| There is no medium more ideal for storytelling than film. | | | | students will also relish the opportunity to excel. Valid |
| In a classroom setting, lesson plans on film making can | | | | assessments will also be easier to obtain when |
| be an excellent teaching tool to promote and support | | | | listening and speaking activities are recorded in the |
| literacy attainment in elementary schools. Lessons can | | | | form of storyboards and the film itself. |
| be as simple or as detailed as teachers want, and can | | | | Students will also rapidly learn about such viewing |
| be easily adapted to suit interests, thematic content | | | | conventions as "audience view point" as they |
| and student abilities. The process itself can be broken | | | | construct a viewing project. Although viewing has |
| into many different stages, and is a resourceful | | | | traditionally been difficult to assess, much like speaking |
| strategy for teaching with many assessment | | | | and listening, evidence of understanding will be very |
| opportunities. | | | | clear in the resultant film. |
| The creative planning process requires students to | | | | It may seem difficult for teachers to collect all the |
| exercise their collaborative writing skills, and allows | | | | equipment needed for film making, and this may put |
| teachers to plan writing lessons that divide the process | | | | some teachers off the idea. Technophobes may also |
| into teachable segments. Initial lessons may have story | | | | baulk at the technological aspects inherent in the |
| structure as the main focus, using group brainstorms | | | | project. It does not need to be difficult, however. Video |
| as an instructional strategy. Next, a script will need to | | | | footage can be taken with personal cameras, |
| be written by students, which may also present | | | | webcams, or even student owned camcorders. Whilst |
| opportunities to teach about tone of voice. For | | | | editing programs are excellent, they are an added |
| example, documentaries often use formal tones from | | | | extra that is not necessary when using camcorders. |
| the narrator, and informal tones from interviewees. | | | | Students and teachers simply may need to |
| Finally, students can illustrate a storyboard, thus | | | | compensate by spending extra time on the |
| allowing those with a visual style of learning and those | | | | preparation and planning phase of the project. |
| who lack confidence with writing to actively participate. | | | | If teachers do decide to use editing programs on the |
| Reading will also benefit from the filmmaking process. | | | | computer, students may feel much more motivated to |
| Students will constantly read other student work during | | | | edit their work after filming. Evaluation of their own |
| collaborative writing, and will also interpret and re-read | | | | work and the work of other students will occur as |
| work of their own during the natural progression of the | | | | editing progresses and the finished film is viewed. |
| project. Acting in the film will also require reading of the | | | | There is a definite advantage in implementing lesson |
| script. | | | | plans on film making to support the literacy program. |
| For those students who are less confident or speak | | | | There are so many different ways of presenting the |
| English as a second language, filmmaking can greatly | | | | process of the project that any teacher, experienced |
| help with listening and speaking by providing a well | | | | or otherwise, can plan inventive ways to make literacy |
| structured and planned environment. Confident | | | | appealing. |