EDUC 2220- Educational Technology Lesson Plan Template

STORYTELLING AND VIDEOGRAPHY

MISS BETSY YOUNG

PRESCHOOL (AGES 4-5)

Common Core Standards:

Domain: Language and Literacy Development
Strand: Reading
Topic: Reading Comprehension
Standard Statement: Retell or re-enact familiar stories.
Domain: Cognition and General Knowledge
Strand: Cognitive Skills
Topic: Memory
Standard Statement: Recreate complex ideas, events/situations with personal adaptations.
Lesson Summary:
Using technology and other resources, the children will be able to make a video in which they re-enact a

favorite story.
Estimated Duration:
Two 20 minute sections a day for 5 consecutive days, equaling a total of 200 minutes of instruction. The first
section of each day is a group time which involves 20 children. The second section consists of 4 small group
activities that address the standards.
Commentary:
I want to encourage the childrens ability to sequence an event and improve their memory and retention skills.
I have seen it done in a classroom before that a teacher will support children in a reenactment of a favorite or
familiar story. When I have seen it done, the focus was on developing gross motor skills and was just a one
day, small group event. I want to extend this idea by making it a week long project that the children and I can
work on altogether and in small groups. I plan to use internet resources and visuals to help children visualize
the story further. I also plan to help them make a video using an iPad to document their work. Additionally, I
will send home links to websites that will encourage memory function that children can use with the help of an
adult.

Instructional Procedures:
(Note: I will always plan for more than 20 minutes for group time and determine what activities need to be
shortened or lengthened during the actual event.)
Day 1: Characters
Group Time:
2 minutes: We will sing the welcome song.
5 minutes: I will ask the children what they know about characters. After listening to their responses and
gauging what they know, I will explain that a character is a person in a story. I will tell the children that I will
read them a story that has some very interesting characters.
5 minutes: Read The Billy Goats Gruff retold by Jane Bingham. I will emphasize the traits of the different
characters in the story.
5-7 minutes: Using a Smartboard program, I will create a list or table of the character information of the book
using the data that the children are able to share about the story. I will ask the children what they noticed about
each character. I will support them in modeling some of the faces, attitudes, and behaviors that are represented
by the characters. We will enter the information into the Smartboard table. Children will be able to play a game
on the Smartboard that helps to match the characteristics to the character.
3 minutes: I will explain what each small group activity is and encourage the children to participate with any
idea that interests them. I will then dismiss the children two-by-two from group time.
Small Groups:

 Self-portraits: Emotions
Hand-held mirrors and photos of each child will be placed at a table with paper, pencils, and
markers. Children will be able to draw a picture of themselves making a face (happy, sad,
grumpy, tough, scared, etc.).
Playdough - Create
Children will be able to help a teacher make a simple playdough recipe. Each child will receive
their own small batch and place it in a bag for later use.
Memory Card Game
The children will be able to play a memory card game in which they lay all the cards face down
and take turns flipping two cards at a time to find matches.
Connector Blocks
Children will be able to use connector blocks to build a variety of structures.
Day 2: Actors, Parts, Costumes
Group time:
2 minutes: We will sing the welcome song.
5 minutes: Wearing a dramatic directors costume, I will ask the children what they know about actors. What
do actors do? Where do actors do their work? Who can be an actor? What is a director? The children will be
able to participate in a brief discussion about what they know on the subject.
5 minutes: Using the Smartboard, we will review the information about the characters that the children helped
to create the day before. Explain to children that we are going to tell this story using our own bodies to pretend
to be like the characters in the story. This is called acting. You will get to be actors! I will also explain that
we will make a movie of our story so we can watch it when we are finished at the end of the week.
5-7 minutes: The children will be able to choose what character they would like to be from the story by writing
their name in the table on the smartboard. Once everyone has been assigned to a character, I will have each
group (little goats, medium goats, big goats, trolls) stand and practice acting out their characters.
3 minutes: I will explain what each small group activity is and encourage the children to participate with any
idea that interests them. I will then dismiss the children two-by-two from group time.
Small Groups:
Playdough - Play
Children will be able to manipulate the playdough they made yesterday using mallets, spoons,
and their own hands.
Costumes
Each child will be able to create a costume for their character using fabric, scarves, hats, props,
etc. The child will put their costume in a bag to wear for the next day.
Collage
Children will be able to practice using scissors and glue as they cut out images from magazines
and paste them onto construction paper!
Sensory Table - Animals and Sand
Children will be able to play with plastic animal figurines in sand.
Day 3: Creating the Set

