Special Projects
 

Movie #3 - Assigned on April 14, 2008

 

Your third movie will be an autobiography. Click on the following link to get started:

 

HOW TO WRITE AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY

 

Use Microsoft Word to record the information for your autobiography. Complete each section for the autobiography procedure:

  • Who you are in life?
  • What life means to you?
  • What is your outlook on the future?
  • Conclusion

For an example of an autobiography, click here.

 

This information will be gathered together with images and music and formed into a movie. You should have several text-only slides that will explain a group of images in your movie. For example, you can start with "Who I am in Life?," and then have a series of images that represent who you are. This should come after your title slide. The next slide after your first group of images would say, "What Life Means to Me," and then you will have a series of images that represent what life means to you. After this series of slides, you should have a slide that says, "My Outlook on the Future," and then have a series of slides that represent your outlook on the future. You can conclude your movie with a quote that you make up yourself, or go to the following link: Famous Quotes, you can browse by category and select the one on Education, there are some good ones there to include in your movie. You must also include the name of the person who made the quote at the end of the quote. Don't forget to add credits at the end of your movie which should begin with the word "Credits," then your name, your images "courtesy of" and listed individually, song and artist.

 

 

Movie #2 - Assigned on April 10, 2008

 

Pick one of the following general topics to create your second movie using the Windows Movie Maker 2 program.

  • Nature
  • Freedom
  • Patriotism

Your movie should have a minimum of 15 images, music, video effects and video transitions, and credits for images and music used in your movie. The topics are very general, so that you can make them as specific as you want.

 

Assigned on March 24, 2008

 

Using Movie Maker 2
Tutorial

Adding a title: 

  1. On the Tools menu, click Titles and Credits.
  2. On the Where do you want to add a title? page, click on: Add title at the beginning of the movie.
  3. In the Enter Text for Title page (upper box), type the text you want to appear as the title. Press enter to go to the next line, and then type by followed by your name.
  4. Click Change the title animation, and then on the Choose the Title Animation page, select a title animation from the list.
  5. Click Change the text font and color, and then on the Select Title Font and Color page, choose the font, font color, formatting, background color, transparency, font size, and position of the title.
  6. Click Done, add title to movie to add the title to your movie.

 Importing music

  1. On the File menu, click Import into Collection. Navigate to your music file.
  2. Music clip will appear in the collections screen.
  3. Drag a clip and drop it on a timeline below.
  4. The timeline view is shown.

Importing images

  1. On the File menu, click Import into Collection. Navigate to your image file.
  2. Image clip will appear in the collections screen.
  3. Switch to storyboard view.
  4. Drag a clip and drop it on a storyboard below.

Adding  video effects

  1. On the storyboard/timeline, select the video clip or picture to which you want to add the video effect.
  2. On the Tools menu, click Video Effects.
  3. In the Contents pane, click the video effect you want to add.
  4. On the Clip menu, click Add to Timeline or Add to Storyboard.

Adding video transitions

  1. On the storyboard/timeline, select the second of the two video clips or pictures that you want to add a transition between.
  2. On the Tools menu, click Video Transitions.
  3. In the Contents pane, click the video transition you want to add.
  4. On the Clip menu, click Add to Timeline or Add to Storyboard.

 Adding credits

  1. On the Tools menu, click Titles and Credits.
  2. On the Where do you want to add a title? page, click on Add credits at the end of the movie.
  3. In the upper box type Credits. Below left type Movie Maker Tutorial. On the right type Ms. Wiley. Follow the same pattern: give credits for the song and the performer, authors of photos and images…
  4. Click Change the title animation, and then on the Choose the Title Animation page, select a credit animation from the list.
  5. Click Change the text font and color, and then on the Select Title Font and Color page, choose the font, font color, formatting, background color, transparency, font size, and position of the credits.
  6. Click Done, add title to movie to add the title to your movie.

Setting duration of individual images:

  1. Switch to timeline view.
  2. Click on the desired clip. Its duration will be changed (either shorten or prolong).
  3. Point with your cursor to the rightmost edge of the picture tile. It should change to red two-sided arrow.
  4. Drag the tile – expand it either to the left (shorten duration) or to the right (prolong the duration).

Saving file as a project (possible editing):

  1. On the File menu, click Save Project As.
  2. Browse to desired folder and save your file.

Saving file as a movie (finished product):

  1. On the File menu, click Save Movie File.
  2. Click on My Computer and then Next.
  3. Browse to desired folder and click Next.
  4. You can either leave the default settings, or choose more options, and save it with the lower quality (saving time will be substantially shorter). Click on the Next button.

