Posted by Sometimes students are somewhat shy to enact conversations and dramatize situations in class. Other times, asking students to write a story from scratch doesn’t scratch an itch in them. However, giving students alternative ways to bring their stories and assignments to life can bring a whole now dimension to your second language classroom.
A good toolI’ve found effective and fun is the use of a stop-motion app. Instead of having student stand up in front of the class as a final lesson assignment, instruct them instead to create a small stop-motion movie!
Via Stop-motion animations (using. a stop-motion app), students can bring their ideas to life by designing and building their own characters, backgrounds and even add voices to each one of the characters they decide to add to their short movie.
Not only that, but given that the possibilities are endless, you can assign different topics and themes, or just give them free reign to their future masterpieces.
Having students create a stop-motion movie doesnt have to be a one-activity endeavor; you can add more layers to the movie-making process by having them write the script in one lesson; focused on grammar and/or vocabulary, creating characters and scenarios in the next lesson, and so on. If your students are up for it, have them collaborate in their projects. Encourage students to step out of their confort zone and go beyond the written ideas.
To finish the project with a ribbon, have a Film festival where everyone can share their ideas and projects.
Which app is easy to work with?
Students can choose their favorite app, or you can suggest one that is easay to use, and most importantly free. For iPhones and iPads, I’ve used Stop-Motion Gif for iPhone/ iPad with great results.
Photo by Krzysztof Maksimiuk on Unsplash
