Meet The Zimmer Twins 1p14m

2 November 2010

MEET T H E ZI M MER TWINS! c

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G e t e a t i

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Here is a great chance for your students to take a seat in the director's chair! On the Zimmer Twins website (www.zimmertwins.com), students can create their own cartoon movie endings to a story starter. They can also create their very own animated movie from scratch.

Only the creativity of

your students will decide what happens at each ending. The Zimmer Twins is a fun way to incorporate technology into the

Students can create and edit movies solo or

classroom. On the site, students will

"Collab-o-write" by

meet Edgar and Eva Zimmer, 12 year

working together to

old twins with psychic powers. Watch

create a collaborative

your students expand their

m ov i e . S o m e o f t h e

vocabulary, practice proper writing

examples of story

habits, and become junior movie

starters include titles like

producers all at the same time!

"Surprise" and "Rock

Students can:

Out" where students

Watch a starter (a short animation that ends with a cliff-hanger).

take charge of what

Create their own ending to the story by writing dialog for the characters

happens next!

and putting scenes together. Create a movie from scratch...your imagination is the limit! Save their work on the website for other kids to watch, rate and comment

Meet the Zimmer Twins • Kidz@conference • [email protected] •

2 November 2010

ME ET TH E Z IM M E R TWI NS on.

(environmental/school politics etc...) Half the class

Watch and rate movies made by other kids.

will develop an animated movie ing an issue,

The fun and animated graphics will help spark your students' imagination and creativity in whatever they choose to do!

half will formulate a movie against the issue. Example: Use the story builder to create movies that state an opinion such as, “If I was Prime

Zimmer Twins Lesson Ideas Media. Develop greater media literacy. Example: Write a commercial. Learn about persuasive advertising techniques and propaganda in the media

Minister or President what problems would I fix? If I was mayor what would I change about the city? Example: Bias and Stereotypes. Using the Zimmer Twins characters as spokespeople, develop roleplaying scenarios that explore gender discrimination and equal rights.

Example: Analyze movie or restaurant reviews and students write their own. Observe how restaurant

English

reviews use a pattern to describe each restaurant.

Example: Use metaphors and similes to build

Create a chart during a prewriting activity to clarify

interest in writing

the ideas and structure of a restaurant review. Develop a restaurant review in the form of an

Example: Work in the story builder to develop more

animated movie.

effective writing styles. Learn about the thesaurus, and use a variety of adjectives to generate more

Example: Divide the class into small groups. Have

interesting sentences.

teams develop fact or fiction movies based on short articles about a subject (animals, history etc...). At

Example: No More Repetition. Use conjunctions to

the end other groups have to guess which is fact

improve writing style and string ideas into

and which is fiction.

meaningful sentences.

Example: Students produce a news segment where

Example: Proofreading exercises – peer exercises

they explain, inform, describe, analyze, comment,

to check grammar and spelling in movies.

review or advise about an issue Social Studies

Example: Develop an exciting opener to grab the attention of your audience. Use this opener to create an animated movie.

Example: Encourage students to convey opinions by writing about a contentious issue

Meet the Zimmer Twins • Kidz@conference • [email protected] •

2 November 2010

ME ET TH E Z IM M E R TWI NS

Example: Create your own movie starters. Switch

create a movie describing why there side is right.

with a buddy, and develop the ending to their

The other team collabo-writes on the movie, and

movie starter.

explains a counter argument.

Example: Short stories: how character, setting,

Example: Use magazines or newspapers for

plot effect the story

reference. Students use these to research sentence

Example: (English) Compose a story using five sentences. Create a character that is angry. In the story explain why your character is angry. Focus on one theme (e.g. Character, Story plot, Character traits, Tone...). Example: (English) Character traits. Students pull

openers. Record a list of these of openers in a writing journal, use a thesaurus if needed. Use collected sentence openers to create a fivesentence paragraph about a given subject. Example: (English) Use pictures to reinforce a story.

a character trait out of a hat, and then write a

Example: (English) Use the story builder as an aid

story. The character’s actions must fit whatever

to

traits have been given without using the actual words. Other students must guess. Example: (English) Students use the story builder to create a movie that describes going to the store to buy 4 things. Students brainstorm for shopping items.

study word order such as Verbs, Nouns, Adjectives. Example: (English) Word sequencing. Teacher creates a story with the story builder tool using familiar vocabulary Teacher then shuffles the movie clips around so they are out of order. Students must put the stories into the right order.

Example: Collabo-write! Use the story builder to work on group tasks. Divide class into small groups. Pick opposing ideas for debate. Students

Example: Similes. Teacher explains what a simile is and why it is used. Teacher shows students how to use the story builder. Students practice creating

Meet the Zimmer Twins • Kidz@conference • [email protected] •

2 November 2010

ME ET TH E Z IM M E R TWI NS

similes as a whole group. Students then practice agrees angry bored confused disagrees dizzy writing similes in groups of 2 at the computer. This examines happy impressed plots plugs ears relieved lesson may be adapted to a variety of themes scared seeks surprised suspicious tease including, rhymes, homonyms, mood, and appropriate tone. Example: Comparing stories. Developing short movies set in the present, past and future.

Moving actions announces lectures reads aloud reports sings talks thinks whispers yells celebrates chases crowd surfs dances drops faints falls finds flies floats gives hides hugs lands

Example: Use the following list of set words and More moving actions actions included in the Zimmer Twins Movie Editor to help develop descriptive animated movies. Use the 4 steps of the writing process (Prewriting, Drafting,

laughs leaves levitates meets plays rides rocks runs sits sneaks sleeps stands steals struts wakes walks.

Revising, Editing) to encourage excellent writing skills. Talking actions

Meet the Zimmer Twins • Kidz@conference • [email protected] •