 

Black History Month Project - Assigned February 11, 2008

 

Famous American Men & Famous American Women (PowerPoint Presentation)

 

Use the Encyclopedia Brittannica’s Guide to Black History at the following link:

Encyclopedia Brittanica to help you identify each man listed below. You will need to match the man to what he accomplished and find out what year it was accomplished. You will then create a PowerPoint presentation for all 10. You can give your presentation the following title: "Famous African-American Men." The title of each slide should be the person's name. You should also include a picture of each person. Your presentation should contain slide designs, transitions, animation schemes, etc.

PART I:                                           FAMOUS AFRICAN - AMERICAN MEN

1. Ralph Abernathy                                           a. A brilliant mathematician and inventor, he predicted a solar eclipse in…

2. Benjamin Banneker                                     b. First African American citizen elected to the U.S. Sentate, in…

3. Guion S. Bluford, Jr.                                    c. Known as the “father of black baseball,”  he founded the Negro National League in…

4. Rube Foster                                                 d. First African American to serve as mayor of a large city, Cleveland, in…

5. Rafer Johnson                                             e. Riots resulted when he became the first  African American student at the University

 of Mississippi in...

6. James Meredith                                           f. First black athlete to carry the American  flag in the opening ceremonies of the

Olympic Games, in…

7. Fritz Pollard                                                  g. Played Joe and sang “Ol’ Man River” in  the play Show Boat in…

8. Hiram Revels                                                h. First African-American astronaut to be  launched into space, in…

9. Paul Robeson                                               i. Son of a farmer, he helped Martin Luther King organize Montgomery’s bus boycott in…

10. Carl Stokes                                                 j. First African American head coach in the National Football League (NFL), in…

Use the Encyclopedia Brittanica's Guide to Black History at the following link:

 Encyclopedia Brittanica to help you identify each man listed below. You will need to match the man to what he accomplished and find out what year it was accomplished. You will then create a PowerPoint presentation for all 10. You can give your presentation the following title: "Famous African-American Women." The title of each slide should be the person's name. You should also include a picture of each person. Your presentation should contain slide designs, transitions, animation schemes, etc.

PART II:                                   FAMOUS AFRICAN - AMERICAN WOMEN

1. Gwendolyn Brooks                                                a. First African American woman to serve in a president’s cabinet, in…

2. Johnnetta Cole                                                       b. Her first of many blues recordings “Downhearted Blues,” was made in…

3. Bessie Coleman                                                    c. First African-American poet to win a Pulitzer Prize, in...

4. Prudence Crandall                                                d. Known as the “Queen of Gospel,” she performed at President John F. Kennedy’s   

inauguration in…

5. Lorraine Hansberry                                                e. First president of a new organization the National Association of Colored

Women, in…

6. Patricia Roberts Harris                                          f. Famous as the author of The Color  Purple, which was published in…

7. Mahalia Jackson                                                    g. Became the first woman president  of Spelman College, in...

8. Bessie Smith                                                          h. She opened a school to educate  “young ladies of color” in…

9. Mary Terrell                                                             i. First African-American stunt pilot to stage a public flight, in…

10. Alice Walker                                                        j. Her play, Raisin in the Sun, was the first drama by an African American woman to be

staged on Broadway, in...

 

 

PART III:  BLACK HISTORY 103 - INTERNET SCAVENGER HUNT (Complete Using Microsoft Word)

DIRECTIONS: Read each clue below. Each clue tells about a famous black American on the list at the bottom of the page. Use the list to connect to a short biography of each person. On the line next to each clue, write the name of the

person to whom the clue refers.

1. _____________________ This person invented a machine, called a "lasting machine," that stitched the leather of a shoe to its sole.

2. _____________________ This person served three years in reform school for attempted burglary before writing many famous rock-and

-roll songs.

3. _____________________ This person sang in church choirs while growing up as the granddaughter of two Methodist ministers.

4. _____________________ This person worked at a childcare center before becoming a well known political figure.

5. _____________________ A Nation of Islam minister at one time, this person was assassinated while giving a speech in 1965.

6. _____________________ This person's given first and middle names at birth were "Edward Kennedy."

7. _____________________ This person was the first black congresswoman to be elected fromthe Deep South.

8. _____________________ A Harvard graduate, this person played a role in starting the National Association for the Advancement of

Colored People (NAACP).

9. _____________________ This person helped register black voters in Mississippi and led boycotts there of firms that practiced racial

discrimination.

10. ____________________ This person was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his role in making an Arab-Israeli peace in 1949.

