If you’ve read any of my previous posts, you may have figured out by now that I am an advocate for cross-curricular learning, especially when it comes to educational activities or lessons that involve STEAM. (In case you didn’t know, the acronym STEAM stands for: Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math.)
Being the art specialist that I am, I’ve taught many upper elementary students how to create simple stop motion animations over the past few years. And if I might add: any lesson that involves movie-making is a fantastic way to make learning fun, meaningful and engaging for all students involved.
Though if I’m going to be honest here, it took me a years before I figured out EXACTLY HOW to go about teaching stop motion animation (or any movie-making for that matter) to my students THE RIGHT WAY.
Yes, you can throw an animation project out there and let students just figure it out as they go along (being the intuitive little learners they are). However, it won’t be meaningful and it won’t be nearly as enriching as it could be.
With that said: it’s my goal today to help you set up your grade 4, 5 and/or 6 students for success when it comes to stop motion animation! Especially if they are beginners. In this post, I outline 5 keys to setting your students up for success.
Now, let’s get to it!
KEY 1: Lay out and define all possible stop motion animation jobs/roles for your students
I like to break down the animation-process into four (4) phases: Planning, Pre-filming, Filming and Editing. Moreover, I also break each phase into two (2) possible roles or jobs.
As their teacher, it’s important to clarify your expectations for each phase of the project. It’s also imperative that you define all jobs/roles for each phase meanwhile guiding students as they choose which job/role best suits their personal strengths/goals.
Allow your students to choose which job/role they’d like to take on for the entirety of the project. Personally, I like to recommend that my students work in pairs for each job/role as not to feel overwhelmed by the tasks involved, to facilitate trouble-shooting and to build teamwork.
Planning phase:
- Scriptwriter(s): write and edit the script.
- Storyboard artist(s): draw out scenes and characters.
Pre-filming phase:
- Animation artist(s): make/locate all the characters.
- Set designer(s): design the set and backdrop.
Filming phase:
- Camera operator(s): operate the camera/device during filming.
- Director(s): move characters and objects on screen.
Editing phase:
- Film editor(s): import all images and edit movie in the application.
- Sound effects artist(s): locate, create and record all audio.
KEY 2: Have students story map their ideas
Before filming, have students work together to brainstorm ideas for their stop motion animation. This is a great opportunity for you to teach them about different types of stop motion animation and genres of film, in addition to helping them develop and practice their communication skills.
A stop motion “story map” should include most (if not all) of the following:
- Movie plot
- Movie genre*
- Type of stop-motion**
- Setting
- Characters
- Movie props/objects
- Rising action/conflict
- Special effects
- Sound effects
*Movie genres:
In the “planning stage”, brainstorm age-appropriate movie genres as a class, pulling together examples from popular culture. The movie genres I like to recommend include:
- Action
- Adventure
- Comedy
- Drama
- Fantasy
- Romance
- Satire
- Sci-Fi
- Thriller
**Types of stop motion include:
- Object-Motion and Claymation: many children animations have been created using this very method. Show examples that they are most familiar with, including all the LEGO® movies, Nick Park (i.e. Wallace & Gromit franchise), Coraline, and Tim Burton (i.e. The Nightmare Before Christmas).
- Cutout-Motion: a two-dimensional form of animation that requires the manipulation of paper.
- Silhouette Animation: involves puppetry and backlighting, very similar to shadow puppet theatre.
- Pixilation: requires animating actual people on screen.
- There are exist more complex forms of stop-motion animation involve drawing images with art materials such as pencil, paint, pastel, charcoal, even sand!
KEY 3: Teach students about the importance of Stages of a Plot
Stages of a plot may be something your students have worked on in the past, however it may likely be an entirely new concept. I think every good novel and screenplay follows this “go-to” recipe. With that said, layout and describe each stage of a plot before they start their storyboard.
- Exposition/Set the Scene: Introduces the setting, major characters and plot conflict(s).
- Rising Action/Conflict: Suspense and tensions mount. There four (4) types of conflicts: conflict with oneself, conflict with other characters, conflict with the supernatural beings, or conflicts with the environment/nature.
- Climax: When the story reaches the peak of the action.
- Falling Action: When tensions and conflicts decrease.
- Resolution/Denouement: The story comes to an end, conflicts are resolved. It can with a cliff-hanging allowing for possible sequels. Denouement stems from the French word dénoué, which translates to “untied” or “resolved” in English.
KEY 4: Have students create a storyboard for their animation
All the great animators make them! Why not show that examples from Walt Disney or Pixar?! It’s a great opportunity to emphasize that what you are doing to (i.e. preparing for their stop motion animation) are skills that are used in real life by actual animators!
Storyboards not only include the breakdown of scenes and events from the animation. They also can give a glimpse into set designs, backgrounds and character sketches.
KEY 5: Demonstrate before your students how to film, edit and add sound/special effects
Provide your students with checklists that walk them through filming, editing and adding of sound/special effects. You can go into more depth with tutorials/demonstrations on how to add overlays and keyframes in iMovie, which are great FREE methods for adding special effects to student-made movies!
Before they start editing and wrap up their stop motion animation, teach students how to:
- Open up your movie making software/application
- Import all stop-motion photos, in addition to any transparent PNG graphics if you would like to add overlays (for special effects)
- Sequence images and audio
- Delete duplicate images and photobombs
- Remove “Ken Burns effect” or any undesired default settings
- Set the duration (time) or frame rate (fps) depending upon the app they will be using
- Import or select audio clips
- Add audio clips to the correct frame
- Add special effects with overlays/keyframes/transitions
- Add movie intro (movie title) and outro (credits)
- And most importantly: save, share or export their stop motion animation
Now this all might seem like a lot of work, and I won’t lie to you because it is, but it’s so rewarding when you set students up for stop motion success! And believe me, when they see the final result of all their hard work all the extra preparation will have been worth it!
Looking into starting Stop Motion Animation with your students this school year? Head on over to my Teachers Pay Teachers shop to check out these resources:
✅ In-depth Stop Motion Animal Project, for Grades 4 and up
✅ Simple Stop Motion Animation Introduction Project for Grades 3 to 6
✅ Download my Stop Motion Animation Checklist here – it’s FREE!
How about you: have you ever taught stop motion to your students? How did it go?! What were your successes and/or failures when it came to teaching stop motion? Share your experiences (good & bad!) in the comments below.
