Assignment 3: Newtons Laws Silent Film

Outcomes
After completing this exercise, students will be able to:

demonstrate an understanding of Newtons Laws of Motion

Use technological tools to demonstrate these three laws.

NETS-S and State Curriculum Standards

The targeted learning outcomes are aligned to the following NETS-S and State
Curriculum Standards for High School Physics:
NETS-S 1. Creativity and innovation
Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative
products and processes using technology.
c. Use models and simulations to explore complex systems and issues
Standard P-2.4
Interpret the resulting motion of objects by applying Newtons three
laws of motion: inertia; the relationship among net force, mass, and acceleration (using
F = ma); and action and reaction forces.
Rationale for the Instructional Design
The specific technologies were recommended to students to develop and deliver their
videos in the instructions below. Giving students this type of assessment allows
students to move form just augmenting or modifying lessons with technology to
transforming them and redefining them which allows students to produce original and
creative work as outlined in the NETS-s standard 1 for Creativity and innovation. It also
accomplishes the outcomes for the state physics standard P-2.4. I did not constrain my
students to major parameters except that I did request that they kept their presentations
to approximately three to five minutes. The file sizes were limited by youtube accounts.
Once the animation was posted on youtube the URL could be shared with the members
of the class and the teacher and the video viewed by all in either a .wma or .mov file
extension. Students were able to work on the project at school or from home. The
approximate file size allowed for upload through the school network was approximately
2 MB. Most students did not have any issues uploading assignments through the school
wireless network. Most work was done using the Dell Venue notebooks provided
through the school. Some students used their own devices and additional hardware and
software to enhance their work. Some students continue to have negative attitudes
towards the Dell Venue notebooks mostly due to consistency issues and loss of work.
These student prior experiences can have a negative impact on creating and submitting
digitally rich assessments.

Summary of Signficance
The artifact demonstrates my instructional technology competence by the quality of the
work produced that fulfills the goals, outcomes and standards that are met through the
project. Each of the program learning outcomes was evidenced by these artifacts. The
students demonstrated creative thinking; they constructed knowledge, and developed
innovative products using technology. The students also demonstrated an
understanding Newtons three laws of motion.
Overview
Create a silent movie that explains and demonstrates Newtons three laws of motion.
Instructions
Driving Question: How can a student Teach Newtons Three Laws of Motion Using
Silent Movies?
Intro video to show as a student example:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTvbEKYIMIY
Read and take quiz:
http://teachertech.rice.edu/Participants/louviere/Newton/
http://www.physics4kids.com/files/motion_laws.html
complete:
Newtons laws quiz on Edmodo
read:
http://suite101.com/article/newtons-laws-for-kids-overview-a41283
http://www.physicsclassroom.com/class/newtlaws/
watch:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVdqxYyFRKY
http://moodle.schoolnet.lk/mod/resource/view.php?id=1179

After completing all of this then begins to answer the questions. After the questions are
answered, turn them in and receive permission to begin the silent movie.
Make a Silent Movie
Silent movies are movies that have no spoken dialogue, allowing the actors to
communicate via actions and body language, usually supplemented by background
music, subtitles, or both.
Tips

Remember that no voices will be recorded. Use this to your advantage by freely
communicating between cast and crew with voice, which will be ultimately edited
out anyway.

Experiment with different camera angles, such as high shots (above eye level)
and low shots (below eye level or from the ground), and zoom levels, such as
close ups and long shots.

Things You'll Need

A camera
Some music
Computer(s)
A movie editing program
Some actors
An active imagination
A good story to make the movie

If you want to try your hand at creating a silent film, here are 8 pointers to keep in
mind.
1. Preparation
Watch old silent movies (like Charlie Chaplins) to get ideas. Watch the dancing
films of Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire to learn more about body expressivity. Even
try watching a favorite contemporary movie with no sound to see how much of
the story gets across.
If you can, bring your camera with you as much as possible, and record short
movement clips. Store these in a folder to draw on for future projects.
2. Story
Story can make or break any film, but this is especially true with silent movies.
With silent films, no room exists for dull expositions. Spend as much time as
possible creating a story that can be told well, or even told best, through visuals
(such as actions, appearances and behaviours). Focus on movements and
gestures, and borrow from dance and mime. Large, exaggerated motions
translate well to silent films, but balance these also with subtlety (i.e. a raised
eyebrow, a quivering lipespecially when paired with a close-up shot).
3. Actors
Choose actors with an interesting appearance or diverse look. Speech is not as
important as physical expressivity; look for actors who tell the story with their
bodies, emoting with gestures and faces. You might select actors who have a
knack for physical comedy, or even dancers. Consider too the number of

