This was kind of a daunting undertaking for me. I took several hours to do this, not counting the time spent taking the film.
I only used my iPhone 3G and my MacBook (3 years old). It wasn't challenging, really. Just time-consuming. I'm also not that great at editing for length. I needed to make some deeper cuts - not all of this needs to be here. It could have easily been 5 minutes long.
I like some of the features of using iMovie (the Mac application that I used to edit the film clips from my phone). But sometimes it feels like all videos made with iMovie look the same. So, I'll be looking for other tools I can use, perhaps on my home PC.
As far as the story itself goes, I've been frustrated by the fact that these rabbits (I don't know for sure how many there are) are attacking my plants. I thought that telling this story - with the gross smells, some of the more vivid and violent details, and the variety of visual details for analysis - would be an interesting and useful text for classroom use.
I don't know how much money these bunnies have cost me over the past two years, but I know that several of my trees and other plants have been damaged. I planted the two Hawthorne trees on either side of the house hoping that they would blossom in a few years. Now, they're ugly little sticks. And it seems like every time they grow, the bunnies swoop down like some kind of bully and break them down to little sticks again.
Anyway, it was fun to make the video. My son enjoyed being the cameraman. My daughter wanted to play a bigger role in the video, but I wasn't able to work that in. Maybe next time.
I mentioned in a previous post that I like to use music in the classroom to help reflect and promote writing/thinking. I used Harry Chapin's song, "Cat's in the Cradle" to great effect last year. I had them watch the video, follow along with the words, and then write about family and how it can influence you. The lyrics are not hard to find, and the video is kind of intriguing and quirky (clothes from the '70's?). Here's the YouTube link:
Quick note: students who struggle with the text are not going to be able to watch the video and follow along with the words in any meaningful way. I passed out the questions and lyrics (below) first, then had students read and think about the questions before watching the video. This helps set a purpose for viewing the video and makes the review of the lyrics almost like a fluency activity, helping them adjust and correct the "voice" in their heads. Having the lyrics in front of them after viewing, while writing about them, also helps them get specific and respond more directly to the language of the song.
This helped produce a lot of strong feelings, and a lot of strong writing. I had at least one student crying during this (a "tough guy") - and while he wasn't able (or willing) to explain all of his thinking for this prompt, it created a sense of need or purpose for the explaining that might have been hard to establish in other ways with this particular student.
Here's the text of the handout I created with the lyrics, if you don't want to do it yourself:
Listen to (and watch the video for) the
following song about a father and his son.
While you’re watching, think about the following questions/things to
write about:
1.How do you feel about becoming just
like your parents? Do you think you will
be just like them when you grow up? Is
that a good thing?
2.Tell a story about something interesting
or funny that happened between you and your parents. Try to tell it slowly and carefully,
including dialogue (a good guess of the actual words you said to each other).
3.If you choose to become a parent (in
the distant future, 40 or 50 years from now), what kind of parent do you think
you would be? What kind of parent would
you want to be?
4.Imagine you are dating someone
seriously (twenty years from now), and that person starts asking about your
family. What do you think you would tell
that person? What are the important
things that people need to know to understand your family?
Please focus on only ONE of the
questions above, and explain yourself the best you can in the time you
have. Remember that a quickwrite means
that you KEEP WRITING for the entire time!
Cats in the Cradle
by Harry Chapin
My child arrived just the other day
He came to the world in the usual way
But there were planes to catch and bills to pay
He learned to walk while I was away
And he was talkin' 'fore I knew it, and as he grew
He'd say "I'm gonna be like you dad
You know I'm gonna be like you"
And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man on the moon
When you comin' home dad?
I don't know when, but we'll get together then son
You know we'll have a good time then
My son turned ten just the other day
He said, "Thanks for the ball, Dad, come on let's play
Can you teach me to throw", I said "Not today
I got a lot to do", he said, "That's ok"
And he walked away but his smile never dimmed
And said, "I'm gonna be like him, yeah
You know I'm gonna be like him"
And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man on the moon
When you comin' home son?
I don't know when, but we'll get together then son
You know we'll have a good time then
Well, he came home from college just the other day
So much like a man I just had to say
"Son, I'm proud of you, can you sit for a while?"
He shook his head and said with a smile
"What I'd really like, Dad, is to borrow the car keys
See you later, can I have them please?"
And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man on the moon
When you comin' home son?
I don't know when, but we'll get together then son
You know we'll have a good time then
I've long since retired, my son's moved away
I called him up just the other day
I said, "I'd like to see you if you don't mind"
He said, "I'd love to, Dad, if I can find the time
You see my new job's a hassle and kids have the flu
But it's sure nice talking to you, Dad
It's been sure nice talking to you"
And as I hung up the phone it occurred to me
He'd grown up just like me
My boy was just like me
And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man on the moon
When you comin' home son?
I don't know when, but we'll get together then son
You know we'll have a good time then
