Kansas History Project

Introduction

In this project, the student will choose a famous person from Kansas History. They will then research specific facts about this person. This information will be collected on a detailed worksheet. After the worksheet is complete, the student will then begin writing a script in first person narration. The student will be “acting” like they are the person that they chose. They will then take this script and create a Digital Story using pictures from the Internet with Creative Commons rights, record their script into Audacity and add music, and finally mash up everything into Windows Movie Maker for a final product.

Research Worksheet

After the student has selected their character for their assignment, they must then complete the Kansas History Worksheet. This will be handed out by the Social Study teacher and is located on the assignment webpage with this set of instructions.

This worksheet will include: Name of person; Date Born; Where were they born?; Where were they from when they became famous in Kansas?; What made them a famous figure in Kansas?; If Deceased when they died.

When the worksheet is completed, it must be turned in to their Social Studies teacher. This will be taken as a grade separate from the final project.

Autobiography Script

The autobiography script will be created using the facts that were researched for the Research Worksheet. The script will be written in first person narration, which means that it has to sound like the person that the project is about. Click here to see an example.

The script is to be ½ to 1 page long, as this will provide enough time for a 3-4 minute digital story. The script must have a correct header with First and Last Name, Date, Class & Hour, and Assignment Name. The Assignment name will be Autobiography Script. The formatting must be as follows: 1) Times New Roman w/ 12 pt Font; 2) Left Aligned; 3) Double Spaced (with extra line spacing removed); 4) Title Centered w/ no larger that 18 pt font.

When the script is finished, the student must use the attached Digital Story Script Rubric to assess their script. They will then print it off, staple it to the script and hand in to their Connect teacher. This will be taken as a separate grade from the Digital Story.

Creating the Digital Story

When all of the above is completed, students will then begin recording their scripts into Audacity. This program will be used to record their voices, add background music, and sound effects if necessary. The next step is to find pictures on the Internet using Google Image Search to find 10-20 pictures with Creative Commons rights. The final step will be to mash up everything into Windows Movie Maker.

There are several requirements that must be present in the Windows Movie Maker Project. They are: 1) An opening title of at least 5 seconds; 2) Closing credits with their name, the title and author of their background music, and they must give credit to the authors of the pictures used; 3) Each picture used must be no longer than 10 seconds, and no shorter than 7 seconds; 4) There must be a transition between each picture; 5) Effects may be used on the pictures if the student chooses to do so.

When the movie is finished, the student will use the Digital Story Rubric to assess themselves and adjust the movie to improve it. When they feel it is ready to be rendered, the Connect teacher will help them create a movie file. This movie file will be uploaded to Teacher Tube with the permission of the student. Next, a Google Earth KMZ file will be created with the location of the birth of their chosen person. The video will then be encoded into the KMZ file.

The final step will be to post the script and links to the video and KMZ file on PB Wiki. This will finalize this collaborative project. Each class will have a page on the wiki for the students to show to their parents when they are finished. Only students who receive a high score on the Digital Story Rubric will be posted on the Wiki.