Animation Antics
Published: October 14, 2005
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Teacher overview
All children love cartoons. Animation Antics is a fun project designed to stimulate creativity and collaboration in students—two very important aspects of elementary education.
The project is based on no-cost Microsoft software. All you need is the Microsoft Windows XP operating system and an inexpensive Web camera.
Children work in small groups to create movie stars made from plasticine and other materials. They design and write a basic script or storyboard, and then bring their characters to life with Microsoft Windows Movie Maker 2.1. The children create short animated films by taking a series of photographs (with an inexpensive Web camera) and then using Movie Maker to run the photographs quickly, one after another. This process gives the impression that their models have come to life. Children can add music or a commentary to their film and add titles and credits to complete their project.
Animation Antics enables children to explore technology in a cross-curricular setting. Children as young as 6 years old can produce simple yet effective animations. They learn how information and communications technology (ICT) is used in the real world, and how important it is to work collaboratively as a team.
Animation is a great activity to integrate ICT into other curriculum areas such as:
| • | Design technology Children can use a variety of different media to design and create the 3-D characters used in the animation. Plasticine, matchboxes, vegetables, Legos, and pipe cleaners make wonderful characters. |
| • | Art Create 2-D and 3-D characters to animate. Drawing the characters (on paper and computer) and designing the scenery effectively integrates art with ICT. |
| • | Language arts Story writing, information writing, recounts, advertisement and poster writing for the films (persuasive writing), invitation writing, labeling drawings, writing play scripts, and using speech marks and speech bubbles are just a few ways to integrate language arts and ICT. |
| • | Social studies Animate an important event in history or explore the history of animation. |
| • | Science Try animating the life cycle of a frog or butterfly, the orbits of the planets, the process of building a skeleton, or the creation of a food chain or spider web. |
Before you start
Prepare your classroom computer before you start the Animation Antics project. This preparation only needs to be done once.
1. | Install your Web camera and software a. Create a folder for each group on your desktop to store group pictures. Right click the desktop, select New > Folder, and then name the folder. b. Install Windows Movie Maker 2.1. If you have a computer with Windows XP, you might already have Movie Maker (version 1) installed. You can use this version, but the options in Movie Maker 2.1 are much more advanced. Download Windows Movie Maker 2.1 from the Microsoft Web site. Follow the download instructions. |
2. | Configure Movie Maker 2.1. You can set the speed at which you view your movies. This must be done before you drop pictures on to the gallery timeline. a. Open Movie Maker 2.1. b. Click Tools > Options > Advanced > Picture Duration = 0.375 Slide transition = 0.25 > OK. For best results, adjust the settings as follows: | • | If you want to view a series of photos, set the picture speed to 5 seconds. | | • | If you want to create animations, set the picture speed to 0.375−0.75 seconds: | • | If you are working with younger children and the movements made are quite large, set the speed slightly slower to 0.75 seconds. | | • | If you are working with older children whose animation movements are small, set the speed to 0.375 seconds. |
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Web camera set up in front of animation set.
This project was created by Kate Norman of St. IIltyd's Primary School in Wales. It has been made available to us through the Microsoft Innovative Teachers program in the United Kingdom.
Classroom resources
Example of a movie created by 7 year olds (edited for length):
Polly saves the day
3.2 MB Windows Media Video file
How-to articles
How to take photographs for animation
221 KB Microsoft Word file
How to import photos into Windows Movie Maker 2.1 and turn them into a movie
532 KB Microsoft Word file
How to use Windows Sound Recorder to add sounds to your movie
43 KB Microsoft Word file
How to make a flicker book
333 KB Microsoft Word file
Get Microsoft Office file viewers
Web sites with free download software for this project
Microsoft Windows Movie Maker 2.1
Microsoft Windows Media Player
Microsoft Windows Movie Maker Creativity Fun Pack
Includes video titles, music, and sound effects that can be easily used with Movie Maker.
Microsoft.com articles with information for using the software for this project
Movie Maker for beginners
Using Windows Sound Recorder
Academic standards
Visual arts
| • | Know and use the elements and principles of visual art forms (that is, color, form/shape, line, space, texture, value) to create works in the arts and humanities. |
| • | Use a variety of appropriate arts elements and principles to produce, review, and revise original works in the arts. |
| • | Demonstrate the ability to define objects, express emotions, illustrate an action, or relate an experience through creation of works in the arts. |
| • | Know and use traditional and contemporary technologies for producing and exhibiting works in the arts. |
| • | Know and use traditional technologies (for example, charcoal, pigments, clay). |
| • | Know and use contemporary technologies (for example, CDs/software, audio/sound equipment, polymers, clays, photographs, recorders). |
Language arts
| • | Write narrative pieces (for example, stories, poems, plays). | • | Use well-developed content appropriate for the topic, gather and organize information, and incorporate relevant details. | | • | Write with organization and sustain a logical order, including a recognizable beginning, middle, and end. | | • | Use descriptive words and action verbs. | | • | Revise writing to improve detail and order (that is, identify missing information and determine if ideas follow logically). |
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| • | Speak using appropriate volume, pacing, and pronunciation. Demonstrate an awareness of audience. |
| • | Use media for learning purposes. |
ISTE National Educational Technology Standards for Students
| • | Students are proficient in the use of technology. |
| • | Students develop positive attitudes toward technology uses that support lifelong learning, collaboration, personal pursuits, and productivity. |
| • | Students use technology tools to enhance learning, increase productivity, and promote creativity. |
| • | Students use productivity tools to collaborate in constructing technology-enhanced models, preparing publications, and producing other creative works. |
| • | Students use telecommunications to collaborate, publish, and interact with peers, experts, and other audiences. |
Assessment
When you are mapping activities against standards, it is better to focus on a small collection of critical standards. Too broad of a focus can make assessing student work more difficult.
Students can be assessed on whether or not they follow the process steps for creating their movie and on required elements of the movie itself.
