2006 - A year in pictures

Well, soon it's back to work for me and like most of you it's going to be difficult first week until I find my rhythm again. So, here's a lesson plan that will put a smile, well, at least I hope, on your students' faces.

The basic idea is for your students to create a video based on what they did in 2006. They can use the photos/video they took with their digital camera or mobile phones in order to give the rest of us a taste of what last year was like for them.

Lesson plan

1 In the first week back ask your students to write down a list of the top 5/10 best moment in 2006. If necessary, work on any vocabulary items.

2 Students then ask each other about their highlights.

3 Now explain to students that they are going to make a video based on their 2006 and that they should use their photos/videos from last year to create a video.

4 Tell them that you are going to show your own video and that they should think of three questions to ask you about 2006.

My 2006 in pictures

5 Answer their questions.

6 Now tell students they have a week to make a 2-5 minute video something similar using Windows Movie Maker, Photo Story 3, imovie, Jumpcut.com etc . If you want, you could also get them to record a narrative explaining the images.

7 If, for some reason students don't have access to a digital camera/mobile phone then ask them to find images from Flickr that reflect their experience of 2006. For example, if they took part in some sports event, get some photos from Flickr that show something similar.

8 Students then post their work on the class/personal blogs.

9 For homework students choose three other blogs and post five questions about the video on each. All questions must be answered.