailer (or a few) of your choice or solicited from students.
- Lead a discussion to analyze this trailer and develop ideas about movie trailers in general--move from questions about what students liked/didn’t to questions about what purpose trailers serve and what elements they should include.
- Keep/display notes on this discussion to return to when developing the rubric.
Part B: Introduce book trailers
- Connect movie trailers to book trailers. Show a few book trailers from major publishers (ideally tailored to students’ interests) and lead a discussion analyzing them. This could also be done in small groups. For example:
- It’s a Book by Lane Smith: https://youtu.be/x4BK_2VULCU
- Wishes and Wellingtons by Julie Berry: https://youtu.be/MZRb8WZP0lU
- Crenshaw by Katherine Applegate: https://youtu.be/23bB4QtK68Q
- The Youngest Marcher by Cynthia Livinson; https://youtu.be/abNjmOAcAew
- Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai: https://youtu.be/X9A6ZrKYPvk
- Front Desk by Kelly Yang: https://youtu.be/--sDoefzSrY
- Tell students they will be creating their own book trailers. Show a few book trailers created by students. For example:
- Rules by Cynthia Lord: https://www.teachertube.com/videos/121334
- How to Survive Middle School by Donna Gephart: https://www.schooltube.com/media/t/1_m5llraq0
- Hatchet by Gary Paulsen https://youtu.be/DGFhKttEixI
Part C: Develop rubric
- Return to the notes from the discussion/analysis of movie trailers. Use this discussion to collaboratively develop a checklist or rubric for evaluating students’ own book trailers. For example, trailers should:
- tell a story primarily with dialogue/narrative and visuals (often with the familiar three-act structure)
- target a specific audience
- introduce main character(s)
- use music to set the tone
- give just enough details to generate interest
- Remember that while the goal is to encourage students to take ownership over their learning, you should have input for the rubric as well. You may want to incorporate considerations such as in-class time on task into students’ final project grade.
- Provide students with an approximate timeline for the project and let them know about any arrangements for sharing/presenting their trailers within the classroom or with the broader school/community (e.g., posted on a school website).
Follow-up:
- Edit/format the rubric/checklist, then post it on the class site. You may want to compare the co-created rubric with an existing one (for example, ) and adapt/tweak as necessary
- Optional: Record yourself (either video or audio) summarizing the rubric/checklist and how the class developed it. This could be used to update parents and/or to include/update absent students. You may also wish to include links to the movie/book trailers discussed in class.
Optional Extension Activities: Apply the rubric
- These activities are intended to generate more familiarity with and ownership over the collaboratively developed rubric. They could be completed as homework, in class, or as part of a blended/online strategy.
- Assign one of the options below and have students evaluate it using the checklist/rubric, then make a presentation to the class about it. This could be for either:
- a trailer from a favourite movie
- a favourite student-created book trailer from Bethel Park School District’s Library Commons .
- Students could also hold a debate or a vote (e.g., using Google Forms) to determine a class favourite.
Online and Blended options:
- This introductory lesson could be adapted for online or blended delivery. One way to do so is with a form/quiz that walks through the introduction (with links or embedded videos) and has students write (or record audio) responses to prompts. A blended approach could have students watch example trailers and work through a slide- or video-based presentation introducing the online/on their own, then develop the rubric/checklist in class.
Step 2: Read with Purpose
This step will help students select a book for their trailer and begin to think about their book trailer project in a low-stakes context. The deliverable for this lesson is a checklist for students to complete prior to the next step of the project.
Students will need to be really familiar with their book in order to be able to focus on the most interesting/dramatic elements for their trailers. The purpose of this part of the lesson is to generate interest in and ownership over the preparation process.
Options are provided for whether students are to select a favourite book or if they are to read a new book for this project.
Preparation:
- This project assumes that students will select works of fiction, but it can be adapted to non-fiction books if these are more aligned with students’ interests. In this case, you may wish to have them consider the elements of documentary film trailers and ways to generate interest from audiences not already familiar with the topic.
- Determine whether to allow either a favourite book they’ve already read or a book they have yet to read.
- Plan which resource to use for modelling the elements of a story
- Ensure all students have selected a book for their project.
Part A: Select a Book
- Students will select a book to make their book trailers on. You may wish to allow either a favourite book they’ve already read or a book they have yet to read. Encourage a broad range of possible books, including comic, non-fiction, or picture books. Students should have access to the books they select throughout the time they will be working on their trailers.
- To help students select a favourite book, you could have students write a list of three to five books they have read (e.g., most recent, top favourites, etc.), then cross out some based on interest, access, etc.
- For new books, you may wish to have students bring books from home or visit the school library.
- What is the book’s title?
- Who wrote the book?
- Why did you choose this book?
- (For favourite books) What was your favourite thing about this book?
- (For new books) What do you think this book will be about?
- Do you think I would like this book too?
Part B: Story Elements
- Lead a brainstorm on story elements by asking “When we are telling others about movies we’ve seen or books we’ve read, what kinds of details do we usually include?” (Alternatively, ask a talkative student to start talking about a favourite movie/book and identify these elements as they talk.)
- Teach a mini lesson on the elements of a story. You may have other resources, but here are a few ideas:
- Story Elements Song, Swick’s Classroom, https://youtu.be/m3WHmmYTHeE (This is aimed at younger learners, but is a catchy way to start the lesson!)
- The elements of a story, Khan Academy, https://youtu.be/Zr1xLtSMMLo
- Understanding theme, Khan Academy https://youtu.be/MAu3e5GZo4k
- For more on theme (optional):
- The HIDDEN message in Wall-E - Video Essay, Bryan Seeker, https://youtu.be/Jo5FKCQXDW0
- Developing theme, Khan Academy, https://youtu.be/D2FFijvA00I
Homework: Read with Purpose
- Assign the Story Elements and Themes worksheet and explain that students are expected to use this to help focus their reading/reviewing.
- You may want to provide further context for students on why this is an important step. While they won’t reveal all these details in their book trailers, completing this worksheet will help them prepare for their book trailer project in a few ways: by aiding their understanding of the book as a whole, and by noting key details to use later (without having to constantly flip around in the book). In short, it will make their job of putting together the trailer much easier.
Story Elements and Themes