Group time:
2 minutes: We will sing the welcome song.
5 minutes: We will watch a YouTube video adaptation of The Three Billy Goats Gruff using the Smartboard.
5 minutes: I will ask the children where the story is happening, what the weather is like in the story, what else
do they remembering seeing in the story BESIDES the character. This is what we call the scene of the story.
When you make a movie, the scene is called the set. How can we build a set for our movie?
5-7 minutes: The children will be able to brainstorm ideas about how to build the set for the movie using
materials from our classroom or the school. We will put all of the information into a new slide on the
Smartboard. I will mention that if the children have any more ideas about the set during small groups to tell me
and we will add it to the Smartboard.
3 minutes: I will explain what each small group activity is and encourage the children to participate with any
idea that interests them. I will then dismiss the children two-by-two from group time.
Small Groups:
Legos
Children will be able to build with legos at a table.
Blocks with Bridge Art
I will place artwork in the block area that will inspire bridge building.
Computer
Children will be able to spend two minutes each searching for images of bridges in a childfriendly search engine. (http://gogooligans.com/) I will have a list of bridge related words that
they may practice typing into the search engine. (bridge, wooden, large/small, foot bridge, etc.)
Floor Puzzles
Children will be able to assemble large floor puzzles.
Day 4: Filming the Video
Group time:
2 minutes: We will sing the welcome song.
5 minutes: Read The Billy Goats Gruff retold by Jane Bingham.
5 minutes: We will review the story. I will guide the children in remembering the sequence of the story and we
will put it up on the Smartboard.
5-7 minutes: I will pull up the Smartboard chart that has the character assignments and ask the children to sit
with their group. Each group will briefly practice their parts.
3 minutes: I will explain what each small group activity is and mention that we will do small groups a little
differently today to make sure that we can get the whole movie filmed. Each group will be sent to a particular
activity and will switch when each group is called to come film. I will inform them that I will be filming each
group at some point during small group time so when they hear their group name called, they should come
meet me on the set. I will then dismiss one group of actors at a time.
Small Groups:
Wardrobe

 The children will be able to put on their costumes and any face paint they would like to apply.
iPads
The children will be able to play memory games on the classroom iPads.
Invitations
The children will be able to use paper, markers, scissors, glue, ribbon, and sequins to create
invitations for their families to come see their movie!
Filming
The children will meet me on the set and will act out their character as a group. I will record
them using a classroom iPad.
Day 5: Editing and the Premiere!
Group time:
2 minutes: We will sing the welcome song.
5 minutes: I will remind the children that their parents are coming to watch their movie after class today. I will
ask, What should we do to get ready for your parents to come? How can we make it comfortable for them to
watch the movie? What do they need? We will write their ideas on the Smartboard.
6-8 minutes: The children and teachers will watch the movie together.
3 minutes: I will explain what each small group activity is and mention that we will do small groups similarly
to yesterday. I will meet with each group of children to make any edits to their part of the film and to choose
sound effects. When we are finished with edits, they can go back to small groups. I will then dismiss one group
of actors at a time.
Small Groups:
Editing
The children will be able to work together in their acting groups to choose sound effects to add
to their portion of the film.
Art Table 1 - Open Activity
This activity will be based on any ideas the children had during group time about how to make
the classroom ready for their parents to come (making tickets, seating, place cards, snack stand,
etc., etc., etc.)
Art Table 2 - Open Activity
This activity will be based on any ideas the children had during group time about how to make
the classroom ready for their parents to come (making tickets, seating, place cards, snack stand,
etc., etc., etc.)
Popcorn!
The children will be able to help a teacher make popcorn and then measure the popcorn into
individual bags to eat during the premiere of the movie later in the day.
Pre-Assessment:
Using a KWL chart, I will ask children what they remember about the story of the three billy goats gruff (it is a
story we have read in class before). I will also ask them what they want to know about the story. The week
before implementing this activity, I will also provide sequencing and memory activities.
Scoring Guidelines:
The children will not receive a score, but I will be able to determine who may need more support than

