Technology In Our Classrooms

 Podcasting –Voices of the Gold Rush

Jenny Ball – Lupin Hill

4th Grade Project

 

The podcasts tell the very real human stories of the California Gold Rush – each from a different perspective.

They feature historical and symbolic pictures of the Gold Rush with “voice-over” narratives.  

 

Break the class into “Mining Camps” consisting of 7 students each.  Mining Camps then decide on a name (using actual historical mining camp names) and assign the following roles within their camp:

         •Miner

         •Native American

         •Argonaut

         •Californio

         •Child of a Miner

         •Entrepreneur

         •Overlander

 

Each member of the Camp is responsible for researching his/her  own role (some research material teacher supplied), writing a script, downloading pictures that “tell” their story, and rehearsing and recording the voice-over.  Camps work as a team to produce and edit the podcast, and select music track.

 

Tips

•I found it very helpful to show a sample of a competed podcast at the beginning of the assignment.

•PBS series by Ken Burns “The West” was instrumental.  It set the tone of podcasts (real human stories told from a variety of perspectives) and demonstrated to the students what you can do with still pictures. The series (and the companion guide “The West”) provided the factual information and human inspiration for the stories that the students told.

 

 

Timetable

Pre-Production/Research – 4 Weeks

1) Research: Watch excerpts of Ken Burns The West (on United Streaming) as a whole class and individual students read packets (I provided) pertaining to their role from the companion book The Gold Rush

2) Script Writing, Editing and Rehearsal

3) Image Gathering: Download from internet and create folder in iPhoto

 

Production– 4 weeks

4) Record Voice-Overs and Edit Sound Track – using Garageband

5) Import Pictures from iPhoto and Synch with sound track

6) Select Jingle (Music), and synch with images/V.O.s

7) Final Editing

 

Post-Production

8) Import Podcasts to iTunes to create m4a and put on class webpage

9) Debut!

 

If you have a Mac and would like to watch a video created by the students on this lesson plan, follow the directions below:

1.  Click on the following link to download the file - RoughandReady1

2. In the upper right hand corner of your screen, click on the magnifying glass (Spotlight) and type in Quicktime Player

3.  The application will show up on the bottom of screen in the dock.

4.  Drag and drop the file into the Quicktime Player application and the video should open, as seen below: