Let's Make a Movie (Part I)

Celebrating Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month

This project is a part of the Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month celebration because it supports a Latino teacher or a school where the majority of students are Latino.

I am a fifth grade teacher at Hall-Woodward Elementary School. I teach all core curriculum classes and I try to integrate as many subjects into one lesson as my students can handle. I work in a Title One school in which 97% of the students receive free lunch. Hall-Woodward has a very diverse demographic of students. The demographic makeup is 60% Hispanics, 34% African American and 6% Caucasian. I believe that we have the most diverse school within the system. Each year, I construct a PowerPoint presentation for our Recognition Program. This program acknowledges all of the accomplishments that our students have attained. The PowerPoint Presentation shows parents all of the events that we have participated in throughout the year. There are photos of our students at fundraising activities, on fieldtrips, and end of the year activities. I would love to be able to teach my students how to use a video camera and use a computer to edit and present a finished product. This would also be a learning experience for me because technology has given me a way to connect with my students at a level that lecturing does not. I teach all of the core subjects and I could integrate so many areas into making a film. The students begin to work with budgets and paying bills. It also allows students who have an interest in computers to be exposed to possible career choices. Another project that I do with my students is to make commercials. My students develop products and write advertising ideas and present commercials in small groups. In the past, we have had to watch them without the benefit of editing them. The school has video cameras, but they are not always available. We do not have any editing programs on the school computers. I would love to have an area in my classroom that would allow my students and I to construct movies that can be shared with others in the school. We are not allowed to put programs not approved by the school district onto our classroom computers. I would need an additional computer with video recorder connections, a video recorder, and an editing program. I have a total of 20 to 25 students each year. I believe that this project will encourage student interest in technology and allow students to utilize skills that are learned in each core class. In this proposal, I am asking for a computer. Although, I am asking for the computer for movie-making, the students will be able to gain keyboarding experience, produce PowerPoint presentations, and utilize other computer skills.