Chuck Berry http://search.eb.com/Blackhistory/article-9078885

Ralph Bunche http://search.eb.com/Blackhistory/article-9018070

Shirley Chisholm http://afgen.com/chisholm.html

W.E.B. DuBois http://search.eb.com/Blackhistory/article-9031291

Duke Ellington http://www.redhotjazz/duke.html

Medgar Evers http://search.eb.com/Blackhistory/article-9033366

Barbara Jordan http://search.eb.com/Blackhistory/article-904397

Malcolm X http://search.eb.com/Blackhistory/article-9050305

Jan Matzeliger http://www.blackinventor.com/pages/janmetzeliger.html

Leontyne Price http://search.eb.com/Blackhistory/article-9061339

 PART IV: THE BLACK HISTORY RAP OR POEM (Microsoft Word)

Directions: Rap has its roots in the African-American community with such 1980's groups as Salt-n-Pepa and the Sugar Hill Gang. You will select a Black figure in history to learn about and then compose a rap or poem about the person. You will use the resources listed below to help you choose someone. Include a picture of the person and decorate your document with a page border, ClipArt, WordArt, etc.

Biography Resources

Here is an example of a rap song on the historical figure Granville T. Woods:

Granville T. Woods
Granville T. Woods (1856-1910) of Cincinnati invented Air Brakes, Steam Boilers and the Telegram system of sending messages while trains were still in motion in 1885. His inventions were sold to General Electric, American Telephone and the Westinghouse Air Brake Company.  During his lifetime he held U.S. patents to over 50 inventions.

song Granville T. Woods Rap Song
Granville T. Woods was an inventor you see,
He made lots of things very positively.
Mr. Woods invented the telegraph,
Which let trains know what was in their path.
Granville invented one incubator,
Which saved lots of chicken 2 months later.
Granville T. Woods was a very smart man.
His inventions are used throughout the land.

PART V: I HAVE A DREAM

Use Microsoft Word to find Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have A Dream" speech.

A.  Type the speech filling in the missing words. If you don't know what the missing word is, click for a hint. Bold, underline, italicize, or do all three to the missing words. Include an image of Dr. King in your document and a decorative whole page border.

B. I Have A Dream Too!

DIRECTIONS: Martin Luther King, Jr., delivered a famous speech on August 28, 1963, at the steps

of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. In that speech, he described his dream for America.

He had a dream of equality, justice, and peace among all people. Visit the sites above and below to read the

words of his speech and look at the photo of King that was taken on that day. Think about your

dreams for the future, and answer the questions by sharing your vision of the years to come.

Photo of the Week

(Use Microsoft Word to type out the questions and your answers).

1. What are your hopes for your own future? What do you want to do when you finish school?

What kind of career interests you most?

2. What are your hopes for your family? What problems do family members face that you would

like to correct? What would you like for them to experience in the future?

3. Think about where you live. What is your dream for that place? How could that place be

improved?

4. What would you like to see for the future of your country? What can you do to make your dream

come true?

5. People in all nations have dreams for the world. What is your dream for the world? Is it a realistic

dream? Why or why not?

© 2006 by Education World.

In recognition of Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday, you will complete the following activity:

Click on the following link: Martin Luther King Jr. Timeline - Assigned on Jan. 17, 2008

Create a PowerPoint presentation of all of the events related to the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (All events are on the left-hand side of the timline).

 

  • After the title slide you should include a slide that introduces the timeline that appears just above the events on the left-hand side.
  • Each year should appear in the title portion of your slide.
  • If more than one event appears in the same year, put all events for that year on the same slide. If all events won't fit on the same slide, you may add additional slides with the same year in the title section.
  • Your title slide should be called Martin Luther King Jr. Timeline, and the subtitle as always is the proper heading information.
  • Your presentation must include slide designs, slide transitions, animation schemes, sound effects, pictures, WordArt, ClipArt, etc.

Holidays Around the World Project - - Assigned on December 17, 2007

(All of your documents should be decorated with lots of holiday related WordArt, ClipArt, Page Borders, Backgrounds, and other images, etc.) You also need to design a Cover Page titled: "Holidays Around the World Project." Copying and pasting, and plagiarizing is strictly prohibited.

 

 Here's a little something to get you in the holiday mood:

http://badaboo.free.fr/merryxmas.swf

 

 

I.   Christmas Around the World 

Pick two countries or regions and write a minimum one page summary on how they celebrate Christmas.

 

II.  December Celebrations Around the World

      Type out the questions in Microsoft Word and correctly answer them.

 

III. Christmas Tree - Shaped Poems (or Menorah, Kinara, Snowman, etc.)

 Create a poem in one of the shapes named above. Think about ways - big and small - in which you can spread joy during   the holiday season.

