Spark JOY: STEAM Labs

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Big Idea:
Stories shape understanding. Technology gives stories reach. Craft gives stories power.

This lab treats students as creators, not consumers, of digital media.

Digital Storytelling is a multi-project, iterative media lab where students learn the full creative cycle of filmmaking: planning, filming, editing, revising, and presenting original short films.

Students work with real tools (iMovie) and real-world themes to transform personal experience, observation, and inquiry into meaningful media. The focus is not on polish alone, but on clarity, intention, feedback, and growth.

Students complete multiple short films, each building new skills while reinforcing prior ones.

Students create multiple films across themes such as:

• About Me
• Family
• A Memory
• Developing a Skill / Learning Something New
• Weather Report
• Community Interview or Engagement
• Identify a Problem & Propose a Solution
• Choose a Myth
• Personal Project 

✔ Choice builds motivation ✔ Themes grow in complexity ✔ Personal voice is honored

Digital Storytelling supports:

• Self-awareness (voice, identity, perspective)
• Self-management (planning, deadlines, revision)
• Social awareness (interviews, community stories)
• Relationship skills (collaboration, feedback)
• Responsible decision-making (what to show, how to show it)

Students begin by:

• Choosing a theme or prompt
• Brainstorming ideas
• Storyboarding scenes
• Planning shots and roles
   

Skills developed:

• Organization
• Sequencing
• Goal-setting
• Visual planning
  

Students film original footage:

• On location (school, home, park, community)
• With intentional framing and movement
   

They practice:

• Camera composition (wide, medium, close-up)
• Steady shots and intentional movement
• Awareness of light, sound, and background
   

Using iMovie, students build foundational video skills:

• Clip trimming & sequencing
• Titles & text overlays
• Transitions
• Sound effects & music
• Video effects

Students learn editing is where meaning is made.

Students:

• Share drafts
• Receive structured feedback
• Revise intentionally
   

Feedback focuses on:

• Clarity of message
• Visual storytelling
• Emotional impact
• Technical improvement

Revision is framed as growth, not correction.

Students present completed films to:

• Peers
• Families
• School community
   

They reflect on:

• What changed from first draft
• What skill improved
• What they would try next
   

Beyond technical skills, students explore:

• Mood and tone
• Pacing and rhythm
• Sound as storytelling
• Titles as meaning-makers
• Transitions as emotional cues

• Functional fluency with iMovie
• Ethical media creation
• Understanding how media influences perception
   

• Visual composition
• Narrative structure
• Expressive storytelling
   

• Story development
• Sequencing
• Audience awareness
• Oral and visual communication
   

• Reflection on process
• Iterative improvement
• Transfer of skills across projects
   

✔ Real tools, real skills
✔ Choice-driven engagement
✔ Multiple entry points for diverse learners
✔ Emphasizes process over perfection
✔ Builds confidence and agency

Students leave with:

• Multiple completed short films
• A portfolio of growing skill
• Confidence as digital creators