PICTURE BOOK PROJECT
Overview
In the "Picture Book Project”, students in kindergarten and first grade create a picture book with a soundtrack. Students create a storyline that is interesting and engaging, draw expressive illustrations, and compose and audio record a musical soundtrack. Throughout this project, students explore the following questions: 1) What is the purpose of story books? 1) What makes a good picture book and how can we create one? 3) How can we use music to enhance the picture book? 2) What makes a good soundtrack and how can we create one? Class picture books with soundtracks will be available on this webpage when completed.
Essential Questions
· Soundtrack music expresses emotions and ideas
· A picture book needs to have expressive artwork and an interesting storyline
Knowledge and Skills
· Writing and illustrating a book
· Composing music
· Performing on instruments
National Standards for Music Education
2. Performing on instruments, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music.
4. Composing and arranging music within specified guidelines.
7. Evaluating music and music performances.
Assessment
· Performance Task: Students write and illustrate a book. Students also compose and record a soundtrack that goes with the book. Students assess the project based on the following criteria: How interesting is the storyline? How expressive are the illustrations? Is the soundtrack performed well? How well does the soundtrack fit the story?
Instructional Plan
Phase 1:
-In the beginning Mr. Kniffen explained the project to the students. Mr. Kniffen then asked the students what kind of story the class should write. The class brainstormed story ideas and Mr. Kniffen wrote the ideas down in the electronic journal.
-The students decided on a title and then Mr. Kniffen asked the essential question "What makes a good story/" Students had a conversation about what the story needed to have (interesting storyline, cool characters, etc).
-The class then began to write the story. "How should our story start?" Many students gave ideas and Mr. Kniffen used one of them. Mr. Kniffen typed the opening idea in the electronic journal and wrote the students' name next to the idea.
-Students continued to create the storyline. Students were very engaged in using their imaginations!
Phase 2:
-Once the class collectively wrote the storyline, Mr. Kniffen assigned each student to illustrate a page of the book. Before students began illustrating, the class had a discussion about "What makes a good illustration?" Students decided that good artwork in books must be: 1) be interesting and creative 2) must show what's happening in the story 3) must be nice to look at (can't be sloppy).
-Students spent time illustrating their assigned book page. Many students illustrated the part of the storyline they thought of.
Phase 3:
-During the final phase of the project, students composed music as a class that told the story of their book. The guiding question during composing was "Does this fit with the story? Does this music help tell our story?"
-Mr. Kniffen would read a page of the book (2 or 3 lines of writing), and ask the students if they had any ideas for music that would go with it. Students would contribute ideas. After all students' ideas were heard, Mr. Kniffen tried to incorporate all of the students' ideas. The students would briefly rehearse it and then Mr. Kniffen would hit record on garageband in order to record it, and then conduct the students' composition.
-The class continued this process until the whole soundtrack was created. Garageband recording was done throughout rather than after all of the music was composed. This allowed students to spend more time creating than rehearsing.
-Mr. Kniffen then uploaded the illustrations to imovie, recorded himself telling the story, and then edited the garageband recordings in order to make the final soundtrack. The project below was played for the community at the 2013 Spring Concert at Twin Valley Elementary School in Wilmington, VT.
In the "Picture Book Project”, students in kindergarten and first grade create a picture book with a soundtrack. Students create a storyline that is interesting and engaging, draw expressive illustrations, and compose and audio record a musical soundtrack. Throughout this project, students explore the following questions: 1) What is the purpose of story books? 1) What makes a good picture book and how can we create one? 3) How can we use music to enhance the picture book? 2) What makes a good soundtrack and how can we create one? Class picture books with soundtracks will be available on this webpage when completed.
Essential Questions
- What is the purpose of picture books?
- What makes a good picture book and how can we create one?
- How can we use music to enhance the picture book?
- What makes a good soundtrack and how can we create one?
· Soundtrack music expresses emotions and ideas
· A picture book needs to have expressive artwork and an interesting storyline
Knowledge and Skills
· Writing and illustrating a book
· Composing music
· Performing on instruments
National Standards for Music Education
2. Performing on instruments, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music.
4. Composing and arranging music within specified guidelines.
7. Evaluating music and music performances.
Assessment
· Performance Task: Students write and illustrate a book. Students also compose and record a soundtrack that goes with the book. Students assess the project based on the following criteria: How interesting is the storyline? How expressive are the illustrations? Is the soundtrack performed well? How well does the soundtrack fit the story?
Instructional Plan
Phase 1:
-In the beginning Mr. Kniffen explained the project to the students. Mr. Kniffen then asked the students what kind of story the class should write. The class brainstormed story ideas and Mr. Kniffen wrote the ideas down in the electronic journal.
-The students decided on a title and then Mr. Kniffen asked the essential question "What makes a good story/" Students had a conversation about what the story needed to have (interesting storyline, cool characters, etc).
-The class then began to write the story. "How should our story start?" Many students gave ideas and Mr. Kniffen used one of them. Mr. Kniffen typed the opening idea in the electronic journal and wrote the students' name next to the idea.
-Students continued to create the storyline. Students were very engaged in using their imaginations!
Phase 2:
-Once the class collectively wrote the storyline, Mr. Kniffen assigned each student to illustrate a page of the book. Before students began illustrating, the class had a discussion about "What makes a good illustration?" Students decided that good artwork in books must be: 1) be interesting and creative 2) must show what's happening in the story 3) must be nice to look at (can't be sloppy).
-Students spent time illustrating their assigned book page. Many students illustrated the part of the storyline they thought of.
Phase 3:
-During the final phase of the project, students composed music as a class that told the story of their book. The guiding question during composing was "Does this fit with the story? Does this music help tell our story?"
-Mr. Kniffen would read a page of the book (2 or 3 lines of writing), and ask the students if they had any ideas for music that would go with it. Students would contribute ideas. After all students' ideas were heard, Mr. Kniffen tried to incorporate all of the students' ideas. The students would briefly rehearse it and then Mr. Kniffen would hit record on garageband in order to record it, and then conduct the students' composition.
-The class continued this process until the whole soundtrack was created. Garageband recording was done throughout rather than after all of the music was composed. This allowed students to spend more time creating than rehearsing.
-Mr. Kniffen then uploaded the illustrations to imovie, recorded himself telling the story, and then edited the garageband recordings in order to make the final soundtrack. The project below was played for the community at the 2013 Spring Concert at Twin Valley Elementary School in Wilmington, VT.