IV.  Celebrations Around the World 

Pick seven holidays from the list below and summarize each one. Don't forget to use various decorative elements, such as WordArt, ClipArt, background images, page borders, etc.

  1. Hanukkah
  2. St. Nicholas Day
  3. Bodhi Day - Buddah's Enlightenment
  4. Virgin of Guadalupe
  5. Santa Lucia Day
  6. Las Posadas
  7. Eid 'ul-Adha
  8. Ramadan
  9. Boxing Day
  10. Kwanzaa
  11. Ta 'Chiu
  12. Three King's Day
  13. Tet Nguyen Dan
  14. Lantern Festival

More holiday fun: http://www.dedge.com/flash/hangman/hangman.swf  - Click on the red "play" button.

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 Thanksgiving Webquest - - Assigned on November 19, 2007

 
Click on this link to access the Thanksgiving Webquest resources: 
 
Why do we celebrate Thanksgiving? How did the holiday begin? Who declared Thanksgiving a national holiday? What was the first Thanksgiving like? Who attended the first Thanksgiving? Why is Thanksgiving always celebrated in the fall?  You will find out all of the answers to these questions after you read the background information. After reading the information, complete the PROCESS.
  1. Compose your story including the information from the bulleted items. (Include page borders, WordArt, and ClipArt, to make your story more appealing.
  2. Take a virtual tour of the Plimouth Plantation to find out what life was like then.
  3. In the Games section, complete the Thanksgiving Crossword Puzzle. Type out the Across clues and the Down clues in Microsoft Word and type the correct answer next to each clue.
  4. In the Games section, complete the Thanksgiving Quiz in Microsoft Word. (Type out questions) 

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Halloween Project -- Assigned on October 31, 2007

 

You will use the following website to complete the activities that follow. Use Microsoft Word to complete the assignment. Your document should be decorated with page borders, WordArt, ClipArt, etc.

 

The History of Halloween

  1.  List five facts that you learned about the ancient origins of Halloween.
  2. What happened on All Souls' Day?
  3. How did the tradition of dressing up in costume for Halloween evolve?
  4. Summarize the evolution of Halloween from colonial times up to the present-day?
  5. Choose one of the "Creepy Video Clips" to watch. Type a brief summary of what you saw.
  6. Choose one of the "Halloween Video Variety Clips" to watch. Summarize what you learned.
  7. Type out the seven facts about "The Great Pumpkin."
  8. Summarize the "History of the Jack-O'Lantern.
  9. Read about the "Famous Haunts." Which one did you find the most interesting and why?
  10. Read the three ghost stories. Which one do you think was the creepiest and why?

If you are a fan of Criss Angel, check out the video clip of him in action on the link, "More Halloween Videos from A&E.

 

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 Hispanic Heritage Project -- Assigned on September 18, 2007

 

Part I. Hispanic Heritage Biographies

Use the Internet to find information on the person you selected for your biography. Your biography should contain the following information. The cover page should be a picture of the person that you are completing your biography on. Please do not copy and paste the information you find on the Internet. Your biography should be a minimum of 1 1/2 double-spaced pages. Click on the following link to read about famous Hispanic people.

Biographies

 

  • When and where they were born or where did they originate?
  •  Educational background (if given)
  •  Family Life (Mother, Father, Sisters/Brothers, etc.)
  •  What are they famous for?
  •  What do you most admire about this person?

 Part II: Hispanic Heritage Quiz

 

Test your knowledge of Hispanic Heritage. Use Microsoft Word to

type out quiz questions and indicate the correct answer. You may also submit

your answers online to find out the correct answers. Click on the following link for the quiz questions.

Quiz

 

Part III: Hispanic Heritage Timeline

 

Choose 15 events from any segment of the timeline to create your

own Hispanic Heritage Timeline in Microsoft Word. The events should be

appear in chronological order in your document. Click on the following link for the timeline.

Timeline

 

 

Part IV: Hispanic Customs and Celebrations

 

What is the significance of the follwing Hispanic customs and

celebrations? Explain each one in a brief five sentence summary using

Microsoft Word. Click on the following link for descriptions.

Customs and Celebrations

 

Cinco de Mayo (May 5th)

 National Puerto Rican Day of New York (June)

 Mexican Independence Day (September 16)

 Hispanic Day Parade, NYC (October)

 The Days of the Dead (October 31, and November 1-2)

 Quinceanera/Fifteenth Birthday

 

 

Part V: Spanish Pet Names

 

Select 15 pets from the list. Type the name of the pet in Spanish

and English.

Pet Names

 

 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

 
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