Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Including animation in your classroom can:
* improve literacy and numeracy
* develop critical thinking, communication and problem-solving skills
* enhance teamwork and negotiation
* encourage creativity

This toolkit, together with an extensive companion website, will give you the confidence to use animation in your classroom. From teaching basic flip-book animation right through to producing an animated film, there are drawing templates for the less confident artists and tried-and-tested schemes of work, plus advice on how to use animation equipment and what technology and software is available.

This practical, cross-curricular resource is particularly suitable for use with students aged 11-16, although many of the activities can be adapted for older or younger students. It can be used in Art, Media Studies, ICT and many other subjects to engage learners of all styles and abilities.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• Additional Credits (p. ix)
• Introduction (p. 1)
• What is the Teachers' Animation Toolkit? (p. 1)
• Research Techniques (p. 2)
• Why Use Animation in the Classroom? (p. 3)
• Using the Toolkit (p. 6)
• Part 1 Getting Started (p. 8)
• 1.1 Animation History (p. 8)
• Worksheet: Sketching a History of Animation (p. 8)
• 1.2 Beginners' Exercises (p. 18)
• Handout: The Easiest Animation (p. 18)
• Handout: Create a Flip Book (p. 19)
• Worksheet: Make a Spinning Card (Thaumatrope) (p. 21)
• Handout: How to Make a Spinning Card (Thaumatrope) (p. 22)
• Worksheet: Make a Spindle Viewer (Phenakistoscope) (p. 23)
• Handout: How to Make a Spindle Viewer (Phenakistoscope) (p. 24)
• Worksheet: Making an Animation Wheel (Zoetrope) (p. 25)
• Worksheet: Breathe Life into Teddy (p. 26)
• Worksheet: Twist'em, Bend'em, Squash'em (p. 27)
• Worksheet: Expressive Lines and Characters (p. 28)
• Worksheet: Getting the Basics of Movement (p. 30)
• Part 2 Cineliteracy (p. 32)
• 2.1 The Language of Film and Animation (p. 32)
• Worksheet: The Grammar of Film Language (p. 36)
• Worksheet: Deconstructing a Media Text (p. 39)
• Worksheet: Freeze Frame (p. 41)
• Worksheet: Studying a Title Sequence (p. 43)
• Worksheet: Who Makes Animations? (p. 45)
• Worksheet: Pitching an Idea (p. 46)
• Handout: Writing a Treatment (p. 47)
• 2.2 Exploring Genre (p. 48)
• Worksheet: Exploring Genre (p. 48)
• Handout: Genres (p. 50)
• Worksheet: Genre Translation (p. 52)
• Worksheet: Genre and Character Design (p. 54)
• 2.3 Music and Animation (p. 56)
• Worksheet: Music and Imagery in Peter and the Wolf (p. 56)
• Worksheet: Understanding Leitmotiv in Peter and the Wolf (p. 58)
• Worksheet: Compose a 15-Second Leitmotiv (p. 60)
• 2.4 Storytelling (p. 62)
• Worksheet: Story Writing (p. 62)
• Worksheet: Analysing Story Structure (p. 64)
• Worksheet: Storytelling with a Video Camera (p. 65)
• Worksheet: Script Writing for Animation (p. 67)
• Handout: The Headless Smuggler Script Example (p. 69)
• Worksheet: Storyboarding (p. 71)
• Worksheet: Storyboarding an Animated Haiku (p. 74)
• Part 3 Animation Styles (p. 76)
• 3.1 Pixilation (p. 76)
• Worksheet: Animated Portraits (p. 76)
• Worksheet: Animation in the Landscape (p. 79)
• Worksheet: Talking Objects (p. 81)
• 3.2 Plasticine Model Animation (p. 82)
• Worksheet: Metamorphosis (p. 82)
• Worksheet: Two Characters (p. 84)
• 3.3 Cut Out Animation (p. 85)
• Worksheet: Cut-Out Figures (p. 85)
• 3.4 Shadow Puppetry (p. 89)
• Worksheet: Shadow Puppet Animation (p. 89)
• 3.5 Drawn Animation (p. 92)
• Worksheet: Simple Movement Cycles (p. 92)
• Worksheet: Drawing Key Frames and Inbetweens (p. 95)
• Worksheet: Lip Sync (p. 96)
• Worksheet: Digital Drawn Animation (p. 97)
• 3.6 Machinima (p. 99)
• Worksheet: Making Machinima in Second Life (p. 99)
• Worksheet: Using Crazy Talk (p. 101)
• Worksheet: Using Moviestorm for Machinima (p. 103)
• Part 4 Schemes of Work (p. 106)
• 4.1 Tell Me a Story (p. 106)
• 4.2 TV Adverts (p. 112)
• 4.3 Music Videos (p. 117)
• Part 5 Resources (p. 122)
• 5.1 Animation Equipment (p. 122)
• Setting Up an Animation Rostrum (p. 124)
• 5.2 Recording and Editing Sound (p. 130)
• Equipment Options (p. 131)
• PC-Based Audio Editing with Audacity (p. 132)
• 5.3 Stop-Motion Animation Software (p. 136)
• Dragon Stop Motion (p. 136)
• Using Dragon Stop Motion in the Classroom (p. 137)
• Other PC-Based Solutions (p. 139)
• Other Mac-Based Solutions (p. 140)
• 5.4 Video and Animation Editing (p. 142)
• Editing Software: PC Solutions (p. 142)
• Editing Software: Mac Solutions (p. 143)
• Editing with Windows Movie Maker (p. 144)
• 5.5 Producing Your Own Animated Film (p. 146)
• Planning a Project (p. 146)
• The Stages of Pre-Production (p. 146)
• Production (p. 146)
• Post-Production (p. 147)
• Marketing and Distribution (p. 147)
• Funding a Project (p. 147)
• 5.6 Reference (p. 149)
• Books on Animation (p. 149)
• Recommended Animators (p. 150)
• Templates (p. 154)
• Glossary of Terms (p. 159)