characters you need, and the possibility (and budget savings) of a silent film
following just one protagonist through a single-character story.
4. Camera and Set
Because visual elements are the core of silent movies, camera quality is crucial.
Set also plays an important role in the story, so consider contrasting locations to
follow the plotline and using existing locations since background noise does not
matter.
5. Cinematography Techniques
Silent films are an opportunity to experiment with color tinting or black and white
films. A mix of both can speak volumes and set the tone of different scenes, but
be sure to maintain some consistency.
Try playing with different camera angles and zoom levels. Some cinematic
techniques, such as a blurred haze or iris-in and iris-out are historical elements of
silent films.
Embrace the fantastic. Silent films are excellent chances to explore the minds of
characters and enter their imaginary dream worlds, which can be portrayed
through different tints and colors (or lack thereof)
6. Sound and Music
Although sound in a silent movie may seem like an oxymoron, scores almost
always accompanied early silent films. In fact, silent movies were once the
greatest employer of instrumental musicians. Some critics argue that any sound
detracts from the pure aesthetic qualities of silent films, but instrumental or
wordless vocal music can add to the mood of the movie. One option is hiring a
composer to collaborate on your film project, which enables you to create the
precise score you desire. Make sure you can match your story length to the
length of your score leave yourself room in the edit.
Consider other repetitive audio too, such as a heartbeat, heavy breathing, traffic
noises, nature sounds, clocks ticking, bells or anything you record yourself.
7. Editing and Final Touches
Be daring with different editing techniques. Experiment with reversal, slow or fast
motion, cuts, collage and layering. With silent films you have more room to play
because there is no dialogue to worry about.
Title cards can be a big assistance with silent movies. Early silent movies
designated a title writer, separate from the scenario writer. Have at least an
opening title and ending credits. Intertitles can be used for transitions, such as
later that day or ten years earlier, or to explain a complicated piece of the

story. Be wary of over-titling, thoughremember you are making a motion

picture, not writing a book.
8. Test your Film
Run your film by a variety of test viewers to make sure they understand anything
you want them to understand, and edit according to their feedback. Consider too
your intended audience; what appeals to critics may be lost on mainstream
viewers, who tends to like movies that are what they expect: flash, pop and some
cleverly quotable dialogue.
9.Fade Out
When people talk about making a silent film, they either mean making a film without
sound, or a film that looks like an early twentieth century silent era movie (look at
Canadian independent filmmaker Guy Maddin for a good example of these). The
Pordenone Silent Film Festival (Le Giornate del Cinema Muto) has it's 31st edition in
October this year. (At the same time as Raindance, see how un-partizan we are?)Once
you create your file include it as a link on a word document with a brief description as to
the nature of the animation. A few other suggested programs include Powtoon or
Microsoft Movie Maker, Submit this document on Edmodo.
Submitting and Posting
To submit your assignment to your instructor, save your Word file as a DOCX file and
name in the following manner:
lastnamefirstinitial_NewtonsLawVideo.docx (i.e.,
UnderwoodT_NewtonsLawVideo.docx)
Submit your finished work to the assignment 3 link in the Assignments area of Edmodo
before 11:59 p.m. U.S. EST/EDT the last day of Unit 3.
Grading
Assignment 3: Newtons Laws Video will be graded based according the point values
indicated in the rubric and will be converted to a percentage grade. In order to receive
credit for your work, make sure that you have:

Include a link to the animation or video in the word document

saved, formatted, submitted, and posted your file according to the provided
guidelines.
Use the below rubric for grading purposes:

Rubric: Silent Movie

1. Was the subject matter appropriate for the assignment?

0 No video turned in.
1 No. Material was inappropriate.
3 Material was partly inappropriate but could be revised.
4 Yes. Material was appropriate
5 Yes. Material was appropriate and a creative choice.
2. Was there adequate good footage shot using a good variety of angles,
locations. etc.?
0 No video turned in.
1 Very little shot. Poor selection.
2 Some usable footage but very "home movie" in style.
3 Some good footage. Mostly one camera angle.
4 Mostly good footage.
5 Excellent footage and camera work demonstrated.
3. Was the editing logical, creative and well executed?
0 No video turned in.
1 Very little or no editing.
2 Some editing but uninspired or randomly done.
3 Several good editing choices.
4 Lots of good, well-timed editing with minor exceptions.
5 Excellent choice of edits. Good storytelling, creatively done.
4. Was additional post-production (music/sound effects/visual effects) used
well?
0 No video turned in.
1 No music and effects.
2 Music and effects used but inappropriate for style or unacceptable.
4 Good music and/or effect choices.
5 Creative use of music, sound effects and visual effects.
5. How well were the elements of silent movies applied? Old look, overacting,
little use of special effects, changes in music moods, dialogue cards, etc..
0 No video turned in.
1 Very little connection with silent film style.
2 Minimal connection.

3 Some good stylistic elements applied

4 Good use to silent movie styles.
5 Very good, creative use of style throughout.
Did the producer demonstrate a good use of time, resources and effort regardless
of the project outcome? 1 very little effort 3 average effort 5 strong
effort
TOTAL POINTS 30 possible________________
FINAL GRADE________________