When Students Create Their Own Lesson....What Happens Then? A Few Awesome Summer Reading Animoto's Are Created!

On Friday afternoon the fourth graders came to see me in the library.  I had a lesson planned that included a few skills I wanted to brush up on before the end of the year.  I also wanted to integrate summer reading into the lesson.  I really thought they would like what I had planned but when I told them what we would be doing they just sat there and looked at me.

I thought for a few seconds and said, "Wait...Lets do something different!"

Then I thought for a few more and said, "Lets create videos about summer reading instead.  What should we use?  iMovie? Prezi? Animoto?" 

They all yelled out, "ANIMOTO!  Can we work with a partner?  Can my group go into the hallway to do a little video taping too? Can we turn it into a contest?  Will you put them on the library Facebook for everyone to see?"  

I was excited to see the students feel comfortable and confident enough to create their own lesson and carve out the 65 minutes they were spending in the library. I would still include everything I set out to do but incorporate their voice and passions a little bit more too.

The Animoto's that the 4th graders created to promote summer reading are so awesome.  I love what they have created and the message they tell.  They included MackinVIA and our eBooks, BiblioNasium, books and authors they love, Web 2.0 tools, and places they could connect to books throughout the summer like public libraries and bookstores.