Making Our First Debut via YouTube

When Tidwell MS students signed up for theater, they didn't realize that they'd also be video stars! On the first day of school, student's in Mr Savell's Theater Class were tasked with a challenge. After watching a short video of a young girl explaining how to do Elsa make up, groups of students were given the choice of creating a YouTube video or Wiki How page on a concept related to theater. Their target audience was sixth grade students who needed to know more about theater tips. Submissions ranged from theater make-up and hair dos to rules of theater and stage fights. 

Mr. Savell wanted to assess student's prior knowledge with this activy, so created a few simple expectations. Students had to show:   

• A clear understanding of what they already knew

• That they could teach others in a clear manner

• An organized and clear video

• A Peer Evaluation

Karis, Trevor, and Mike created their video on how to do theater make up. This was fun for Karis becuase she got to show the right way to put on make up, while the boys showed the incorrect way. "We had to cooperate and step out of our comfort zone to get the video done," commented Mike. We were a little nervous about doing the video at first becuase it's hard to put yourself out there." Trevor added, "I learned that you can't be scared of your voice."

The group wanted to make sure that they taught their audience in a clear, but fun way. "As nervous as we were to do the video, it felt really good when everyone laughed as they watched our tutorial. They weren't laughing at us, they were laughing because our video was informative and funny. When we saw other's react, we realized that we had accomplished our goal." This was also a great way for students to get to know each other. Karis and Trevor mentioned that they didn't know Mike before this project, but they had a lot of fun getting to work together.

Karis was the video editor of the group and added, "I had used iMovie a little before, but I didn't really know that I could zoom, switch music tracks, and voice over." She explored details within the app in order to make sure that their video portrayed the right message.  

Mallory, Ashleigh, Kamille, and Madi created their video on how to create the Cinderella look. "I never thought I’d make a video in theater, but I loved it" commented Mallory. When asked what they learned through this process, Madi points out, "When we watched the YouTube video, it looked really simple, but when we started making one, we realized that we really had to think about the setting, props, and what we were going to say so that others would understand it."

All four girls had a different role in the video making process. Mallory did most of the editing and used iMovie on her iPhone. "I used iMovie so that I could mute out background noise and add voice over." Mallory mentioned that she has used iMovie with her friends before, but it was fun using it for an actual school project. "I also showed the video to my brother before turning it in to make sure that he could understand our steps," added Mallory.

Students filled out a peer evulation sheet that held everyone accountable to their video contributions. Kamille concluded, "Students should do this next year, because it was a great way to get to know each other, see what we had in common, and learn about communication."

Mallory, Madi, Kamille, and Ashleigh's Video


Karis, Trevor, and Mike's Video