Book trailers

    I thought I would explore making book trailers with iMovie.  It is actually a very easy project and seems like it could be a lot of fun in the classroom.  Students could create these trailers to introduce books as a prelude to a book report and is a great integration point for technology.
    This would be a great project for teaching 5th grade language arts and falls nicely into Florida Sunshine State Standards

• LA. 5.6.4.1 select and use appropriate available technologies to enhance communication and achieve a purpose, in this case a video presentation.
• LA 5.6.4.2 determine and use the appropriate digital tools for publishing and presenting a topic.

     Students could use programs such as word, iMovie, Windows Movie Maker, or Photostory to create a video style trailer that introduces a book to classmates and gains interest.  I think I would have students do this in conjunction with another activity such as a video book report, storyboard, or another project to demonstrate knowledge and familiarity of the book itself in more detail.  I personally found making this trailer enjoyable and engaging, I am still fairly new to Mac computers, so it was both educational and experimental as I toyed with iMovie to create a trailer for The Book Thief by Markus Zusak and I will most likely utilize this trailer as an introduction for the book as part of my language arts curriculum when I am teaching.

      Enjoy the trailer!