Photo Stories with Animoto

Photo shows, such as those made with Animoto, are a clever way for students to make very nice looking video slide shows. Students can add photos, text, videos, and music to make polished slide shows perfect for a simple presentation, or just sharing with the class. 

Here is an example I made using Animoto:

Using this video as an example, groups of students could search the Internet for images that interest them and build their own photo show videos writing similar captions to describe the images with target language (for example, prepositions). It allows students to work creatively and collaboratively while focusing on specific language usage. Using a cultural theme, such as holidays or food, would give students an additional opportunity to explore that, as well. Students can present and explain their image choices and captions to the class.

Alternatively, students could use this kind of tool to document their personal holiday or weekend events from their own pictures. Students would then come to class and share what they did. This kind of project could give teachers some original student-generated material to make a quick informal assessment regarding students' written captions or spoken presentations.