THE
CIVIL WAR
FILMSTRIP
REPORT
The
first time I realized I needed to make a change regarding report writing
was when I realized that this subject, the Civil War, that my children
had enjoyed so much, had a lead weight attached to the end of the unit...the
dreaded 'written report'. They had been asking to continue this unit because
they loved the reading, the projects and the excitement of learning about
the Civil War, but once I asked for a final summation of what we'd learned,
their faces fell and their feet dragged as they went back to their desks
to pull out their notebooks. I then started to think, "There must be a
way to make writing a report more exciting and inviting." After all, they
had fun writing the gazette, and that is like several mini-reports. I found
a book that suggested making filmstrips and I adapted that to meet our
needs, and let me tell you--I wound up with far more than I ever
would have expected! I had to ask the kids to stop! We were running out
of transparency film! This wound up being a fun and different answer to
our dilemma.
1. CHOOSE
A TOPIC: I
had the children pick a topic that would focus on a general theme of the
Civil War. To try to make a report regarding the whole war I thought would
be too overwhelming for their ages. My son wound up choosing 'Famous Men
of the Civil War', and my daughter mirrored his choice with 'Famous Women
of the Civil War'. Next they chose 7 people to include.
2. PUTTING
THE REPORT IN ORDER: The
First cell of the report had the look of a book cover. It had the title,
the child's name and the date. It had a background and picture. If you
have use of a digital camera or a scanner, it would help tremendously.
If not, refer to step 3 to show how to accomplish this with just a copier
. I created a 'filmstrip template' which is not hard to do if you have
an application on your computer that can make boxes that you can adjust
in size and fill in white or black. Look at my example in the photo
below. I chose to use the rounded corner box for the framing cell. This
square must be left not filled in, as your scanned illustrations need to
go behind the frame and still remain visible.
The second cell had the
introductory paragraph, introducing the topic. Cell three was our first
person, for example 'Mary Chestnut'. I told my daughter to write 5-9 sentences
about her, but each time my children would submit their paragraphs, they
would hand me back anywhere from 3/4 to a page and a half long! The typed
in copy would take 1-3 cells to fit it all in! I used 9 or 10 point type.
The children chose the type font and colors, as well as background color
behind the type. They would also draw an illustration of each person and
we would follow each person's paragraph with an illustration. They were
assigned 1 person a day to complete (paragraph and illustration). Sometimes
it stretched into 2 days if we were extra busy with other things. They
would finish off with a concluding paragraph. The report took a total of
2 weeks to fully accomplish. This means starting with introducing the report,
deciding on the particular topic, gathering information, laying out the
order and beginning the writing process. We finished it off with an accompanying
tape (see step 4).
Here's an example of
a portion of the filmstrip report printed out on paper.
Each cell is approx.
3" high x 3.25" wide.
3. PRINTING
THE FILMSTRIP: The
next step is to produce the filmstrip itself. Putting it all together on
the computer, I was able to fit two rows of three cells on one page. This
allowed each transparency page to have 6 cells. Make sure your three cells
are in order and that they continue to another 3 cell block smoothly, as
you will be cutting each strip of 3 out and taping it to another strip
of 3. I typed in the copy per block and placed photos of pictures in appropriate
places. We chose body type, headline and background colors, and additional
clip art together (children chose what they wanted and I put them in).
By printing the film out in color, it eliminated any more work needing
to be done on the filmstrip itself.
***IF YOU DON'T HAVE
A SCANNER OR DIGITAL CAMERA, there is another option! You can create
the filmstrip template (either on computer or by just drawing it). Make
copies so you have several pages for the children to use. Have the children
write their paragraphs on separate paper and type up the copy when finished.
Cut out and paste down the copy into the cell block. Have the child draw
the accompanying picture in a cell and go over lines with black
marker. When your filmstrip section is complete, print a copy off the
page on transparency film. Have the child color in their drawing using
vis-a-vis transparency markers (overhead projector markers). Do not use
dry erase or washable markers, as they don't work as well.
Cut out your filmstrip segments
(groups of 3) and using thin pieces of clear tape, join the segments together.
We made a sleeve to slide the filmstrip through for viewing on an overhead
projector. Take two pieces of cardboard and tape along one long side. Slide
the filmstrip in and tuck it down snugly to the taped side. Judge where
the filmstrip square falls and mark the size of the square in the center
of the long side (so it lines up with the filmstrip). REMOVE FILMSTRIP
FIRST before cutting out square! An exacto knife works well for this and
will cut through the two layers of cardboard. Use a strait edge to help
you cut (I handled the exacto knife). Then staple the upper part of the
cardboard to hold the two boards secure. Allow enough room to slide the
filmstrip through with ease, but keeping it lined up with square.
You can also display your
filmstrip by hanging it in a window.
4. PREPARING
THE ACCOMPANYING TAPE: This
part was an added bonus, as the children had to practice reciting their
reports (do I detect an almost 'oral report' as well here? Sneaky!) We
then borrowed Civil War Band and Fife & Drum music from the library.
We would play the music on one tape player while taping into another tape
player. As the music would play, the children read their reports. We would
use a sound to signify the time to change the filmstrip cell. My daughter
played a note on her recorder and my son did a drum roll on a small drum.
This was a lot of fun, but it took some work! If we started laughing or
really messed up reading, we'd have to go back quite a ways to remedy it.
Be sure and try to give yourself good breaking points. If the child is
almost done reading a cell and one song finishes, or the child finishes
reading and a song is almost over, let it play until finished and wait
to play the next song. Begin it after the sound to advance the cell. That
way you've given yourself a moment of silence where you can pick up from
if you need to. By the time our tapes were done, my son's presentation
took 20 minutes and my daughter's 16! They went from heavy shoulders at
the announcement of 'a report' to excitement to share their 'works of art'
that were far beyond my expectations!
5. PRESENTING
THE REPORT: If
you have access to an overhead projector, this is one of the best ways
to present the filmstrip. (Can one be borrowed from somewhere? Dad's place
of work? Does your library loan out equipment? They might know who would!)
Otherwise, taping it to a window and guiding your audience along each cell
can work very nicely. A light box might be an alternative as well. Be sure
and offer 'goober peas' to your guests (peanuts)! They were a popular
snack among the Civil War soldiers and would be a great refreshment for
your 'movie-goers'.
Have fun with this and watch
your children get excited about doing a report!
