Session+1-+Introduction

Introduction to the Project
Students will be able to:
 * Understand what an informational documentary is
 * Describe three characteristics of a good informational documentary
 * Describe a roadmap process for creating their own digidoc

Activity Our final product is only to be a couple of minutes in length. Everyone will be assigned a specific job, like camera person, video editor, narrator, script writer, and so forth.
 * 1) Ask students if they have ever watched an informational documentary, and ask them to describe it (what was it about, how was the info presented?
 * 2) Have the students view an example of the informational documentary.
 * 3) Ellicit the characteristics: it is a non fiction film without actors, it is a journalistic record of an event, place, process or person and its purpose is to convey factual data.
 * 4) What makes a good informational documentary? Pass out the rubric and ask students to read sections of it.
 * 5) Show the kids your sample. Ask the kids to rate it. Have the kids justify their ratings.
 * 6) Show the kids a roadmap for creating the digital documentary (or photoessay).
 * 7) What makes a strong digicdoc, or photoessay? Questions to consider:
 * Are we studying an interesting topic?
 * What do we want to present?
 * What are we passionate about?
 * What do we have access to? What will we need?
 * What point of view do we want to present in our final product?

Kids should have a final idea of what it is they are making (a movie) and what it will be about, and what it will look like.

Link to roadmap:@http://www.teachingmatters.org/digidocs/info.htm Link to Brown vs. Bd of Education video: See Agenda Link to photoessay: See Resources