others in memory development based on their varying levels of success completing the activities. I will
observe the children as they participate in the activities, taking anecdotal notes that indicate their level
of memory and sequencing skill.
Throughout the implementation of this lesson, I will take photos of children as they develop memory
skills through play. I will also take notes as I observe their skill development. Any relevant information
will go into the childs portfolio.
Post-Assessment:
The video will serve as a form of the post-assessment as it provides a visual representation of the work the
children have done. The week following this lesson, the children and I will revisit the KWL chart from the preassessment and have a discussion about what they remember of the story, what they found out about the story,
and what interested them most about our movie project that was based on the story.
Scoring Guidelines:
I will be able to compare the childrens responses from the review of the lesson to the knowledge they
were able to present during the pre-assessment. From their responses, as well as the notes and pictures
taken during the activities in the lesson, I will be able to determine where each child has strengthened
or needs additional support.
Differentiated Instructional Support
Describe how instruction can be differentiated (changed or altered) to meet the needs of gifted or accelerated
students:
Some children may be ready for more of a challenge, so I will give them responsibilities within their group.
They can be the leader of their group, making sure everyone in their group is present. Some students may even
want to help narrate the story if they have strong language and literacy skills. Additionally, I may include these
students in the editing process if they are itching to use their tech skills.
Discuss additional activities you could do to meet the needs of students who might be struggling with the
material:
If children have a hard time with remembering the sequence of the story or remembering what their character
is supposed to do, they can look to their classmates as a peer-model. For some children, I understand that
working in a peer-group may be overly stimulating. I will offer the part of narrator, director, or directors
assistant to those children based on their emotional, social, and cognitive needs.

Extension
This website is kid- and family-friendly and offers many different types of free online math games for kids.
Children will be able to use this website with minimal adult support and play a variety of games that will help
them expand on the standards addressed in this lesson.
http://www.kidsmathgamesonline.com/memory.html
Homework Options and Home Connections
I would encourage children to play an online game that I will create using http://www.classtools.net/ that

addresses the specific memory skills we are learning in class.

I could provide a childrens book list for parents and some open ended questions they could ask their children
to help develop memory skills.
I would encourage families to work together to write a story using Storybird. (https://storybird.com/)
Interdisciplinary Connections
Social/Emotional development as children work together in acting groups and then as a whole group to create
the film. This teamwork will build community within the classroom. Approaches Toward Learning will be
developed as children use critical thinking skills to develop characters, create costumes and sets, and give input
about the movie-making process.

Materials and Resources:

For teachers

Book - The Billy Goats Gruff retold by Jane Bingham

Youtube Video of the three billy goats gruff adaptation
iPhone or iPad to record the video
Laptop/Computer to edit and operate Smartboard elements.
Smartboard

For students

iPads - Memory Games

Computers
Smartboard

Key Vocabulary
Actor, director, character, scene/set, acting, video, movie, iPad, parts, costumes
Additional Notes
Parents will be notified about the lesson topic the week before and invited to come to a movie on the last day
of school for the following week. They will be updated daily via email on the progress of the project and given
resources to help strengthen their childs learning at home.