English IV War Project

Our principal asked me if I would help students create a documentary video for Veteran's Day.  Our English IV teacher does a big war project each year.  This year I asked her if she'd be willing to let me help with it and expand it.  In the past she has had her students read a war book, interview a war Veteran, and create a poster about the war.  This is what we plan to do for the expanded project.  Comments and suggestions are welcomed:

English IV
War Project
Fall 2011
DeQuincy High School

For this project you will:
1.  Read a book about your chosen war.
2.  Interview a Veteran.
3.  Create a video documentary that combines your research (from your book) and your interview.

Timeline:

Sept. 19	Sept. 20	Sept. 21	Sept. 22	Sept. 23
Read your war book. Contact a Veteran and schedule an interview. Write your interview questions.	Read your war book. Contact a Veteran and schedule an interview. Write your interview questions.	Read your war book. Contact a Veteran and schedule an interview. Write your interview questions.	Read your war book. Contact a Veteran and schedule an interview. Interview questions are due!	Read your war book. Contact a Veteran and schedule an interview.
Sept. 26	Sept. 27	Sept. 28	Sept. 29	Sept. 30
No School (Teacher In-Service Day)	Computer Lab: Find addition information on your chosen war using Gale, Worldbook, and Nettrekker. You will also create your reference Word document and source PowerPoint slide.	Computer Lab: Find addition information on your chosen war using Gale, Worldbook, and Nettrekker. You will also create your reference Word Document and source PowerPoint slide.	Library: Veteran Interviews Veterans will be invited to come to school to be interviewed in the library. If not interviewing, begin working on next week’s assignments in the computer lab.	Library: Veteran Interviews Veterans will be invited to come to school to be interviewed in the library. If not interviewing, begin working on next week’s assignments in the computer lab.
Oct. 3	Oct. 4	Oct. 5	Oct.6	Oct. 7
Computer Lab: Upload interview video and cut into small, usable clips with Windows Movie Maker.	Computer Lab: Find and save images to use in your documentary.  Create a picture source PowerPoint slide.	Computer Lab: Combine your images, interview video, and create narration for your documentary using Windows Movie Maker.	Computer Lab: Combine your images, interview video, and create narration for your documentary using Windows Movie Maker.	Computer Lab: Finishing touches.  Add titles and credits.  Add your source slides to the end.  Save as a video file.  Upload to Blackboard.

Interview Questions Guidelines (individual):
You must write at least 20 interview questions.  There are many really good examples of Veteran interview questions online.  Avoid questions that would cause the person interviewed to feel uncomfortable.  Type or write your questions legibly.  You will need two copies.  Turn one in to Mrs. Franks by Thursday, September 22^nd.  Keep the other copy for your interview.
Websites for guidance:
www.wwiirt.com/veteran_interview_questions.doc
http://museum.dva.state.wi.us/Forms/Interviewer_Packet/Veteran_Interview_Questions_buff.pdf
http://www.loc.gov/vets/vetquestions.html

Reference Word Document (individual):
You will turn in a typed document containing 30 numbered facts you found about your chosen war.  These will be the facts you use in your documentary.  The facts can be found in your book, through Gale, Worldbook, or Nettrekker.  You must have a source listed on your source PowerPoint slide for each source used.

Source PowerPoint Slide (individual):
You will create a PowerPoint slide that contains the MLA citations for each source you used to find the 30 facts in your Reference Word Document.  You will save this file as a .jpeg (picture) file so you can add it to the end of your documentary.  The instructions for saving a PowerPoint file as a picture can be found on these websites: http://sites.fcps.org/trt/node/105 or http://www.ehow.com/how_6908516_save-powerpoint-jpeg.html

Interviewing Your Veteran (individual):
Don’t forget to write down the NAME of your veteran, branch of service, and the war or location in which he or she served.  You do not need to interview your veteran at school.  However, remember that all interviews MUST be recorded.  Recording video is recommended as it will make your project better.  If recorded audio is the best you can do, then that is fine.  Keep in mind that you must upload your interview to a computer for this project.

Images (partner):
You need 10 relevant pictures.  NO MORE THAN 10!  You may only use the following sites to find images:http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/terms.php
http://everystockphoto.com
http://www.stockfootageforfree.com
http://www.flickr.com/creativecommons/
http://www.creativecommons.org
http://pics.tech4learning.com/
http://www.commons.wikimedia.org
http://morguefile.com
http://imagebase.davidniblack.com/main.php

Image Source PowerPoint Slide (partner):
You will create a PowerPoint slide that contains the weblinks for each image you use in your documentary.  You will save this file as a .jpeg (picture) file so you can add it to the end of your documentary.  The instructions for saving a PowerPoint file as a picture can be found on these websites: http://sites.fcps.org/trt/node/105 or http://www.ehow.com/how_6908516_save-powerpoint-jpeg.html

Documentary (partner):You and a partner will use your pictures, facts, and interviews to create a 12-18 minute documentary video about your chosen war or wars.  Your documentary must contain your names, English IV – Franks, class hour, and documentary title (revealed within the first minute),veterans’ names, branches of service, and the war or location in which they served (revealed before or as the interview is seen), your reference source PowerPoint slides (one for each partner), and your image source PowerPoint slide.

It is VERY IMPORTANT that your documentary follows a timeline or storyline.  In other words, it’s not just random facts.  The images, text, videos, and narration all work together to tell a logical story.  Take note that you will also be graded on creativity, originality, and organization.

You can find several video tutorials about using Windows Movie Maker online.  A few are linked in Blackboard. 

Partner Evaluation (individual):
After the project is complete, you will be required to rate your partners’ performance with a score of 0-3.  You must give a detailed explanation for this score.  This will be done privately via Blackboard.

Project Grades:
Interview questions – 20pts
Word Reference File – 30pts
Completed Documentary (see rubric below for more grading details) – 200pts

Rubric for Documentary:

___ out of 5pts	Names, English IV – Franks, Hour, and Title (revealed within the first minute)
___ out of 20pts	10 Images (points off for more than 10, irrelevant, or inappropriate)
___ out of 50pts	Facts Relayed to the Viewer (through narration, interview, and/or text) NO PLAGERISM!!
___ out of 5pts	Veterans’ Names, Branches of Service, the War or location in which they served  (revealed before or as the interview is seen)
___ out of 50pts	Recorded Interview (in small, relevant scenes)
___ out of 15pts	Timeline or Storyline followed (in other words, it’s not just random facts)
___ out of 10pts	Reference Source PowerPoint Slides
___ out of 10pts	Image Source PowerPoint Slide
___ out of 10pts	Creativity, Originality, and Organization
___ out of 10pts	Appropriate length (between 12-18 minutes; points off for more or less time)
___ out of 10pts	File Saved and Uploaded Properly in Blackboard
___ out of 5pts	Partner Evaluation in Blackboard (0-3pts from partner; 2pts for completion)

*An extra 10pts will be awarded to the project judged best in each class.